On October 20, President Obama welcomed the entire Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry (known as the Blackhorse Unit) to the White House to honor the unit’s service in Vietnam with the presentation of the Presidential Unit Citation. In March 1970, the Alpha Troop received a communication that another unit, Charlie Company, had come upon an underground bunker of North Vietnamese troops and were facing some 400 enemy fighters. The Alpha Troop’s captain gave the order to “Saddle up and move out,” and the Blackhorse Unit went on to rescue the 100 Charlie Company soldiers. In his remarks, President Obama said that “I cannot imagine a more fitting tribute to these men, who fought in what came to be called The Anonymous Battle. Troopers, you are not anonymous anymore. And with America’s overdue recognition also comes responsibility — our responsibility as citizens and as a nation, to always remain worthy of your service.” Here, military uniform hats are checked in the White House before the presentation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=136408