History of HHC and Company A, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment

 

By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Left: The Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 171st Aviation Regiment. Right: UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters of the 1-171st support exercise Noble Partner
in the Country of Georgia August 1, 2018. Photo by Staff Sgt. R. J. Lannom.

The Georgia Army National Guard’s Headquarters Company and Company A, 1^st Battalion, 171^st Aviation Regiment were organized and federally recognized October 1, 1986. The units were initially part of the 1^st Battalion, 244^th Aviation Regiment, an element of the 78^th Troop Command.[1]

 

In July 1994, elements of the 1-244th mobilized
in support of flood response operations.
Photo by Spc. Rob Heiner

The 1-244^th was organized in Winder Georgia October 1, 1986, and consisted of Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment; Det. 1, Company D, 244^th; and Company B, 244th. The battalion conducted its first drill on October 4-5 and was equipped with UH-1 Iroquois helicopters.[2] In 1994, the 1-244^th began transitioning from the UH-1 to the UH-60 Black Hawk. [3]

 

Elements of the 244^th were activated in response to sever flooding that struck South Georgia following Tropical Storm Alberto in July 1994. Company B, 244^th flew supplies and personnel into remote regions isolated by floodwaters as part of the Georgia National Guard response.[4]

 

The 171^st Aviation Regiment was constituted in 1996, in the Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas Army National Guards. The Georgia units of the 1-244^th were reorganized as part of the 1^st General Support Aviation Battalion.[5] The reorganization was authorized March 1, 1996, and was complete by September.

 

As part of the 1996 reorganization, Det 1, HHD 1-244^th was redesignated HHC 1-171st Aviation Regiment while Det 1, Company D, was redesignated Company E, 1-171. Company B, 244^th was redesignated Company C, 1-171. The units of the 1-171 remained stationed in Winder following the reorganization.

 

The newly formed 1-171^st was swiftly employed in support of the Summer Olympic games in Atlanta. Aircrews of the 1-171^st and 151^st Medical Evacuation Battalion provided rapid response capability as part of the Georgia National Guard’s Air Security Operations Center.[6]

 

The 1-171^st hosted a worldwide training program for the UH-60 Black Hawk Vulcan Mine Dispenser in 1998. The Vulcan represented a new aerial mine deployment system.[7]

 

In January 1999, the 1-171^st was assigned to the newly created 1^st Aviation Group (Provisional) headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Later that year aviators from the 1-171 and Company F, 131^st Aviation provided support to the state of North Carolina following the impact of Hurricane Floyd.[8]

 

Soldiers of the 1-171st returned to Dobbins AFB the weekend of February 5, 2005,
following a year-long mobilization to Iraq. Georgia National Guard Archives. 

In 2002, the 1-171^st was reorganized. Company E was redesignated as Company C while Company C received its current designation as Company A, 1-171.[9]

 

In February 2004, more than 225 Soldiers of the 1-171st were ordered into active federal service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit completed more than 3,800 accident-free flying hours over Kuwait and southern Iraq before returning to Georgia in January 2005. In August, the 1-171^st was again called upon to mobilize, this time in response to Hurricane Katrina. The aviators played a key role in the repair of broken levees in New Orleans by dropping sandbags into the water to repair breaches. The unit was also called upon to fight fires by filling water buckets with water from Lake Pontchartrain and releasing the water over burning structures. [10]

 

Members of Company A, 1-171^st supported Operation New Horizons in the Dominican Republic in March 2006. [11]

 

A September 2006 reorganization of the 171^st and 244^th Aviation Regiments affected aviation units in Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, and New Mexico. As part of the reorganization, federal recognition was withdrawn from Company C, 1-171^st. [12]

 

A UH-60 Black Hawk of the 1-171st General Support Aviation Battalion flies in formation with a helicopter of the 2nd Squadron Iraqi Air Force
in the skies over Baghdad September 11, 2011. Photo courtesy of Maj. Gen. Dwayne Wilson.

The 1-171^st was ordered into active Federal service November 27, 2010, at home stations and mobilized to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. The unit conducted full spectrum aviation operations for the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade across the entire Iraq Joint Operations Area. For its actions, the 1-171^st was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation.[13] The aviators returned to the Clay National Guard Center November 23, 2011.

 

Elements of the 1-171^st supported Canadian, British and US air assault training in Canada in September 2012 and again in May 2013.[14]

 

A UH-60 Black Hawk of the 1-171st lands in the background with at British Army Gazelle Helicopter in the foreground as part of Joint Coalition
Training at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in Alberta, Canada September 6, 2012. Photo by Maj. Will Cox.

In January and February 2014, the 1-171^st assisted Georgia’s citizens during two winter storm events.[15] The following year, aviators traveled to the National Training Center in support of the 1^st Cavalry Division. Company A served as the command aviation company for the 1^st Brigade.[16]

 

When Hurricane Matthew struck the Georgia coast in October 2016, UH-60s of the 1-171^st were among the first to respond as part of Task Force 171.[17] Task Force 171 was again called to assist following Hurricane Irma in September 2017 just five months after supporting hurricane readiness exercise Vigilant Guard.[18] Also in 2017, the 1-171^st and 1-169^th Aviation Regiment supported the 3^rd Infantry Division during Exercise Lion Focus at Fort Stewart, Ga.[19] The aviators provided air assault and sling load capability for the exercise.

