History
The Charter was stood up on 1/11/2025. The prospective Charter was sponsored
by the Cerberus chapter in Longview, TX and began their prospecting journey on June 4 th , 2024.
The Chapter Mission Ride was completed 11/16-17/2024 and covered an average of 862 miles.
The Charter initially began with nine prospective members and ultimately stood up with eight
founding members.
“Dragoons” was chosen by the founding members to be the Charter name. Throughout
United States history, especially during the nineteenth century, mounted troops served as the
advance guard of the United States Army. They helped to strengthen security in times of peace
and served as protectors and watchdogs in times of war.
In the mid-nineteenth century just prior to the Civil War, three different types of mounted
troops existed simultaneously in the United States Army: cavalry, dragoons, and mounted
riflemen. While all traveled on horseback, theoretically, there were enough distinctions between
the various units to merit them being called by different names. Dragoons were considered a
medium cavalry unit. Whereas cavalry did most of their fighting on horse, dragoons rode into
battle and then did most of their fighting dismounted; although, they were trained to fight both
ways. The term “dragoon” came from the nickname for their weapon, the carbine or short
musket, called “the dragon”, which referred to the fire that emits out of the gun when fired, hence
the term “dragon” or dragoon soldiers.
The Dragoons Chapter Patch
The Dragoons patch design was drawn from Texas history. Specifically, the symbology
and history of the “Come and Take It” flag and motto.
The roots of the iconic “Come and Take It” motto can be traced back to ancient Greece.
The phrase was first used in 480 BC in the Battle of Thermopylae, which saw a small force of
Greeks led by King Leonidas I make a last stand against invading Persian forces. When the
Persians demanded that the Greeks surrender their weapons, King Leonidas defiantly responded
with the words “Molon Labe”, which means “come and take them”.
The spirit of this resistance was embodied again during the American Revolution at Fort
Morris in the Province of Georgia in 1778. Colonel John McIntosh refused to surrender his fort
when British troops demanded it, famously responding with a letter that stated, “Come and Take
It“.
This resolute defiance eventually made its way to Texas during the Mexican War for
Independence. During the battle of Gonzales, Texan rebels were given a small cannon by
Mexican authorities to defend themselves against Native American attacks. But after tensions
between Texans and Mexicans escalated, the Mexicans demanded that the cannon be returned.
The settlers responded to this demand with their own flag featuring a black star and lettering
proclaiming, “Come and Take It!“.
These three separate events – Thermopylae, Fort Morris and Gonzales – share something
in common: they all depict a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds. Each one represents a
decisive moment when a group of people rallied together and stood up for what mattered most to
them – their freedom, their autonomy, their right to exist on their own terms. In each case, these
individuals had little hope of victory, but they fought anyways.
The patch is shaped in the form of an octagon. This is a representation of the eight
original charter members who stood up the Dragoons Charter. The PHUMC “Ghost” was added
to the patch as a recognition that the Dragoons are a part of the larger Union. The Latin word
“Animus” can have many meanings, but the Dragoons use it as a representative term for
courageous. The Latin word “Fortes” means strong.
Initial Chapter Officers and Members
President – Bill “Capo” Zito
Vice President – Mark “Blackjack” Guarino
Secretary – Julius “Lurch” Horvath
Treasurer – Saul “Slowride” Orozco
Sgt at Arms – Bruce “Trigger” Kingsley
Senior Road Captain – Stephen “Snap” Jonas
Member/Webmaster – Chris “Bomber” Shea
Member – Kenneth “Tombstone” Fernandez