9th Cavalry (Air Cav) - 1st Cav Division w SVC Pillow

The 9th Air Cav ushered in a new era of combat called, air assault. These teams were composed of aero-weapons (Reds), aero-scout (Whites), and aero-rifle (Blues). Together, ground and air reconnaissance teams patrolled the Vietnam countryside in search of the enemy. Once located, the infantry (Blues) would insert (and extract) via helicopter or foot to engage the enemy with support of their aero scouts and aero weapons. These teams earned the nickname of "Headhunters." This concept differed from conventional front line warfare typical in prior land warfare. During the Vietnam war, the 1st of the 9th Cavalry earned 3 Presidential Unit citations and 5 Valorous Unit Citations.