Unit History:
Originally known as the Bravo Company “Deathmasters” of the 1st Battalion/5th Infantry Brigade (1-5 INF) from Ft. Lewis, Washington; the men of “Bull” Company and the entire 1st Squadron/2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (1/2 SCR) have served three combat deployments since the start of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
- OIF I & II -
Starting in October of 2004 with the a front-line role in the Battle of Fallujah, the men of 1-5 INF earned their mettle in some of the hardest fighting of the war – only to follow it up a few days later with another grueling conflict during the Battle of Mosul. In all, they spent a year in fighting in Iraq – including protection details for the first free elections of the new Iraqi Republic – and by the end of October of 2005 they were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for what had become one of the most notable tours of duty up until that point in the war.
- OIF VII-IX -
Upon returning from their first tour of duty, the men of 1-5 INF were re-flagged as “1/2 SCR” and moved to Vilseck, Germany, where they became a global quick-reaction defense force in Europe, and conducted high-profile joint training operations with NATO forces to showcase the Stryker Infantry Fighting Vehicle as an effective tool on the battlefield. Orders for their next deployment, however, were soon to follow, and in August of 2007 the 1-5 INF Deathmasters deployed under their new name of “Bull Company” for a fifteen month tour of duty as part of the iconic “troop surge” in Iraq. After two years of training, they were now assigned to serve a special mission as the conventional urban-assault task force operating in eastern Baghdad, on the border of an unsecured and highly volatile district known as Sadr City – home to more than two-million residents, and the infamous insurgent militia known as the Ja’Ish Al-Mahdi.
It was just six months into their deployment that everything went sideways and the men of 1/2 SCR found themselves fighting - yet again – on one of the largest battles of the Iraq war. Overnight, hundreds of thousands of Ja’Ish Al-Mahdi troops had poured into the streets of Baghdad, Basra and Al-Kut, casting the entire country into chaos. For more than eighty-two days, the men of Bull Company fought relentlessly on the front lines of what would soon become known as “the final battle for Baghdad” – a turning point in the nations history that would pave the way for the end of the war.
After finishing up with the 2008 uprising of Sadr City, Bull Company and the rest of 1/2 SCR were then sent up to Mosul to finish out their deployment as a task force raid element and security detachment back in the streets of Mosul. By the end of their second tour, 1/2 SCR was awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation for their valor in combat and service on the front lines of Sadr City.
- OEF X-XI to Present -
A year after returning from their second deployment to Iraq, the men of 1/2 SCR would deploy again for another twelve month tour of combat – this time serving in the city of Tarin Kowt of the Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan during one of the hardest years of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Currently, the men of Bull Company are continuing their role as a quick reaction force element in Europe, conducting international training operations with high profile NATO forces – ever ready for the call to serve.