Mount up

Army "cavalry" in Hawaii is associated with the military versions of the iron horse: Humvees, helicopters and Stryker armored vehicles.

But in the early 1900s, cavalry meant real horses, and a favorite pastime for some soldiers was polo. In 1935 a Schofield Barracks team was captained by a hotheaded colonel who later became one of the most famed military commanders of World War II: Gen. George "Old Blood and Guts" Patton.

The Army is returning to its mounted heritage with a polo match Saturday at Fort Shafter’s historic Palm Circle, and the public is invited.

Allen Hoe, a Vietnam combat veteran and president of the Honolulu Polo Club, said the commander of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Lt. Gen. Francis Wiercinski, was invited along with his staff to a recent polo match on Oahu and came away impressed.

"They had such a great time, they said, ‘Let’s see if we can do this for the Army family on Fort Shafter and open it to the public,’" Hoe said.

The event will evoke the Army’s cavalry and polo heritage.

"It’s part of our effort to kind of regain some of the good that the old Army ‘Cav’ used to have many, many years ago," said Hoe, a Kailua resident who also is a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army for Hawaii.

The "Black" and "Gold" teams competing Saturday will be made up of resident Hawaii polo players.

Polo was introduced to Hawaii during the reign of King David Kalakaua, and the first match was held on Nov. 3, 1880, between British naval officers of HMS Gannet and local residents, according to "Hawaii Sports: History, Facts and Statistics," by Dan Cisco.

The population of Schofield Barracks had grown to about 6,000 soldiers by 1914, with the 4th Cavalry among units stationed on the Leilehua plain.

A 1923 Army polo flier said the 4th and 5th cavalries at Schofield and the 1st Field Artillery had good polo teams. Five tournaments were played the year before.

Army teams used to challenge local teams at what would later become Kapiolani Park. Among the more notable participants was Patton, who purchased horses for the cavalry.

In 1935, on his second tour in Hawaii, Patton was captain of the Army team during the Inter-Island Championship when he cursed out Walter Dillingham, who played on the opposing team.

According to one account, Maj. Gen. Hugh Drum, who was sitting front and center at the match, wanted Patton thrown off the field, but Dillingham intervened on Patton’s behalf.

"We are really looking forward to hosting this event (Saturday), honoring our troops and showcasing the history between the U.S. Army and the ever-expanding sport of polo," said Christopher Dawson, a polo player and the U.S. Polo Association’s Hawaii circuit governor.