Ceremonies mark big change for Nevada National Guard squadron — PHOTOS

The Nevada Army National Guard’s “Wildhorse” 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment — the same one that returned from a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 — is expanding to become part of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team in Boise, Idaho.

A re-patching ceremony as well as change-of-command and change of responsibilities ceremonies took place Saturday at the Clark County Armory in North Las Vegas.

The ceremonies marked the end of an era for Nevada’s cavalry, which for two decades shared a close partnership with the active duty’s 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in California.

In conjunction with its new affiliation, the squadron will expand from about 420 soldiers to more than 650 soldiers. It also has received more than $250 million worth of new armored vehicles to replace an outdated fleet that has been decommissioned.