The motto of the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, “Born In Battle,” couldn’t be more accurate. Constituted as the 16th Aviation Group, the unit was activated in Vietnam in December, 1967 at the height of combat operations. It consisted of two battalions, the 14th Aviation (combat) and 212th Aviation (combat support); the 14th was responsible for aviation-assault capabilities of the 101st Airborne Division. Before its inactivation in 1971, the Group had participated in 11 of the 17 U.S. Army campaigns in Vietnam. It also earned four Republic of Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry and a Valorous Unit Award during its deployment.
October 2005 saw the provisional establishment of Task Force (TF) 49 Aviation Brigade at Fort Wainwright, Alaska (it was formally established four months later). The brigade had company elements deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for 31 consecutive months beginning in July, 2007. During that time, TF 49 headquarters deployed to Iraq to take command of the Multi-National Corps Iraq Aviation Brigade and the Multi-National Division-Center Aviation Brigade.
Task Force 49 was redesignated as 16th Combat Aviation Brigade and activated at Fort Wainwright in October, 2009, making it the Army’s twelfth active-duty Combat Aviation Brigade at the time. In February, 2015, the brigade was given the Army Superior Unit Award for its service between August 15, 2011 and February 15, 2013. It is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
The wings seen on the CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) of the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade denote the unit’s mission of aviation; each wing has 16 feathers, a reference to the unit’s numerical designation. Seven stars of the Big Dipper are emblems of the brigade’s superior night-flying combat capabilities, emphasized by the dagger piercing them.
Related Items
16th Combat Aviation Brigade Unit Patch (SSI)
16th Combat Aviation Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)