Scope and Contents

Copies of Colonel Cecil L. Shrader's military records document his service in the United States Army from 1959 to 1989. Photographs and two computer printed maps document Cecil Shrader's two tours of duty in Vietnam from July 1966 to May 1967 and January 1969 to March 1969 with C Troop, 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry.

Biographical / Historical

Cecil Shrader was born in West Virginia and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1958. Trained as an armored weapons specialist, Shrader held a field command with a tank company in Korea before going to Vietnam. He commanded an aeroweapons platoon of C Troop, 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Division from July 1966 until May 1967. He returned to Vietnam as Commanding Officer of C Troop from January until March 1969. In his later career with the Pentagon, Shrader oversaw the development of the Apache and Blackhawk helicopters as well as the final field trials for the M-1 tank.