A Brief Story of the Fourteenth Cavalry

Mitch Boon, Tank Company

1954-1957

The 14th Cavalry was activated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on March 5, 1901 as a horse mounted unit. Through the years they served in the Philippines, in both training and combat capacities. They later saw duty during the Mexican Campaign.

In 1918 they assumed Border Patrol duties in Texas along the U.S./Mexican border. Their next assignments were helping control the turmoil during the Indian uprisings in the western United State s. Some of their highlights were marching in the Chicago Worlds Fair and their escort services to President Theodore Roosevelt in Denver, Colorado and President William Taft in Spokane, Washington. Early in their history they adopted the French slogan: "Suivez Moi" (Follow Me) which carries over to this day.

I remember several times our troopers trying to recite an old poem. I never knew the words and I remember only a couple of my friends being able to run through the entire thing. I believe the only times I heard this was during drinking sprees. It was comical to hear some of the butchered verses. I have wondered over the years what the name of that poem was and where I might get a copy. I received a newsletter from the 14th Cavalry Association and there was this headline: "What every good Cavalryman should know about Fiddlers' Green." The old horse cavalryman used to speak, sing, and speculate about a place on the road to Hell called Fiddlers\rquote Green. It was supposed that the cavalryman could spend a portion or all of eternity there with plenty to drink and smoke, food for his mount, and old comrades with whom he could talk. I'm not sure if this is the poem I've wondered about, but I like it and would like to share it with you:

Fiddlers' Green

Halfway down the road to Hell,

In a shady meadow green,

Are the souls of all dead troopers camped?

Near a good old time canteen,

And this eternal resting place

Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell,

The Infantry is seen,

Accompanied by the Engineers,

Artillery and Marines,

For none but shades of Cavalrymen

Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Though some go curving down the trail

To seek a warmer scene,

No trooper ever gets to Hell

Ere he's emptied his canteen,

And so rides back to drink again

With friends at Fiddlers'Green.

And so when man and horse go down

Beneath the saber keen,

Or in a roaring charge of fierce melee

You stop a bullet clean,

And the hostiles come to get your scalp,

Just empty your canteen,

And put your pistol to your head

And go to Fiddlers' Green.

In 1944 during the Second World War they became a tank-mounted unit and changed their name to the 14 Cavalry Group. Much of the time spent in Germany, in the Battle of the Bulge. This was probably the deciding point for bringing about Germany's eventual surrender and ending that terrible war.

After the war, in 1946, the unit was designated the 14 Constabulary with primary duties controlling the turmoil and pilfering. The Germans affectionately knew the group as the "Circle C Cowboys" or "Blitz Polizei". In 2002 I was fortunate to meet two former members of that group: Al Inlow who is the manager of the military museum at the Camp White Domiciliary at White City, Oregon and Clifford E. Cooper who was a neighbor from Glendale. Both men had been stationed at Bad Hersfeld, Germany, in the mid to late 1940's. Over the years I've ran into a lot of people that have crossed paths with me and I am always amazed at how small this world really is.

In 1948 this fine unit was designated the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment with duties patrolling the U.S./U.S.S.R. border between East and West Germany during the period of the Cold War. This was my time. In September 1954 twenty friends and I trained as a tank platoon at Fort Knox, Kentucky and were shipped to Germany in the middle of December. We arrived at Bemerhaven, Germany Christmas day and were treated to the very memorable dinner with all the trimmings. The next day we boarded a train to our new home at Bad Hersfeld.

At the depot we met our new Company Commander, Captain Oltman. I' m Not sure how tall he was, but I stood in the back row and had to look over a guy that was six feet tall and I could still see the Captain. We later saw a picture of his office where he was standing with outstretched arms and two of his Lieutenants standing under them.

Though our company was not assigned to border guard duties, we came to know this area well. We were primarily a back up (support) company to the guards and worked along with them on many occasions. We were called upon for "show of force" during times of tense situations.

The 14th Cavalry Regiment had three battalions. The first, along with Head Quarters, was stationed at Fulda, the second was approximately twenty miles south of there at Bad Kissingen and the third twenty miles north of there at Bad Hersfeld. Fulda lies directly in the middle of the famous "Fulda Gap". This is a valley separating two mountainous areas. We were well aware of the interest that the 39th East German guards had for this gap, as it was an easy, direct line into the heart of West Germany and Rhine River. Had there been much desire from the Soviets to engage in war, this area would have been the most likely starting point. We were a well-trained group and took our jobs seriously and we were determined not to let that occur.

In October 1956 the Hungarian people wished to form another government outside the Communist Regime. This caused an uprising that forced many thousand residents to flee to western countries, primarily West Germany. The Russian army began amassing their tank Divisions along the East/West German borders, forcing a show of force with our military units. The Fourteenth Cavalry, as well as all Cavalry units, was put on full combat alert. I'm sure that the situation was just as tense for them as us. I thank God that no rounds were fired during this time, as it would have caused another World War. Our major responsibility during this terrible episode was guarding the border and escorting refugees to holding and processing centers.

We did have slack periods and took full advantage of them. I took several vacations, one to Paris for a week and another to the ski resort at Garmish in the Barvarian Alps. Most of our spare time was spent at our local hang out, "The Hole in the Wall". That joint was popular before and after my time there and is probably popular today. On an all-European training exercise (Cordon Bleu) we had all the convenience of a vacation. There were a lot of soldiers from France, Germany, England and the United States sitting around in a fancy bar at Bergen-Belsen that would put our beloved Hole in the Wall to shame. Lois Heil and I took this opportunity and made the most of it. I remember toasting all of our foreign friends (but I'm sure we didn't try to recite the Fiddlers' Green). Belsen-Bergen is where a lot of the Jews were buried during the holocaust. Graves were marked: 2000 buried here, 1000 there. No names, just numbers. Why?

After I left Germany, the Berlin Wall was erected and the border fences reinforced to prevent East German refugees from fleeing to the west. The 14th Cavalry was deactivated in 1972 and replaced by the 11th Cavalry through out the remainder of the Cold War. In the spring of 2002 there was a reunion at Fulda were two great Regiments are remembered by memorial stones erected there. When the Cold War ended in 1988, the Berlin Wall and the fences were demolished and borders throughout Europe were opened, allowing desperately needed freedom for all Europeans.