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

 

Feb. 18, 1959: Future Ga. ARNG State Aviation Officer Makes Emergency Landing in Griffin

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard.

 

Brigadier General Charlie Camp (center) speaks with Master Sgt. Georgie Moore (left) and 1st Lt. Robert Sprayberry (right) beside an L-20
Beaver in January, 1957. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Late in the evening of February 17, 1959, Captain Robert Sprayberry departed the airport in Brunswick, Ga. piloting a Georgia Army National Guard L-20 bound for Marietta. Onboard were two passengers: Lt. Col. Steven Reeves, a personnel officer with the Ga. National Guard’s United States Property and Fiscal Office; and Jimmy Williamson, Mayor of Darien, Georgia.[1] Enroute to Dobbins Air Force Base, the aircraft began experiencing engine trouble. In the desperate minutes that followed, Sprayberry’s training, experience collaborating with the Georgia State Patrol and decision making would be the difference between life and death.

 

Aviation Career

Sprayberry enlisted as a private in the Atlanta-based Headquarters Battery, 179^th Field Artillery Battalion February 7, 1949. Commissioning in April 1952, Sprayberry graduated from the Army Aviation Flight School at Fort Sill, Okla. the following year and was qualified to fly the L-17, L-19 and L-20 aircraft in the Georgia National Guard inventory.[2] One year later, while assigned as an L-19 pilot with the 179^th FA BN, Sprayberry assisted the Georgia State Patrol in a search for an escaped convict near Adairsville, Ga.[3]

Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the Rome-based Company E, 122nd Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Division, guard Herbert Juelich, who escaped
from U.S. Marshals in North Georgia on August 8, 1953. Photo by Maj. Jack Conrad.

In December 1957, Sprayberry graduated from the U.S. Army Primary Helicopter School at Camp Wolters, Texas and began flying the Georgia National Guard’s newest rotary wing aircraft, the UH-13.[4]

By the time he was promoted to captain July 28, 1958, Sprayberry had flown all fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in the Georgia Army National Guard inventory and regularly flew senior leaders of the Georgia National Guard and civilian leaders.

 

ATLANTA, September 1958 – Captain Robert Sprayberry (right) at the controls of a Georgia Army National Guard helicopter during Operation Deathless,
 an information campaign conducted with the Georgia State Patrol to reduce traffic fatalities over the Labor Day weekend. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Emergency Landing

As Sprayberry took off from Brunswick airport with Lt. Col. Reeves and Mayor Williamson there were no indicators that the flight would be anything but routine. Sprayberry had flown the single-engine L-20 for more than five years carrying passengers and cargo across the state and southeast region. The weather was fair with an 80 percent moon and scattered clouds. With minimal wind and 10-mile visibility, Sprayberry and his passengers settled in for what should have been a smooth two-hour flight.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Sprayberry in May 1974 at the controls of one an L-20 aircraft like the one he was flying February 18, 1959.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

In the skies over Forsyth, just after midnight on February 18, 1959, Sprayberry’s aircraft developed carburetor trouble and began losing power. Sprayberry radioed an emergency to Georgia National Guard headquarters and contacted the airport in Griffin to request an emergency landing. The Griffin airport radioed back that a power failure at the landing strip made a landing impossible. Thinking quickly, Sprayberry contacted the Georgia State Patrol with whom he had collaborated on several past missions. As he struggled to keep the engine running, Sprayberry requested an emergency landing on the highway north of Griffin. The GSP and Griffin Police Department stopped highway traffic and began setting up a makeshift landing strip lit by police vehicles. For nearly 30 agonizing minutes, Sprayberry labored to keep the craft in the air as the police worked feverishly to clear the road, mark a bridge crossing, and secure an ambulance and fire truck for the scene. As Sprayberry was on final approach the aircraft engine died. Nevertheless, Sprayberry skillfully landed the L-20 which came to a stop short of the bridge just inside the Griffin city limits.

Sprayberry and his passengers spent the night in Griffin while mechanics traveled from Atlanta to repair the aircraft. The crew made swift work of the repairs and Sprayberry was able to take off from the highway shortly after 11:00 am in a strong crosswind. He landed briefly at Griffin airport to take on fuel then continued to Dobbins Air Force Base.[5]

 

Later Career

Sprayberry remained in the Georgia National Guard. In 1972 he was appointed to serve as the state aviation officer. [6] Over his long career, Sprayberry served as the pilot for two Georgia governors. He retired as a colonel after 33 years of military service.

Colonel Robert Sprayberry with Brig. Gen. Holden West, commander of the Ga. Army National Guard in 1976. Georgia National Guard Archives.

 

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[1] “Crippled Plane Brought in on Cleared Griffin Four Lane,” Atlanta Constitution, February 19, 1959, 32.

[2] “Guard Panorama,” The Georgia Guardsman, May, June 1957, 20.

