On August 3, 1866, Gen. Phillip Sheridan, commander of the Military Division of the Gulf, was authorized to raise one regiment of "colored" cavalry that was to be designated the 9th Regiment. Col. Edward Hatch was selected to command the new regiment. Hatch, who was a brevet Major General by the close of the Civil War, was an able and ambitious officer. The 9th Cavalry was ordered to Texas in June of 1867. There it was charged with protecting stage and mail routes, building and maintaining forts, and establishing law and order in a vast area full of outlaws, Mexican revolutionaries, and raiding Comanches, Cheyennes, Kiowas, and Apaches. Despite prejudice and the almost impossible task of maintaining some semblance of order from the Staked Plains to El Paso to Brownsville, the 9th established themselves as one of the most effective fighting forces in the Army. The 9th was transferred to the District of New Mexico during the winter and spring of 1875 and 76. Over the next six years they were thrust into what had been a continuous struggle to subdue the fiercely independent Apaches. The renegade Apaches that periodically fled the reservations were highly skilled horsemen with a superior knowledge of their ancestral lands. Under the command of skilled warriors like Skinya, Nana, Victorio, and Geronimo, the Apaches proved to be an illusive and worthy adversary for the troopers of the 9th Cavalry. As 1881 came to a close, the battle-weary Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry had been serving continuously on the Texas, New Mexico and Arizona frontiers for 14 years. That November the headquarters of the 9th was transferred to Fort Riley, Kansas, with portions of the regiment assigned to Fort Sill, Fort Supply, and Fort Reno in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Over the next four years, the troopers were primarily concerned with the unpleasant task of evicting white settlers known as "Boomers," who were attempting to settle on Indian land. The 9th's unpopular duty continued until the regiment was transferred to Wyoming in June of 1885. In Cuba, the 9th again rose to the occasion as it captured one of the Spanish blockhouses at Santiago. The 9th was in the thick of action during the charge up San Juan Hill. During the Philippine Insurrection, the 9th Cavalry continued its hard fighting tradition by conducting several successful campaigns against the Moro tribesmen. Two subordinate units, that would later become part of the present 9th Cavalry Regiment, carried out missions in the WW II European and Pacific Theaters. The Regiment served with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam earning five campaign streamers and a Presidential Unit Citation After numerous inactivations, activations, and redesignations over the past fifty years, the cavalry troops of the 9th Cavalry Regiment are now being activated as Brigade Reconnaissance Troops across the Army in selected maneuver brigades.

B Troop, 9th Cavalry was reactivated as the Third Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Brigade Reconnaissance Troop (BRT) on June 25, 1999. We are known as the "Bloody Knife Troop", named after the Indian Scout, Bloody Knife who served under General Custer during the Indian Wars.

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Captain Sachse enlisted in the Army in 1985 as an Infantryman in the United States Army. His first and second assignments were as a Mechanized Infantryman where he served as a rifleman, scout and team leader. He was then assigned to the 10th Mountain division where he served as Rifle Squad Leader and Long Range Surveillance Team Leader. He was then assigned to Fort Benning where he served as a Drill Instructor prior to being commissioned a second lieutenant of the Infantry in September of 1994. His first assignment as an officer was in the 10th Mountain Division where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer in 3-14 Infantry. He then was assigned to 2-75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington where he served as a Ranger Rifle Platoon Leader in B CO. He was then re-assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia where he commanded A CO 1-19th Infantry. After being assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Captain Sachse was assigned to 1-12 Infantry (Warriors) was he was assigned as the Battalion S4. Captain Sachse holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Saint Martin’s College of Lacey, Washington and a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Troy State University of Troy, Alabama. His military education includes Airborne, Ranger, Jumpmaster, Air Assault, Pathfinder, Special Operations Training (SOT), Long Range Surveillance Leaders, Bradley Leaders, Infantry Captains Career Course, Combined Arms Services Staff School and Company Commander’s Course. His decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Metal, National Defense Service Metal, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Drill Sergeant Badge and Ranger Tab.

1SG Jay F. Lazorishak entered the Army in May of 1982 as a Fire Support Specialist. His tours include Fort Hood, TX, Schofield Barracks, HI, South Korea, Fort Benning, GA, Fort Richardson, AK, Fort Polk, LA and two tours at Fort Carson. 1SG Lazorishak is a graduate of a multitude of Army courses to include Airborne School, Pathfinder, Air Assault, Jungle Warfare, Jumpmaster, Ranger School and the US Army First Sergeant Course. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Armed Forces Expedition Ribbon with Arrowhead Device, the National Defense Service Medal and the Bronze Service Star for the Parachutist Badge.

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