Fort Hood, Texas
(1986 - 1996)
On 16 July 1986, four days after becoming the first unit to receive the AH-64A Apache helicopter, the 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry reactivated and reflagged from the 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry. The 3-6 CAV call sign “Heavy Cav” draws on the 7-17 CAV lineage. Following the 7-17 CAV’s return from a distinguished tour in Vietnam, it became the United States Army's only Attack Helicopter Squadron with more AH-1 Cobras than any other unit. This lent itself to the name "Heavy Cav" which was subsequently adopted by 3-6 CAV as its call sign. The squadron served with distinction at Fort Hood from 1986 to 1996.
Camp Humphreys, Korea
(1996 - 2006)
In December 1996, 3-6 CAV received orders to deploy to the Republic of Korea. Several months later, the squadron, consisting of 24 Apaches, stood ready to fight at Camp Humphreys, Korea. Assigned to the Eighth United States Army, its mission was to provide a screening force on the peninsula's Western coast. On June 15, 2006, the squadron was inactivated and its personnel reflagged as the 4th Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, assigned to the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
Fort Bliss, Texas
(2015 - Present)
On 16 March 2015, the squadron was activated at Fort Bliss, Texas, and assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division. Again, 3-6 CAV led Army Aviation as the Army’s first Heavy Attack Reconnaissance Squadron formed as part of the 2015 Army Aviation Restructuring Initiative. This conversion assigned three Shadow TUAS platoons to 3-6 CAV’s 24 AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopters and combined the lethality and effectiveness of manned and unmanned aircraft.
From August 2015 to April 2016, 3-6 CAV deployed to the Middle East in support of Operations SPARTAN SHIELD and INHERENT RESOLVE. The squadron served with distinction during this deployment and was selected as the 2015 Department of the Army LTG Ellis D. Parker Award (Combat Category) and the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Overall Best Aviation Battalion in the Army. In addition, SFC David Burge, D/4-6 CAV, was awarded as the 2015 AAAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Soldier of the Year.
In April thru May 2017, 3-6 CAV deployed to the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California. The squadron was joined by another 70 soldiers from 2-501 AVN, 3-501 AVN, and the 127 ASB. 3-6 Cav and the aviation task force it led launched the first Volcano System at NTC in over a decade. They also used a Shadow drone to target and guide a simulated Hellfire missile, the first time that has been done at the training center.
