Originally constituted as the 269th Aviation Battalion in April, 1966, the unit did not receive its current designation as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Aviation Brigade until August, 1987. During the battalion’s deployment to Vietnam, which lasted from January, 1967 to April, 1971, it served with the 12th Aviation Group. Over the course of that time, the battalion’s stellar performance garnered it a host of honors, including four Republic of Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry with Palm, two Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medals, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Almost immediately after its redesignation in 1987, the brigade took part in Operation Prime Chance (a mission to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War) followed a few months later by Operation Just Cause. The unit was deployed for Operations Desert Shield and Storm, earning credit for participation in three campaigns before the hostilities eventually came to a peaceful, but temporary, conclusion.
One of the Brigade’s last deployments as a unit before its 2006 inactivation was a one-year mission in Iraq that lasted from October, 2004 to October, 2005. Prior to its inactivation, it had received the Special Designation—a term denoting an officially recognized unit nickname—of “Black Barons,” but it doesn’t appear in either the brigade’s unit crest nor its Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB).
The Combat Service Identification Badge for the 18th Aviation Brigade employs a simple design—two wings with an arrow between them—to denote the dual aspects of flight and combat that merge in the unit’s mission. The arrow is also featured in the
brigade’s Unit Crest.
A CSIB for the 18th Aviation Brigade prior to January, 2003 does not feature an "AIRBORNE" tab across the top like the one you see here. Use the link below to add that version of the CSIB to your shopping cart.
Related Items:
Related Items
18th Aviation Brigade Unit Patch (SSI)
18th Aviation Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)
18th Aviation Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)
18th Aviation Brigade Flash and Oval