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Some Post Vietnam War Army Aviation patches


Patchcollector
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Patchcollector

Happy Friday all,
I've been picking up some Postwar Army Aviation patches here and there so I thought I would start a thread and post them here from time to time.I'm starting off with this C Company 2/158 Aviation Regiment piece.I like the Silver Surfer graphic and also the "Charlie Don't Surf" motto from Apocalypse Now. :)Notice also the small Chinook Helicopter inset under the "Silver Surfer" text and the Marvel Comics copyright.

 

 

I tried to find some info on this unit but came up empty for a "C" Company for the 2/158th,except for a small reference to the unit being at Olathe Kansas.If anyone has any further info I would appreciate hearing more about this unit,and if anyone has any post Vietnam War era Army Aviation patches that they would like to add to this thread I would enjoy seeing them.

 

 

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Happy Friday all,

I've been picking up some Postwar Army Aviation patches here and there so I thought I would start a thread and post them here from time to time.I'm starting off with this C Company 2/158 Aviation Regiment piece.I like the Silver Surfer graphic and also the "Charlie Don't Surf" motto from Apocalypse Now. :)Notice also the small Chinook Helicopter inset under the "Silver Surfer" text and the Marvel Comics copyright.

 

 

I tried to find some info on this unit but came up empty for a "C" Company for the 2/158th,except for a small reference to the unit being at Olathe Kansas.If anyone has any further info I would appreciate hearing more about this unit,and if anyone has any post Vietnam War era Army Aviation patches that they would like to add to this thread I would enjoy seeing them.

 

 

 

The 137th Trans Co was a unit of the Kansas ARNG at Olathe, don't know what type of aircraft they had originally but they moved into using CH-54's. Another unit shows up there as the 190th Trans Co flying CH-47s. Try following those units.

 

IH

 

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I tried to add some pics from my collection but the upload function is not letting me. Says the file is too big even though it is actually smaller than upload limit.

 

IH

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A very interesting thing you will see is that once the US Army Aviation Branch was regimentally organized is the units began adopting the identity of their pass down history. Lineage and honors from previous units were assigned to the new regimental ones. And some old call signs were just outright revived. These patches, and many more, reflect this. The "Spiders" was passed from the 188th AHC to A Company, 4/3 Aviation Regiment. "Blue Max" was originally from the 2/20 ARA and was revived with B Company, 3/101 Avn Regt. "Innkeepers" came from the 271st ASHC.

 

IH

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Patchcollector

Good stuff IH.Looking at the patches that you posted I recognize designs,callsigns and mottos that earlier units used.That's really cool how many of the postwar units paid homage to the units that were in operation before them.
Thanks for the 137th and 190th info.I will do searches and see what I can find.

 

 

 

Here is a screenshot of the info I found regarding C Co 2/158.I highlighted the info that pertained to C-2/158.

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Patchcollector

Here is another that I couldn't find much info about.I know that they were based in Alaska at one time,hence the "SnowHawks".The patch has no plastic backing and looks like it has been worn.

 

I did find this excerpt that mentions the SnowHawks,I highlighted the pertinent part:

 

Construction on the $4 5 billion Trans-Alaska pipeline project, first proposed in 1969, was finally begun in 1974 In June 1977 oil began to flow from Prundhow Bay on the Arctic Ocean through the 799-mile, 48 inch hot-oil pipeline to the Gulf of Alaska port of Valdez.'"" With elevated prices for oil in 1977, Alaska was enjoying an economic boom. The pipeline was a state and national asset.

The mission of the 1 72nd Infantry Brigade, whose Deputy Commander was Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, was to defend Alaska and most particularly the oil pipeline.'" The 4,500 soldiers of the 1 72nd, known as the "Snowhawks," trained in the winter to fight as ski troops, in the summer as mountain troops. One of their most famous yearly exercises usually took place in February and was entitled appropriately, "Operation Jack Frost.""*

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Made a mistake, wrong picture inserted. If anyone knows how to edit out improper images, let it be known.

Correct image here, 171st Inf Bde Avn Section, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

 

IH

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Here are two from Germany around 1975-76. My father in law was the 11th Aviation Battalion Commander in 1976. The 173rd was one of the companies there.

 

IH

 

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Patchcollector

Great patches.That 173rd on the left looks handsewn.IIRC I have seen that "Tarhe" patch without a scroll before.

 

I found some more info about the 171st and 172nd on Wiki:

 

US Army Alaska was known as USARAL through the 60s and 70s, whereas after the activation of the 6th Infantry Division it was known as USARAK. The two Arctic brigades, the 171st (4-9th Infantry, 1-47th Infantry [which was subsequently deactivated], and other components at Fort Wainwright) and the 172d (4-23d Infantry, 1-60th Infantry, 1-37th Artillery, 561st Combat Engineer Company, and other components at Fort Richardson) were consolidated in 1973 with the drawdown after Viet Nam. There was an administrative split between the "LIB" (Light Infantry Brigade) and the "Brigade Alaska", with the 1-43d Air Defense, 222d Aviation, 56th MP Company, 23d Construction Engineer Company, Northern Warfare Training Center- then at Fort Greely,' being assigned.

 

I'm just wondering;Is my SnowHawks patch for the 171st or 172nd?

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It's for the 172nd. The difference is the 172nd has the 7 stars of the Big Dipper in the field. The 171st has the Aurora Borealis in the field. The bayonets are also different.

The 295th patch is just a modified generic CH-54 Skycrane patch.

 

IH

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Patchcollector

I just found some more Army Aviation patches,will scan and post them as time permits.

 

Here is an "A" Company 3rd Battalion 501st Aviation AVIM "Flying Tigers" patch.

 

I believe that it's Korean made.I was unable to find any background info on the unit.

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