1st Battalion, 214th Aviation
The only subordinate battalion of the 26th ASG that is not a base support battalion, this unique unit provides direct aviation support to the commanding general and headquarters of U.S. Army Europe. Its elements are based in Heidelberg and Stuttgart.
1st BATTALION, 214th AVIATION was constituted 1 July 1981 in the Regular Army as Company A, 214th Aviation Battalion, and activated at Fort Lewis, Washington, as an element of the 9th Infantry Division. Inactivated 15 September 1986 at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Redesignated 16 August 1987 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation, relieved from assignment to the 9th Infantry Division; concurrently withdrawn from the Regular Army, allotted to the Army Reserve, and activated at Los Alamitos, California (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated). Battalion inactivated 15 September 1996 at Los Alamitos, California. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation, redesignated 16 September 1998 as Company A, 214th Aviation; concurrently withdrawn from the Army Reserve, allotted to the Regular Army, and activated in Germany (remainder of 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation, concurrently disbanded). Company A, 214th Aviation, was reorganized and redesignated 16 October 2000 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated).
Insignia design was approved June 14, 1968, the cougar, noted for ferocity and cunning and a symbol of strength and mobility, represents the unit. It refers to the organization's mission of swift and decisive engagement of the enemy. In addition, the use of the cougar commemorates the unit's first commander, LTC Leslie, from the state of Montana, where the cougar, also known as the mountain lion, is often encountered. The peaks formed by the zigzag lines allude to the unit's high standards as expressed in its motto. The light blue color stands for sky, the color ultramarine blue for aviation, and the gold for achievement and zeal.
