A museum on Fort Hood dedicated to the First Cavalry Division, the only Cavalry Division in the Army, received a special donation from the grandson of a commander who is responsible for a large part of the First Cav's history, it's patch.
Not long ago, Daryl Dorcy moved to Texas.
"Driving down Interstate 35, I saw Fort Hood and one thing led to another, I got on the Internet, and found the home of the 1st Cavalry Division and I said, this has got to be the place," Dorcy said.
The place he wanted the portrait of his grandfather, Colonel Ben Dorcy, to call home.
"Ben Dorcy and his wife, Gladys, Ben was the commander of the 7th Cavalry Regiment when the Division was formed in 1921, and they worked together to create a patch for the 1st Cav Division," Steve Draper, the director of the 1st Cavalry Division Museum, said.
The original design for the patch had the horse's head and the cross piece sky blue.
But, when it was sent up to Big Army to be approved, they changed the sky blue to the black we see today.
"The 1st Cav Division patch is the biggest patch in the United States Army. It was created for the big patch for big men and big women. The whole idea was that the patch could be seen in the sands of the southwest," Draper added.
"I did not get to serve, never got to serve in the 1st Cavalry, but our family had a long military history," Dorcy added.
Daryl said he was influenced by that history growing up.
"Knew of the importance and the value of commitment to the U.S. Army, to the United States, and he taught a great deal of that to my father, who in turn taught it to me," Dorcy said.
Which is why Daryl says it was an extraordinary honor to have the ability to donate a painting of his grandfather and a couple of his scrapbooks to the 1st Cavalry Division Museum on Fort Hood.
"The Division is getting close to celebrating its 100th anniversary in 20-21, and so, these kinds of things are really instrumental in helping us create a stronger story for the 1st Cav Division," Draper said.
The original 1st Cav patch designed by Col. Dorcy is on display at the Army Heritage Command in Pennsylvania.
The 1st Cavalry Division Museum on Fort Hood hopes to have the original patch brought here for display either this summer or fall.
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