The 9th Aviation Battalion was originally constituted in the Regular Army on 13 November 1957 as the 9th Aviation Company and assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. It was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 9th Aviation Battalion on 1 February 1966 at Fort Riley, Kansas following a three-year period of inactivation.
During the Vietnam War, the Battalion comprised Company A (“Jayhawks”), Company B (“Stingrays”), and the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment. Before inactivation in September 1969, the Battalion’s readiness for combat (“Anytime Anywhere”) was rewarded with participation in eight campaigns, and the unit was ultimately awarded a Valorous Unit Award, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and a Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal. The Battalion was inactivated 1991.
Approved 21 September 1966, the 9th Aviation Battalion unit crest, or Distinctive Insignia (DUI), features a broad, upward-pointing arrow that represents the unit’s basic function of flight. It is superimposed over an intersection that represents a crossroad in homage of the Battalion’s activation at Fort Riley, Kansas and Kansas’ nickname as “crossroads of the nations."
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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.