.gif)
17th Aviation Brigade (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 17th Aviation Brigade is an inactivated aviation
brigade
of the United States Army
. It was first established and activated in 1965, in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), as the 17th Combat Aviation Group, part of the 1st Aviation Brigade. The job of the 17th Combat Aviation Group was to provide combat support to US Army units in the field, including routine cargo and supply airlift.
During the Vietnam War
, one of the units that became part of the 52d Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Combat Aviation Group was the 119th Assault Helicopter Company. The company operated throughout the Central Highlands of Vietnam
during the war, from arrival in September 1962 until deactivation in November 1970. Originally designated the 81st Transportation Company (equipped with twin-rotor CH-21 "Flying Banana" piston-engined helicopters), the company was reorganized in 1963 as the 119th Assault Helicopter Company (Airmobile), re-equipped with turbine-powered single-rotor UH-1A and B model Hueys. Also known as the 119th Aviation Company (Assault Helicopter), the company's area of operations included the entire Central Highlands of Vietnam, plus large portions of Laos
and Cambodia
.
Eventually assigned to the 52d Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade and headquartered at Camp Holloway in Pleiku, the company was also based at An Khe
for a short time later in the war. The helicopters were equipped with 16 to 20 lightly armed UH-1Ds, (or UH-1H model "Slick" troopships that used the radio callsign called "Alligator" or "Gator"), and approximately 8 Huey UH-1C model Gunships known as "Crocodiles" or "Crocs". The company at one time also used the callsign called "Black Dragon," from which the 52d CABn "Flying Dragon" callsign evolved. The total company strength of approximately 225 included 50 to 60 pilots and an equal number of crewmembers, plus field maintenance and other critical support personnel.
During over eight years in Vietnam, the 119th Assault Helicopter Company provided helicopter support for the US Army 4th Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division
, 1st Cavalry Division
, 173d Airborne Brigade, US Marine Corps
, United States Army Special Forces
and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
. They also flew many classified missions for MACV-SOG. Over 60 members of the 119th Assault Helicopter Company were killed in action
, with many more wounded.
After US involvement in Vietnam wound down, the Brigade was demobilized in Oakland, California, in 1973.
It was reactivated for service in Korea, In June 1975, with the designation Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 17th Aviation Brigade. In Korea the brigade continued its logistics and combat aviation role in support of the US Forces US Forces Korea (USFK), ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC), and Eighth United States Army (EUSA). Equipment assets include UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, CH-47 Chinook
heavy lift choppers, and C-12 Huron
fixed-wing aircraft. Air-traffic control formations such as the 164th Air Traffic Services Group provided air traffic services throughout the entire Korean theater in support of all Army aviation operations.
The brigade was disestablished in 2005 and was scheduled to be replaced by the Multi-Functional Aviation Brigade (MFAB).
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. It was first established and activated in 1965, in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), as the 17th Combat Aviation Group, part of the 1st Aviation Brigade. The job of the 17th Combat Aviation Group was to provide combat support to US Army units in the field, including routine cargo and supply airlift.
During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, one of the units that became part of the 52d Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Combat Aviation Group was the 119th Assault Helicopter Company. The company operated throughout the Central Highlands of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the war, from arrival in September 1962 until deactivation in November 1970. Originally designated the 81st Transportation Company (equipped with twin-rotor CH-21 "Flying Banana" piston-engined helicopters), the company was reorganized in 1963 as the 119th Assault Helicopter Company (Airmobile), re-equipped with turbine-powered single-rotor UH-1A and B model Hueys. Also known as the 119th Aviation Company (Assault Helicopter), the company's area of operations included the entire Central Highlands of Vietnam, plus large portions of Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
Eventually assigned to the 52d Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade and headquartered at Camp Holloway in Pleiku, the company was also based at An Khe
An Khe
"An Khe" is the 102nd The West Wing episode and 14th of the fifth season. It originally aired on NBC February 18, 2004. Events circle around the rescue of five US pilots shot down over North Korea. Written by John Wells and directed by Alex Graves, the episode contains guest appearances by Philip...
for a short time later in the war. The helicopters were equipped with 16 to 20 lightly armed UH-1Ds, (or UH-1H model "Slick" troopships that used the radio callsign called "Alligator" or "Gator"), and approximately 8 Huey UH-1C model Gunships known as "Crocodiles" or "Crocs". The company at one time also used the callsign called "Black Dragon," from which the 52d CABn "Flying Dragon" callsign evolved. The total company strength of approximately 225 included 50 to 60 pilots and an equal number of crewmembers, plus field maintenance and other critical support personnel.
During over eight years in Vietnam, the 119th Assault Helicopter Company provided helicopter support for the US Army 4th Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division
U.S. 25th Infantry Division
The 25th Infantry Division is a U.S. Army division based in Hawaii. The division, which was activated on 1 October 1941 in Hawaii, conducts military operations in the Asia-Pacific region...
, 1st Cavalry Division
U.S. 1st Cavalry Division
The 1st Cavalry Division is one of the most famous and most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army.Presently, in its digitalized, modular, rapidly deployable 4 combat brigade configuration, it is the most powerful heavy armored division in the United States Army, with a spacious base...
, 173d Airborne Brigade, US Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, United States Army Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
. They also flew many classified missions for MACV-SOG. Over 60 members of the 119th Assault Helicopter Company were killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, with many more wounded.
After US involvement in Vietnam wound down, the Brigade was demobilized in Oakland, California, in 1973.
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
heavy lift choppers, and C-12 Huron
C-12 Huron
The C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps...
fixed-wing aircraft. Air-traffic control formations such as the 164th Air Traffic Services Group provided air traffic services throughout the entire Korean theater in support of all Army aviation operations.
The brigade was disestablished in 2005 and was scheduled to be replaced by the Multi-Functional Aviation Brigade (MFAB).