The 224th Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the

U.S. Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Army Na ...

History

The 224th Aviation was constituted on 1 October 1987 in the Maryland and Virginia Army National Guards as a parent regiment under the

United States Army Regimental System The United States Army Regimental System (USARS) is an organizational and classification system used by the United States Army. It was established in 1981 to replace the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) to provide each soldier with continu ...

, and organized from existing units to include the 1st Battalion and Companies D, E, and F, part of the 29th Infantry Division. On 1 September 1990 it was reorganized to include the 1st and 2nd Battalions, as well as Company F. The 2nd Battalion traces its lineage back to the 2nd Company of the Richmond Howitzers, and thus has

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Confederate,

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

campaign credit. On 31 March 1992 Company G was activated. On 1 September 1995 the regiment was reduced to 2nd Battalion and Company F. On 1 September 2000 Company G was transferred from the 29th Division. On 1 September 2003 the regiment was reorganized to eliminate Company F. On 25 August 2005, the 2nd Battalion was ordered into Federal active service. The 224th's 1st Battalion was activated with the 42nd Infantry Division on 1 October. The two battalions of the regiment included elements from the Maryland,

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

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, New York,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, and Virginia Army National Guards as a result of the reorganization. Additionally, a small contingent of six soldiers from the Oklahoma National Guard was attached to the 2nd Battalion from December 2005 until February 2007. In December, the 2nd Battalion participated in Exercise Desert Talon at

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Marine Corps Air Station Yuma or MCAS Yuma is a United States Marine Corps air station. It is the home of multiple squadrons of F-35B Lightning IIs of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1), Ma ...

alongside the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing to test its capabilities. On 25 February 2006, the 2nd Battalion began operations in Al Anbar Governorate during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, attached to Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced) of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Al Asad Airbase. Equipped with the

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, the battalion was the first Army aviation battalion to be attached to Marine aviation units during the war. On 20 February 2007, the 2nd Battalion was released from active Federal service and reverted to state control. For its actions in Anbar, the battalion (less Company C) was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. The regiment was again reorganized on 1 September of that year; as a result, its two battalions included elements from the Maryland, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, Vermont, and Virginia Army National Guards. On 25 February 2011, the 2nd Battalion was ordered into active Federal service, deploying for Operation New Dawn in Iraq. It was returned to Virginia and was released from active Federal service on 30 March 2012, reverting to state control. For its actions the battalion (less Company C) received the Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army). On 2 September 2012 the regiment was reorganized to include elements from the Maryland, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia Army National Guards in its two battalions.

Structure

* 1st Battalion (Security & Support) at Weide Army Heliport ( MD ARNG) ** Headquarters and Headquarters Company at

Ruth Army Aviation Maintenance Facility Weide Army Heliport is a heliport, formerly Weide Army Airfield, located from Edgewood Arsenal, in the U.S. state of Maryland. History On 25 September 1976, a 40,409 square foot building was dedicated at the airfield. About 70 helicopters we ...

*** Deployed to Kosovo between March 2013 and March 2014 for Kosovo Force 17. ** A Company *** Detachment 1 at Ruth Army Aviation Maintenance Facility *** Detachment 2 at Latham, NY ( NY ARNG) ** B Company (UH-72A) *** Detachment 1 at Army Aviation Support Facility #1,

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport is seven miles northeast of Parkersburg, in Wood County, West Virginia. It is owned by the Wood County Airport Authority and is also known as Wood County Airport or Gill Robb Wilson Field. It serves the Mid-Ohio ...

( WV ARNG) ** D Company *** Detachment 1 * 2nd Battalion (Assault) (Sandston) (VA ARNG) ** A Company ( Sandston) (Alpha Dogs) ** B Company (Sandston) (Beasts) ** C Company at Ruth Army Aviation Maintenance Facility (MD ARNG) *** Returned from Iraq during 2012. ** D Company (Sandston) (Dragons) ** E Company (Sandston) (Warriors) ** Detachment 2, Company B, 248th Aviation Support Battalion (Sandston) ** Detachment 26, Operational Support Airlift Command (Sandston) ** G Company? (MD ARNG)

References

{{Reflist 224 Military units and formations established in the 1980s