1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment (United States)
Encyclopedia
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 at Dannelly Field
, Alabama
, and Mobile, Alabama
as part of the Alabama Army National Guard
131st Aviation Brigade.
and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in the late 1990s.
, 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
.
The unit from Mobile is also known as the "Mobile Mafia."
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
that deployed to Iraq in September 2006 as a subordinate unit of Task Force Mustang
Task Force Mustang
Task Force Mustang is the deployment unit name for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard. The CAB completed a tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the fall of 2007 when it was relieved by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, a similarly...
to be a part of the US military Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion currently flies UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft. They are home based at Dannelly Field
Montgomery Regional Airport
Montgomery Regional Airport , also known as Dannelly Field, is a joint civil-military public airport located six miles southwest of the central business district of Montgomery, a city in Montgomery County and the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and Mobile, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
as part of the Alabama Army National Guard
Alabama Army National Guard
The Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
131st Aviation Brigade.
Current Units
- HHC – Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- A Company – "Death's Angels" – UH-60 Blackhawk – Flight Company – Montgomery, AL
- B Company – "Bama Air" – UH-60 Blackhawk - Flight Company – Mobile, AL
- C Company – "Killdevils" – UH-60 Blackhawk - Flight Company, (North Carolina Army National GuardNorth Carolina Army National GuardThe North Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard, and the North Carolina National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its...
). - D Company – "Ghostriders" – Aviation Maintenance Company – Montgomery, AL
- E Company –
- F Company –
Pre-Global War On Terror
The 1/131st flew the CH-47 ChinookCH-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...
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 Theater Immersion Training at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort SillFort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, they were certified "Fit to Fight" by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré
Russel L. Honoré
Russel L. Honoré is a retired Lieutenant General who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas...
, commanding general, First U.S. Army, on 30 July 2006.
The unit shipped to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
in late summer 2006, completed "boots on the ground" training at Camp Buehring
Camp Buehring
Camp Buehring is a staging post for US troops in the northwestern region of Kuwait. The base is used for military troops heading north into Iraq as well as the primary location for the Middle Eastern Theater Reserve...
, and entered Iraq in September as one of five battalions of Task Force Mustang
Task Force Mustang
Task Force Mustang is the deployment unit name for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard. The CAB completed a tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the fall of 2007 when it was relieved by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, a similarly...
in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
principally flies out of Balad Air Base
Balad, Iraq
Balad is a city north of Baghdad in the Salah ad Din Governorate Iraq. It is located within the borders of the so-called Sunni Triangle; however, Balad is a primarily Shiite town of approximately 100,000...
(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
Arkansas Army National Guard
The Arkansas Army National Guard is a component of the Arkansas National Guard and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
.
The unit from Mobile is also known as the "Mobile Mafia."