Both the organizational flash and the oval (back-ground trimming) designated for the 82nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Battalion employ the same design as the flash and oval for the Regiment, but with the addition of a pair of blue notches on the left and right side of the insignia to denote the unit’s status as the Regiment’s 2nd Battalion.
Worn on the maroon beret authorized for personnel in Airborne-qualified units, the flash is centered on the beret’s stiffener and then surmounted by either the non-subdued insignia of rank (Officers) or the Distinctive Unit Insignia / Regimental Distinctive Insignia (NCOs and Junior Enlisted Soldiers). In the case of the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment, these enlisted personnel would wear the 82nd Aviation Regiment insignia as there is no insignia for the 2nd Battalion.
Ovals are worn by beneath the Parachutist and Air Assault Badges, with the main portion of the badge centered on the oval; this results in the star and star-wreath “crests” of the Senior and Master Parachutists Badges projecting slightly above the oval. When ovals are worn with these badges, the combination is considered as a single insignia or device for measurement and placement purposes.
The 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment was originally constituted on 15 November 1962 as Company B, 82nd Aviation Battalion, an element of the 82nd Airborne Division and activated the following 7 December 1962 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina (renamed Fort Liberty in June 2023). Its redesignation in January 1987 was actually more of a redesignation of its parent company, as the 82nd Aviation Battalion became a Regiment—the 82nd—but remained an element of the 82nd Airborne Division. The unit became a Battalion on 16 October 1989 when the Company was reorganized and redesignated as HQ and HQ Company, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation; it remained assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, and still is to this day.
The Battalion’s battle honors include two Armed Forces Expeditions (Operation Power Pack in the Dominican Republic in 1965 and Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983) and the three campaigns that comprised Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield. And while the Battalion’s campaign credits for its support of the War on Terrorism are yet to be determined, the Battalion and its elements have received several military decorations while deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
In 2013, the Battalion as a whole was tapped for a Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) for its superior service between October 2011 and September 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, while its HQ and HQ Company and Companies A through F were awarded a MUC for service in Afghanistan between April 2009 and April 2010. Battalion elements that received additional decorations include Company B (Presidential Unit Citation) and Company C (Valorous Unit Award and an MUC).