229th Aviation Regiment (Attack)
229th Aviation Group (Attack) (Airborne)
"Flying Tigers"
The 229th Aviation Group (Attack) (Airborne) rapidly deploys anywhere in the world to provide the XVIII Airborne Corps an attack helicopter capability which, upon arrival, is prepared to conduct effective combat operations. The 229th provides the Deep Attack (Apache) helicopter capability for the XVIII Airborne Corps' worldwide, no notice contingency mission. The 229th is the most deployed attack helicopter unit in the Army.
The 229th was constituted 18 March 1964 into the Regular Army as the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion and assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division at Fort Benning, GA. The unit was reorganized and re-designated as the 229th Aviation Battalion on 1 July 1965 and was concurrently reassigned to the 1st Calvary Division (Airmobile) in preparation for deployment to Vietnam. The 229th Aviation Battalion fought in Vietnam for six years and distinguished itself in 16 major campaigns earning three Presidential Unit Citations, the Valorous Unit Award, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, four awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and a Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Medal. The unit returned from Vietnam as the most decorated aviation unit in the Army, but inactivated following the war on 22 August 1972 at Fort Hood, Texas. The 229th, less Company B was reactivated 21 September 1978 and was incorporated into the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) as the 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion at Fort Campbell, KY. On 16 September 1981, Company B, 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion was activated and organized at Fort Rucker, AL, under the operational control of the 1st Aviation Brigade to complement the Battalion's rapid deployment capability.
The 229th was again inactivated 16 October 1987 at Fort Campbell, KY, and relieved from assignment to the 101st Airborne Division. As the Army changed unit structure in the mid-eighties, company-sized units now became battalion-sized units. Company D, 229th Aviation Battalion reorganized and activated as the 4th Battalion, 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion 1 March 1988 at Fort Hood, TX, and moved to Germany as part of the first Apache units to deploy overseas. The 4th Battalion was so inspired by the achievements of the American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" of World War II, that they requested to be affiliated with them. On 21 September 1988, the 229th became know as the Flying Tigers.
On 16 September 1989, the unit was reorganized and re-designated as the 229th Aviation Regiment, a parent regiment under the United States Army Regimental System. In August 1990, the Regimental Headquarters, along with the 2nd and 4th battalions, deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The Flying Tigers continued their distinguished lineage earning the Valorous Unit Award while in combat destroying massed enemy armored columns and revetted vehicles.
On 16 October 1991, the Regimental Headquarters was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps as the 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Companies A and C, 229th Aviation Battalions reorganized and activated as 1st and 3rd Battalions, 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (Airborne) in January 1992 at Fort Hood, TX, and moved to Fort Bragg in July that same year. In 1994, Fort Rucker, AL, and Illeshime, Germany said "GoodBye" to the 2nd and 4th battalions as they received the call to deactivate when the Army downsized after the Cold War.
In October 1997, the 229th was split out from the 18th Aviation Brigade to become a stand-alone Major Subordinate Command.
As of late 2000, the unit had deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina. As of mid-2001, 1-229th was in Bosnia as part of SFOR 8 while headquarters and 3-229th were preparing for a rotation to Bosnia in support of SFOR 9.
The 229th was believed to have been redesignated as the 229th Aviation Group (Attack) Airborne sometime following this deployment. However, the XVIII Airborne Corps website continues to list the unit as a regiment as have several local civilian news reports.
The Fayetteville Observer reported on May 15, 2004 that the 229th Aviation Regiment (and its headquarters) was disbanded on or about May 15, 2004 (the article was not particularly clear on this point indicating that the regiment would be disbanded on Saturday at midnight and as the article was printed on Saturday May 15 one assumes the writer meant May 15. However, the commanding officer of the unit will not leave his post until June 15.) The Associated Press reported on June 16, 2004 that the 229th Aviation Regiment was deactivated in a ceremony on June 15, 2004.
Roughly 100 soldiers from the regimental headquarters will be reassigned to the 10th Mountain Division. The 1st Battalion will be reassigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. It is not clear what unit the 3rd Battalion will be reassigned to.
