3-135 Aviation

135th Aviation Regiment
2d Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment Insignia
Active	1985 – present
Country	United States
Branch	Army National Guard
Type	Aviation regiment
Size	300
Part of	Colorado Army National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado
Nickname(s)	Blackjacks
Motto(s)	"Mission First"
Colors	Black and gold
Engagements	Iraqi War
Insignia
Identification symbol	Skull with crossed swords

The 135th Aviation Regiment is a Aviation Branch regiment of the United States Army, first formed in August 1985.

The regiment was constituted in August 1985 with the activation of the 35th Infantry Division as an Attack Battalion flying AH-1S Cobra's. The regiment was originally formed as a part of the 135th Aviation Regiment with Regimental Headquarters located in Frankfort, Kentucky, 1st Battalion in Missouri and 2nd Battalion as a part of the Colorado Army National Guard as 2nd Battalion 135th Aviation, under the United States Army Regimental System. It was concurrently organized from new and existing units to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions and Companies D, E, and F, elements of the 35th Infantry Division, and Company G.

It was reorganized 1 December 1987 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions and Companies D, E, and F, elements of the 35th Infantry Division, the 3d Battalion, and Company G.

Reorganized 1 September 1996 in the Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri Army National Guard to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions and Company F, elements of the 35th Infantry Division, the 3d Battalion, and Company G.

Reorganized 1 September 1998 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions and Company F, elements of the 35th Infantry Division, and the 3d Battalion.

1st Battalion currently only flies the Boeing AH-64D Apaches but a number of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk are to join during 2016.

The 2d Battalion (General Support), 135th Aviation Regiment first became a part of the Colorado Army National Guard in the mid-1980s. The original unit, a single company, was made a part of the 40th Infantry Division's aviation brigade, predominantly located in California. The battalion flies the UH-60 Black Hawk, Boeing CH-47 Chinook.They are based out of Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, as part of the Colorado Army National Guard Aviation Command.

The 2-135th deployed to Iraq in September 2006 through August 2007 as part of Task Force Mustang. In 2006 the 2d Battalion was deployed for Iraq War service. The 2-135th deployed on 19 March 2006 for five months of Theater Immersion Training at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. They were certified "Fit to Fight" by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, commanding general, First United States Army, on 30 July 2006. The unit shipped to Kuwait in August 2006, completed a couple of weeks of "boots on the ground" training at Camp Buehring, and entered Iraq in the first half of September as one of five battalions of Task Force Mustang. The battalion principally flew out of Balad Air Base (aka Camp Anaconda) and is flew missions all over Iraq. The total deployment for the 2-135th was expected to last approximately 18 months.