The 222nd Aviation Regiment consists of a single Battalion, the 1st, assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Novosel (formerly named Fort Rucker) in Alabama, where it offers instruction in repair and maintenance of several types of rotary-wing aircraft, including the AH-64 (Apache), OH-58 (Kiowa), UH-60 (Blackhawk), and CH-47 (Chinook) and their variants.
A part of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command since 1988, the 1st Battalion, 222nd Aviation Regiment in 2020 comprises six Companies, five of which are Initial Entry Training Companies; the sixth, H Company, provides command and control for MOS/ASI training while focusing on Army values, warrior tasks and battle drills. In 2011-2012, the Battalion was tapped for an Army Superior Unit Award for its excellence in shaping Soldiers who can immediately contribute to the combat readiness of their first assigned units.
Prior to being reorganized as Regiment in 1988, the unit was designated as the 222nd Aviation Battalion and served in fourteen campaigns in Vietnam, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation, four Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry with Palm awards, and an ROV Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class.
The 222nd Aviation Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a DUI or unit crest, was originally approved while the organization was still a Battalion on 31 August 1966; it was redesignated to reflect the unit’s new status as a Regiment on 25 February 1988. Three pairs of wings forming a spiral represent both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft which the Battalion used in carrying out tactical transport and logistical support missions in Vietnam. The three pairs are also an allusion to the unit’s numerical designation of “222,” and the blue disc symbolizes both blue skies and the Pacific Ocean.