MEMORIALS
in honor of
The 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment

The Regiment's service during the Cold War is honored by two memorials in Germany.  The first of these was unveiled in Fulda on 24 July 1998.  It stands in the former Downs Barracks on the green between the parade ground and the building that housed the Regimental Headquarters from 1956 to 1972..  This memorial bears a large replica of the regimental crest and a plaque that reads as follows:
 


THE FOURTEENTH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
STOOD GUARD AT THE IRON CURTAIN
FROM 1949 TO 1972.
WITH SQUADRONS IN FULDA
BAD KISSINGEN AND BAD HERSFELD
IT MAINTAINED CONSTANT READINESS
TO MEET AN ATTACK FROM THE EAST.
ITS SOLDIERS WERE AN EMBODIMENT
OF THEIR NATION'S COMMITMENT
TO FREEDOM IN EUROPE.

SUIVEZ MOI

An article describing the unveiling ceremony is attached and a number of photographs are posted..









The second memorial was unveiled on 14 May 2000 at the former location of OP Alpha on the border about 20 miles northeast of Fulda.  OP Alpha is now the site of a museum and is probably the most most prominent of all the memorial sites in Germany now dedicated to preserving the history of Cold War border operations.  The plaque at this site honors both the 14th and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiments:
 

IN MEMORY OF THE TROOPERS OF THE
11th ARMORED
CAVALRY REGIMENT
(BLACKHORSE)

AND THE

14th  ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
UNITED STATES ARMY

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE DEFENSE OF LIBERTY AND
IN HONOR OF ALL WHO SERVED DURING THE WATCH ON
"FREEDOM’S FRONTIER"

SUIVEZ MOI                                                 ALLONS

                                                                   1951 - 1972                                                 1972 - 1994
 

LTG(R) John Ballantyne spoke for us at the unveiling ceremony.  As a Lieutenant he commanded Company A in 1959.  He returned in 1975 to command the 11th ACR.  The ceremony was attended veterans of both regiments and by German dignitaries including the Deputy Minister of Defense and the Vice Governors of both Hesse and Thuringia.  The number of speakers who participated in the ceremony allowed only a few minutes (including translation time) for each one.  A transcript of General Ballantyne's remarks is attached.