18th Aviation Brigade (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 18th Aviation Brigade


caption=18th Aviation Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
dates= 1966-present
country= United States
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branch= U.S. Army
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garrison=Fort Bragg
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equipment=AH-64
UH-60
CH-47
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battles=Vietnam War
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom
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decorations=Meritorious Unit Commendation
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
Vietnam Civil Action Medal
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identification_symbol_2_label=The 18th Aviation Brigade was formed from the 269th Aviation Battalion and its subordinate units, the 18th and 196th Aviation companies. The 18th Aviation Brigade (Airborne) was originally constituted on 7 April 1966 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 269th Aviation Battalion. It activated on 1 July 1966 at Fort Bragg, NC and deployed to Vietnam on 28 January 1967. There it was assigned to the 12th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade at Vung Tau.

The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 1 December 1968 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 269th Aviation Battalion. During the battalion's tour in Southeast Asia, the unit participated in a number of actions and campaigns, to include the TET Counteroffensive, the TET-69 Counteroffensive, and the Sanctuary Counteroffensive. After more than four years in combat, the unit redeployed from Vietnam to Fort Bragg. Awards earned include the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal. On 17 August 1987 Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Aviation Brigade, was activated. On 1 September 1987, the 269th Aviation Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as the 18th Aviation Brigade (Corps)(Airborne), and has since participated in Operation Prime Chance in the Persian Gulf, Operation Just Cause in Panama, and "Desert Shield and Storm" in Southwest Asia, and Hurricane Andrew Relief in Southern Florida.

On the first day of the Gulf War 24 February 1991 the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) began its attack with its AH-64s, AH-1s, 60 UH-60s and 40 CH-47s augmented by the XVIII Airborne Corps' 18th Aviation Brigade and began lifting the 1st Brigade into what became Forward Operating Base (FOB) Cobra, convert|93|mi|km into Iraq and halfway to the Euphrates River. Over three hundred helicopter sorties ferried the troops and equipment into the objective area in the largest heliborne operation in military history.

The 18th Aviation Brigade was also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from October 2004 to October 2005. This was the last time the 18th Aviation Brigade was deployed as a unit. The unit supplied aviation assets all across Iraq, ranging from combat missions to service and support missions. As part of an Army-wide restructuring, the 18th Aviation Brigade was deactivated shortly after its return from Iraq in March 2006. Although designated as an Airborne unit, parachute qualification was not a prerequisite for assignment to the brigade and many, if not most, in the brigade were not jump-qualified.