The two battalions that currently comprise the 13th Aviation Regiment have very different histories. 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment traces its origins to the Vietnam War where it was constituted as the Delta Aviation Battalion in July 1963 at Can Tho. Activated and redesignated the 13th Combat Aviation Battalion, “Shield of the Mekong, in September 1964, it was subsequently reassigned to the 164th Aviation Group and tasked with the support of Army of Vietnam (ARVN) combat operations in the Mekong River Delta.
From 1968 to 1972, the "Swift And Deadly" Battalion operated from Soc Trang before returning to the U.S., having participated in every one of the 17 campaigns of the Vietnam War and with its service recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation and a Valorous Unit Award. Today, the Battalion is assigned to the 13th Aviation Brigade and trains recruits who have been given Aviation Military Occupational Specialties not related to Unmanned Aircraft Systems; it comprises four Training Companies and the 6th Military Police Detachment.
Much more recently activated is the 2nd Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, whose genesis is found in the activation of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion (Provisional) on 19 April 2006. On 14 June 2011, UASTB was designated as 2nd Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment and tasked with the the development and administration of five training programs: Shadow UAS Repairer, Hunter UAS Repairer, UAS Operator Common Core, 1500 UAS Warrant Officer Technician, and UAS Unit Commander and Staff Officer Course.
The winged, upright, and unsheathed sword in the center of the 13th Aviation Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called a unit crest or simply DUI) is a reference to the combat aviation mission of the organization at the time the insignia was originally approved (November 1967). A red and yellow equilateral triangle is a reference to the Mekong River Delta where the unit served in Vietnam. The colors red, yellow, and blue stand for three basic combat branches involved in airmobile warfare: Infantry, Artillery, and the Cavalry that transported them to battle zones; the winged sword (1) and 3 colors also allude to the numerical designation of the unit.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e),
"Beret" and
"Garrison Cap," respectively.