[3] “Rome Guardsmen Capture Fugitive Killers, The Georgia Guardsman, July-August 1953, 6-7.

[4] The Georgia Guardsman, Jan, Feb 1958, 6.

[5] “Pilot Saves Craft: Plane Lands on Highway Inside Griffin City Limits, The Macon News, February 19, 1959, 3/

[6] “Sprayberry New State Avn Officer,” The Georgia Guardsman, Jan-Feb, 1972, 2.

The Georgia National Guard’s First Helicopter

By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Sixty-seven years of Georgia Army National Guard rotary wing aviation are represented in this collage.

The Georgia Army National Guard has one of the largest non-attack rotary aircraft inventories in the entire National Guard. The Marietta-based 78th Aviation Troop Command flies helicopters from support facilities in Marietta, Winder and Hunter Army Airfield and has supported combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as peace keeping missions in Kosovo. Georgia National Guard helicopters have also provided critical support to emergency response operations ranging from hurricanes to wildfires. But how long has the Georgia Guard flown helicopters?

The first helicopter assigned to the Georgia National Guard was delivered to Fort Bragg for assembly in March 1953 and was delivered to the state shortly thereafter. The helicopter was a single-engine H-13 and was assigned to the Division Artillery of the 48^th Infantry Division. Lieutenant James H. Strickland, aviation officer of the 48^th Infantry Division, put the new aircraft through its acceptance tests. It was one of 88 helicopters delivered to the Guard in 1953 with H-13 helicopters assigned to the First, Second and Third Army areas.[1]

FORT MCCLELLAN, ALA 1954 – Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the 48th Infantry Division’s 121st Infantry Regiment get a close look at the
first helicopter in the Georgia National Guard Inventory during annual training at Fort McClellan, Ala. in the summer of 1954. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The H-13 joined the fixed-wing complement of aircraft assigned to the 48^th Division which included L-20 Beavers and L-19 Bird Dog observation aircraft.

The Army Aviation Section of the 48th Infantry Division based at Cochran Field in Macon, Ga. in November 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Strickland debuted the H-13 at the 1954 annual training of the 48^th Division at Fort McClellan, Ala. Taking a photographer aloft, Strickland collected aerial imagery of the training area. The following year, the H-13 flew missions as part of Operation Minuteman, a nationwide rapid alert exercise that placed more than 318,000 National Guardsmen on mobilization alert April 21, 1955.[2]

FORT MCCLELLAN, ALA – An H-13 helicopter of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Division Artillery sweeps in low over field lodging
during annual training. Georgia National Guard Archives

Strickland and the H-13 were called to respond to state emergencies beginning with the search for a missing hunter in Effingham County in 1956.[3] In March, Maj. Gen. Georgia Hearn became the first Adjutant General of Georgia to visit units by helicopter as he travelled about the state as part of Muster Day recruiting efforts.

The H-13 became a staple of Georgia National Guard aviation in the 1950s as other units, such as the 48^th Reconnaissance Squadron, fielded the aircraft. By the end of the decade, the Georgia Army National Guard had four H-13 helicopters assigned. First Lieutenant Robert Sprayberry, future state aviation officer, completed rotary-wing training December 21, 1957 and was assigned to the state headquarters detachment. Sprayberry flew senior leaders of the Georgia National Guard and provided aerial assistance to the governor’s Operation Deathless, a Labor Day weekend safety mission in 1958.[4] In November 1962, Major Sprayberry flew Governor Ernest Vandiver to Marietta, Calhoun, Lavonia and Hartwell for armory dedication ceremonies.[5]

ATLANTA, September 1958 – Georgia Army National Guard Col. W. R. Robinette, Lt. Col Emmett. Plunkett and Capt. Robert Sprayberry plan
aerial surveillance of highways near Atlanta during Operation Deathless, an information campaign created by Governor Marvin Griffin to reduce
traffic fatalities over the Labor Day Weekend. – Georgia National Guard Archives.

The H-13 remained in service through 1965 and was phased out in favor of the H-23. By 1967, all H-13 in service with the 48^th Armor Division had been replaced.

 

FORT STEWART, GA, July 1967 – H-23 helicopters assigned to the 48th Armor Division participate in Governor’s Day activities at Fort Stewart, Ga.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

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[1] “First Helicopter for Georgia NG Delivered for Assembly at Bragg.” The Georgia Guardsman, March 1954, 1.

[2] “Operation Minuteman.” The Georgia Guardsman, March, April, May 1955, 8-10.

[3] “Springfield Battery Hunts Lost Hunter. The Georgia Guardsman, January February 1956, 15.

[4] “Operation Deathless Holds Ga. Fatalities to 8 as Guard Patrols Hwys. Labor Day.” The Georgia Guardsman. September October 1958, 8=9.

[5] “Four New Armories Dedicated in Marietta, Calhoun, Lavonia and Hartwell.” The Georgia Guardsman, September December 1962.