1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
| 1st Air Cavalry Brigade | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1984-present |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Allegiance |
 United States Army
|
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 1st Cavalry Division |
The Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division is a divisional aviation brigade of the United States Army. It was activated on 16 September 1984.
The brigade is composed of:
While locally referred to as the "1st Air Cavalry Brigade," the official Department of the Army designation is "Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division."
The history of combat aviation in the 1st Cavalry Division goes back to 1963, when the Army began to gather helicopters into the 11th Aviation Group, 11th Air Assault Division (Test) at Fort Benning, Georgia, to test the airmobile concept. The 11th Aviation Group included the 227th, 228th and 229th Aviation Battalions. In 1965, the assets of the 11th AAD and the 2d Infantry Division were merged to form the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). This involved a simultaneous transfer of the swapping of the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division, then stationed in Korea, with the 2d Infantry Division. On 1 August 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was sent to Vietnam. Aviators participated in 14 campaigns and received seven decorations during its seven years of duty in Vietnam. The first Army aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War was a member of the 227th Aviation Battalion.
Following its return from Vietnam, the 1st Cavalry Division was reorganized as an experimental TRICAP (Triple Capability) Division with a heavy (armor-mech) brigade, an airmobile brigade and an aviation brigade. This configuration was deemed unworkable and the division was reorganized as a standard heavy division. The division's aviation element consisted of the 227th Aviation Battalion. The colors of the 11th Aviation Group were separated from the division after the war and assigned to Germany by reflagging an existing aviation group already stationed there.
According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, the lineage of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division began when it was constituted on 1 September 1984 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas. It was reorganized and redesignated on 16 October 1996 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
...
Wikipedia