The 244th Aviation Brigade is an aviation

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...

.

The brigade consists of a headquarters company

Headquarters and Headquarters Company

In United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...

, two general support aviation battalions, one fixed wing battalion, and an aviation maintenance company

Company (military unit)

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

, as follows:

• HHC
  Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  In United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
  
  , 244th Aviation Brigade, headquartered at Fort Dix, New Jersey
  New Jersey
  New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
  
  
• 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas
• 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia
  Virginia
  The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
  
  
• 2nd Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, headquartered at Horsham, Pennsylvania
  Horsham, Pennsylvania
  Horsham is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,842 at the 2010 census. Horsham is located entirely within Horsham Township, and it is home to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove.In 2007, Horsham was named the 15th best...
  
  
• 90th Support Battalion (Aviation), headquartered at Carswell, Texas

The 244th Aviation Brigade became a component of the 11th Theater Aviation Command

11th Theater Aviation Command (United States)

The 11th Aviation Command is a United States Army aviation formation consisting of a headquarters company, one aviation brigade, three separate aviation battalions, and an aviation operations battalion, as follows:...

 when the Command activated on 16 September 2007. At that time, a number of units which were formerly under the Brigade were transferred away and several units within the Brigade were reconsolidated. Until the transfer, the 244th Aviation Brigade was the largest aviation brigade in the United States Army and continues to be the only aviation brigade in the United States Army Reserve

United States Army Reserve

The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....

.

History

The 244th Aviation Brigade was originally constituted on 16 September 1988 in the Army Reserve as Headquarters, 244th Aviation Group and was activated at Glenview Naval Air Base in Glenview, Illinois. On 31 March 1995 the Group's location was changed to Fort Sheridan, Illinois and on 17 October 1995 the Group was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 244th Aviation Brigade. On 1 October 2008, the Brigade headquarters was moved from Fort Sheridan, Illinois to Fort Dix, New Jersey.

The Brigade consists of a mix of Active Component and Reserve (Troop Program Unit and Active Guard Reserve) soldiers as well as Department of the Army Civilian employees and contractors. Every unit of the Brigade has deployed overseas to support contingency operations since 1988, including the Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company. These operations include Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Joint Forge, Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Units of the Brigade also perform daily missions in cooperation with other United States forces and agencies such as search and rescue operations, assisting in wildfire suppression, providing support at the Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, and flying dignitaries around the country.

Lineage

• Constituted 16 September 1988 in the Army Reserve as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 244th Aviation Group, and activated at Glenview Naval Air Station, Illinois
• Location changed 31 March 1995 to Fort Sheridan, Illinois
• Reorganized and redesignated 7 October 1995 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 244th Aviation Brigade.
• Location changed 1 October 2008 to Fort Dix, New Jersey