 

The 1-171^st participated in Exercise Noble Partner in the Country of Georgia in August 2018. Deploying via strategic airlift, more than 200 Soldiers of the 1-171^st supported aviation missions with international partners. Aircraft of the 1-171^st additionally provided lift capability and reconnaissance flights following hurricane Michael’s impact to the southwestern counties of Georgia in October 2018.[20]

 

The 1-171st and other aviation units of the Ga. NG provided lift capability for supplies and personnel following hurricanes Matthew, Irma,
 Michael, and Dorian. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Nearly 130 Soldiers of the 1-171^st mobilized to Europe May 2, 2019, in support of Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo.[21] Returning March 7, 2020, Soldiers of the 1-171^st would swiftly be called to support operations as part of Georgia’s coordinated response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and to support law enforcement agencies during civil unrest in 2020 and 2021.

 

Soldiers of the HHC and Company A, 1-171st render honors to the flag during a departure ceremony May 2, 2019. Photo by Maj. William Carraway.

Soldiers of the 1 1-171st supported the 1^st Battalion, 1^st Marine Division during Marine Warfare Training Exercise in Bridgeport California as part of the battalion’s annual training August 14-September 4, 2023.[22]

 

Soldiers of the 1 1-171st supported the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division during Marine Warfare Training Exercise in Bridgeport California as part
of the battalion’s annual training August 14-September 4, 2023. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class R. J. Lannom. 

The 1-171^st supported the US Marine Corps again in 2024 and provided crucial support on land and in the air following the impact of Hurricane Helene in October.

 

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter of the 78th Aviation Troop Command, Georgia National Guard,
conducts fire suppression operations over wildfires in southern Georgia April 26, 2026.
HHC 1-171st served as the command-and-control element for the Ga. NG aviation response
operations to wildfires across southeast Georgia. Photo by Staff Sgt. Josiah Meece.

In February and March 2025, the 1-171 conducted annual training at Fort Stewart with Georgia units of

the 1^st Battalion, 106^th Aviation Regiment. The training included practice fire suppression operations. The training proved prescient as aircraft of the 1-171^st assisted the South Carolina National Guard with fire suppression efforts March 10-14 as part of a 78^th Aviation Troop Command assistance package to maintain control of the Covington Drive fire in Horry County, S.C.[23]

 

In January 2026, the 1-171^st assisted civil authorities following Winter Storm Fern which downed trees and powerlines throughout North Geogia.

 

From April 22 to May 1, 2026, HHC, 1-171^st served as command-and-control element for the Ga. NG aviation response operations to wildfires across southeast Georgia. Task Force Aviation employed elements of the 78^th Aviation Troop Command in support of simultaneous fire suppression operations for two separate wildfires. In addition to HHC, Company A, 1-171^st supported fire suppression with aerial water delivery.

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[1] National Guard Bureau, Organizational Authority 11-86, May 20, 1986, effective October 1, 1986.

 

[2] “Guard Activates New Helicopter Unit in Winder,” Georgia Guardsman, August September 1986, 13.

 

[3] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 1994, Atlanta: 1994, 8.

 

[4] “Timeline: Flood Relief ‘94,'” Georgia Guardsman, Special Flood Magazine, September 1994, 4.

 

[5] National Guard Bureau, Organizational Authority 44-96, March 1, 1996, effective September 1, 1996.

 

[6] Jeffrey Lowry, “ASOC Provides Eyes in the Skies for Olympics,” Georgia Guardsman, 1996 Olympics Commemorative Issue, 15.

 

[7] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 1998, Atlanta: 1998, 20.

 

[8] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 1999, Atlanta: 1999, 10.

 

[9] National Guard Bureau, Organizational Authority 114-03, August 14, 2003, effective November 1, 2002.

 

[10] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2005, Atlanta: 2005, 4.

 

[11] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2006, Atlanta: 2006, 2.

 

[12] National Guard Bureau, Organizational Authority 287-07, May 8, 2007, effective September 1, 2006.

 

[13] US Army HRC 153-10, 1 June 2012.

 

[14] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2013, Atlanta: 2013, 14.

 

[15] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2014, Atlanta: 2014, 16.

 

[16] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2015, Atlanta: 2015, 16.

 

[17] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2016, Atlanta: 2016, 17.

 

[18] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2017, Atlanta: 2017, 12,17.

 

[19] William Carraway, “78^th ATC Supports 3^rd ID Training,” Georgia Guardsman, Winter 2016/2017, 4.

 

[20] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2018, Atlanta: 2018, 12, 16.

 

[21] Georgia Department of Defense, The Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report, 2019, Atlanta: 2019, 15.

 

[22] 1^st Battalion, 171^st GSAB August 23, 2023, https://www.facebook.com/1171AVNBN/posts/pfbid02ravpRhoxKFD1HQommoai8exE2s5ATvfExx4HTKpyNQKGWrtx5jjU7pd74ZLrnWxyl

 

[23] 1^st Battalion, 171^st GSAB March 14, 2025, https://www.facebook.com/1171AVNBN/posts/pfbid029FsScGPeDzJYdRGB8Hw87Ry4gWFi2j28C5bKeCvTvF5vMsLCDZ3kH1GZ1derz53xl