1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 1st Battalion 131st Aviation Regiment


caption= 1/131st Aviation Battalion Insignia
dates= ???? - present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= Army National Guard
type= Aviation Battalion
role=
size=
command_structure= 36th Combat Aviation Brigade
4th Infantry Division
U.S. Army III Corps
U.S. First Army
current_commander=
command sergeant major=
garrison= LSA Anaconda, Iraq and
Dannelly Field, Montgomery, Alabama
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honors=

The 1st Battalion 131st Aviation Regiment is an Army helicopter battalion that deployed to Iraq in September 2006 as a subordinate unit of Task Force Mustang to be a part of the US military Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion currently flies UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft. They are home based out of Dannelly Field, Alabama, and Mobile, Alabama as part of the Alabama Army National Guard 131st Aviation Brigade.

Current Units

* HHC - Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* A Company - "Death's Angels" - aircraft type
* B Company -
* C Company - " " - Blackhawks. Current Iraq OIF formation includes augmentation from B Co. of the 185th Aviation Battalion from Arkansas.
* D Company -
* E Company -
* F Company -

History

Pre-Global War On Terror

The 1/131st flew the CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in the late 1990s.

::(see Ext Refs section below -- the globalsecurity.org site has more 1997-2000 history)

Global War on Terror

After several months of Theatre 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 U.S. Army, on 30 July 2006.The unit shipped to Kuwait in late summer 2006, completed "boots on the ground" training at Camp Buehring, and entered Iraq in September as one of five battalions of Task Force Mustang in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion principally flies out of Balad Air Base (aka Camp Anaconda) and flies missions all over Iraq.

The current formation of the 1/131st (as a unit of Task Force Mustang) consists primarily of Alabama Army National Guard personnel, but also includes Army aviation guard personnel from additional states including an entire company from Arkansas.

External links

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/1-131avn.htm

List of United States Army aircraft battalions