2-1 General Support Aviation Battalion

2nd Battalion (General Support), 1st Aviation Regiment: "Fighting Eagles"

The mission of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment is to, on order, deploys to a designated location and conduct combat and combat support operations in support of 1st Infantry Division or Designated Headquarters.

In 2006, the 1st Infantry Division began transformation to the US Army's new modular force structure. As part of this transformation, a Combat Aviation Brigade was activated, to which 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation was assigned. Prior to the reorganization, the unit had been assigned to 4th Brigade (Aviation), 1st Infantry Division. There it had provided command and control, air movement, and air assault capability for the Division and other USAREUR units. There were 5 companies within the Battalion. The HHC was the command company, A and B were the assault helicopter companies, with 8 UH-60L helicopters each. C Company was the command aviation company with 3 EH-60s and 8 UH-60s. D Company was the unit's aviation maintenance company.

The 1st Aviation Regiment was constituted 15 February 1957 in the Regular Army as the 1st Aviation Company, assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and activated at Fort Riley, Kansas. Later redesignated as the 1st Aviation Battalion, the unit participated in 11 separate campaigns in Vietnam from 1965 to 1970, earning numerous commendations for gallantry in battle. The Battalion returned to Fort Riley and was inactivated on 21 April 1972.

On 16 November 1987 the 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation was redesignated and reactivated as an AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter Battalion. In July 1989 the Battalion was inactivated. The unit was reactivated at Fort Hood on 17 November 1989 as an AH-64 Attack Helicopter Battalion. It deployed to Katterbach, Germany as part of the 1st Armored Division in 1990.

In December 1990, the Battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Storm, under the operational control of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. On 15 June 1991, 2-1st Aviation was reassigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, where it remained until it was deactivated on 15 May 1995.

2-1st Aviation was reactivated on 15 February 1996 as the Fighting Eagle Battalion and provided vital support to the 1st Infantry Division in conducting air assault, air movement, and general aviation support missions.