Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
4th Brigade (Aviation), 1st Cavalry Division
Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
"Warriors"

The mission of the Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, "Warriors," is to, on order, deploy to any theater, execute operations, and redeploy. The Warrior Brigade's mission is to find, fix and destroy the enemy forces using the fire and maneuver to concentrate and sustain combat power at the critical time and place. As a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, the Brigade enhanced the overall effectiveness of the Division. The Warrior Brigade gives the division commander a highly flexible, responsive, and lethal combat multiplier. The pre-modular Aviation Brigade's mission had been to deploy by sea, air or land to any part of the world on a short notice and at once engaged with the threat to destroy, neutralize, or suppress the enemy.

The Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was first constituted on 1 September 1984 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas. It held an activation ceremony on 16 September 1984. The speed, mobility and flexibility of the Brigade was intended provide the 1st Cavalry Division commander with the organic capability to shape the entire battlefield and respond with the necessary temp and lethality of modern warfare. At the tiem of its activation, the Brigade consited of a Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Cavalry Division, 1-9th Cavalry, the 227th Aviation Battalion (General Support), and the 228th Aviation Battalion (Attack Helicopter). 615th Aviation Support Battalion, part of the 1st Cavalry Division Support Command (DISCOM) was habitually attached to the Brigade during operations

In 1986, 1-9th Cavalry was reflagged as 1-7th Cavalry, while the 227th Aviation Battalion and 228th Aviation Battalions were reflagged as the 2nd and 1st Battalions respectively of the 227th Aviation Regiment.

In late 1990, the Brigade deployed overseas to Saudi Arabia, where the unit postured for combat in Operation Desert Shield. On 25 February 1991, with the onset of Operation Desert Storm, the Brigade conducted a raid as a part of the 1st Cavalry Division's deception plan to throw Iraqi forces off guard. The units of the Brigade would serve as the vanguard of the Division's movement north to cut off a retreating Iraqi Republican Guard Division at Basra. In late Spring of 1991, the units of the Brigade redeployed to Fort Hood, and their home stations.

The Brigade again proved its timely responsiveness in January 1993, deploying command and control aircraft to Kuwait. With 48 hours notice, the Brigade deployed to Somalia, where it flew over 500 hours of combat missions. The changing threat was next met in Bosnia, when in 1999, the Brigade deployed to Operation Joint Forge. Units flew in the Balkans in support of Stabilization Force 4 (SFOR4). Missions performed ranged from multi-national general support and airborne command and control, to air movement operations. Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was reorganized and redesignated on 16 October 1996 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

With the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, the Brigade deployed the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation to Iraq to exercise their Longbow Apaches in combat operations for the first time. There, they assisted in setting the conditions for the defeat of Saddam's Army and the liberation of Baghdad.

During March 2004, the Brigade deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom II as part of Task Force Baghdad. The Brigade developed and implemented new techniques for air/ground integration using lethal and agile teams and was instrumental in enabling the first elections in Iraq in 50 years. The Brigade fought throughout the Baghdad Area of Operations and in Fallujah, An Najaf, Al Kut, Karbala, and Balad. The Brigade flew over 70,000 hours and was recognized with 84 awards for valor including a Silver Star and 7 Distinguished Flying Crosses.

As part of the Army's transformation towards a modular force, the Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was inactived at Fort Hood, Texas. It was reorganized and redesignated as Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and was reactivated on 26 May 2005.

After the devasatation caused by Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, the Brigade deployed 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation and the Brigade command team to Lousiana to support disaster relief operations in New Orleans. Immediately upon redeployment, 2-227th Aviation and the Brigade command team redeployed to east Texas to assist relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Rita.