My father was drafted in the summer of 1941, and assigned to Cavalry. He used to regale my brother and I with stories about patrolling the Mexican border on horseback when war broke out. They finally traded in their horses for armor at Fort Riley, Kansas, then went South to train before shipping out for Europe in 1944. I guess his horse would not have been very much help in the Battle of the Bulge, or taking the Bridge at Remagen.