The first recognized medals of the US Army appeared during the American Civil War and were generally issued by local commanders on an unofficial basis. The Medal of Honor was the first award to be established in regulations as a permanent Army decoration, complete with benefits. The Medal of Honor is the only Civil War era award which has survived as a decoration into the modern age.

Furthermore, the US Army mandates that all unit awards will be worn separate from individual awards on the opposite side of a military uniform. The Army is the only service to require this separation between unit and individual decorations. All Army unit awards are worn enclosed in a gold frame.

The Spanish-American War was the first widespread award of campaign medals, both for service in the actual conflict and for participation in subsequent garrison and occupation duty. After the Spanish-American War, however, medals in the US Army fell into disuse and, apart from a few peacetime Medal of Honor decorations, there were no further Army medals created until the First World War. World War I saw the first widespread distribution of medals for combat, as the Medal of Honor returned awarded for bravery in battle against an enemy force. The Distinguished Service Cross was also created for those soldiers who had performed feats of bravery but not to the level required of the Medal of Honor. The only other medal of World War I was the World War I Victory Medal, accompanied by a confusing array of battle clasps to denote combat participation.

In the 1920s and 30s, the US Army issued very few decorations and it was often common for a service member to spend an entire career without receiving a single medal. With the outbreak of World War II, however, the Army began the largest expansion of medals since the Spanish-American War as well as the first wide scale issuance of inter-service awards. In addition, several World War II campaign medals were created for various theaters and a World War II Victory Medal was established at the end of the conflict as well as an occupation medal.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Army expanded both its number of medals and ribbons, as well as having its service members eligible for several new inter-service campaign and service medals (such as the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the National Defense Service Medal).

In the modern age, members of other military branches serving under an Army command are also eligible to receive Army decorations. All Army service members may receive inter-service awards, international decorations, and authorized foreign medals. The Department of the Army also awards a limited number of civilian awards.

Only time and fate knows the future of peace, wars and the new missions that the subordinate units of the 1st Cavalry Division may be called on to perform. In any situation, they stand ready and can look to its combat record with justifiable pride and hard earned satisfaction. All of the tasks have been tough and they have been done well.

82nd Field Artillery Regiment Decorations
The following decorations have been earned by the 82 Field Artillery Regiment in service for their country. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 (82nd Field Artillery Battalion, cited; DA GO 47 1950) Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered WAEGWAN-TAEGU (82nd Field Artillery Battalion, cited; DA GO 35 1951) Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Bravery Gold Medal of Greece), Streamer embroidered KOREA (82nd Field Artillery Battalion, cited; DA GO 02 1956)
1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "Dragons" Decorations
Having a direct lineage from "A" Battery, the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery is entitled to the 82nd Field Artillery Awards listed above and additionally, the following: Valorous Unit Award, Streamer ("D" Trp, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery (Provisional), cited for the period 01 Feb to 31 May, 2007; PO 148-17, 28 May, 2009) Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered SOUTHWEST ASIA (1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 08 Oct 1990 to 21 Apr 1991; DA GO 27, 1994) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 04 JULY 1945 (82nd Field Artillery Battalion, cited; DA GO 47 1950) Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered WAEGWAN-TAEGU (82nd Field Artillery Battalion, cited; DA GO 35 1951) Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Bravery Gold Medal of Greece), Streamer embroidered KOREA (82nd Field Artillery Battalion, cited; DA GO 02 1956) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970 (1st Battalion, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 24 Aug to 31 Dec 1969 and 31 Mar to 30 Jun 1970; DA GO 42, 1972) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971 (Headquarters and Headquarters Btry, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 01 Apr to 30 Jun 1971; DA GO 06, 1974) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971 (1st Battalion, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 08 Feb to 30 Apr 1971; DA GO 42 1972)
2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "Steel Dragons" Decorations
Having a direct lineage from "B" Battery, the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery is entitled to the 82nd Field Artillery Awards listed above and additionally, the following: Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 1991 (2nd Bn, 82nd Field Artillery cited for period 05 Jan to 22 May 1991; DA GO 14, 1997)
3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "Red Dragons" Decorations
Having a direct lineage from "C" Battery, the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery is entitled to the 82nd Field Artillery Awards listed above and additionally, the following: Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered (Forward Command Group, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 13 May to 17 Jun 1969; DA GO 43, 1972) Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ (3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 15 to 25 Feb 1991; DA GO 27, 1994) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967 - 1969 (3rd Battalion, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 15 Nov 1967 to 17 Mar 1969; DA GO 39, 1970) Navy Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1968 ("D" Btry, 3rd Battalion,82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 10 to 16 May 1968; DA GO 32, 1973) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970 (3rd Battalion, 82nd Artillery, cited for the periods 24 Aug to 31 Dec 1969 and 31 Mar to 30 Jun 1970; DA GO 42, 1972) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971 (Headquarters and Headquarters Btry, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 01 Apr to 30 Jun 1971; DA GO 06, 1974)
4th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "" Decorations
Having a direct lineage from "D" Battery, the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery is entitled to the 82nd Field Artillery Awards listed above and additionally, the following: Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 1991 (4th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery cited for period 01 Jan to 18 May 1991; DA GO 14, 1997)
5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "Black Dragons" Decorations
Having a direct lineage from "E" Battery, the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery is entitled to the 82nd Field Artillery Awards listed above and additionally, the following: Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE ("E" Btry, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 23 Oct to 26 Nov 1965; DA GO 40 1967) Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK ("E" Btry, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 01 May to 29 Jun 1970; DA GO 43 1972) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966 - 1967 ("E" Btry, 82nd Artillary, cited for the period 01 Nov 1966 to 30 Apr 1967; DA GO 17, 1968) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967 - 1969 ("E" Btry, 82nd Artillary, cited for the period 01 May 1967 to 28 Feb 1969; DA GO 36, 1970) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965 - 1969 ("E" Btry, 82nd Artillery, cited for the period 09 Aug 1965 to 19 May 1969; DA GO 59, 1969) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970 ("E" Btry, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period May 1969 to Feb 1970; DA GO 11 1973, amended DA GO 42, 1972) Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1970 - 1971 ("E" Btry, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 21 Feb 1970 to 28 Feb 1971; DA GO 42, 1972) Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969 - 1970 ("E" Btry, 82nd Field Artillery, cited for the period 01 Jan 1969 to 01 Feb 1971; DA GO 42, 1972)
6th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment "" Decorations
Having a direct lineage from "F" Battery, the 6th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery is entitled to the 82nd Field Artillery Awards listed above,