"F" Company, 1st Battalion
58th Aviation Regiment
"The Ravens"
On January 22, 1968, the 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Battalion was
constituted. On 01 March of the same year, the Battalion was activated at Long
Binh in the Republic of Vietnam. The Battalion Headquarters, located in the
III Corps city of Bien Hoa, was the parent unit of several companies,
detachments and sites found throughout the country. The Battalion
distinguished itself through participation in the Tet Counteroffensive and was
subsequently awarded the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. At
the close of the Vietnam War, the Battalion was inactivated on 17 February
1969.
On 01 September 1979, the 58th Air Traffic Control Battalion (Corps) was
activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Battalion was activated in order
to provide air traffic control services to the Divisions of the Corps: the
10th Mountain Division (Light), 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), 82nd
Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
On 16 July 1987, the 58th Aviation Regiment was activated as a part of the
Army's Regimental concept. The regiment was awarded the lineage and honors of
the prior 58th Aviation Battalion that had been deactivated at the end of the
Vietnam War. The 58th Air Traffic Control (ATC) Battalion, located at Ft.
Bragg, was reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Battalion of the 58th
Aviation Regiment. Concurrently the elements of its 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Battalions were constituted, allocated and activated in the Regular Army.
The battalions performs two primary functions. The first, air traffic control,
consists of ensuring the safe, orderly and expeditious movement of aircraft
through the use of control towers, navigation aids and radar facilities. The
second, Airspace Integration and Management (AIM) is accomplished through the
Army Airspace and Command (AACC) elements at the division level and above. It
essentially involves coordinating all users of the airspace to maximize
mission accomplishment. AIM ensures that each airspace user can perform its
mission at the scheduled timeline without interfering with or endangering
others.
Throughout its relatively short history, the 58th Aviation Regiment has
supported the Army's aviation community. The units and soldiers of the
Regiment provide tactical and air traffic control support worldwide and are
capable of deployment by all strategic means whether it be terminal tower,
ground control approach radar services, flight following or other en route
services. The battalions supports the ground commander in effectively
utilizing the airspace above the battle.
The campaign credits of the 58th Aviation Regiment include:
The Regiment currently consists of 4 battalions operating in designated areas.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions are stationed in the United States and supports the
III Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps. The 3rd Battalion, stationed in the
Federal Republic of Germany, supports US Army Europe. The 4th Battalion,
stationed in Korea, supports the Eighth Army with "G" Company located in
Hawaii, supporting the US Army Pacific.
Each ATC Battalion is uniquely structured to meet the requirements of the
Corps that it supports, but all share a basic function. Each has a
Headquarters Company that provides command and control staff functions for the
Battalion and the various air traffic service companies that performs specific
air traffic control functions.
On 07 July 1994, the unit elements of the 1st Battalion were redesignated and
assigned the following areas of responsibility:
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"The Ravens - Skywatch"
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The capabilities of "F" Company extends from operating in a remote tactical
airstrip environment to manning the flight control center of a fully
instrumented airfield, complete with navigational aids and approach radar.
Additionally the Company has liaison personnel who support the Division and
Corps Airspace Command and Control Cells.
Personnel of "F" Company has participated in numerous National Training Center
and Joint Readiness Training Center Rotations, a Division Capstone Exercise
and the Force XXI fielding of the AN/TSQ-221 Tactical Airspace Integration
System (TAIS) and is fully able to carryout its mission to rapidly deploy
worldwide and provide Air Traffic Services to the 1st Cavalry Division in
combat or contingency operations with joint or combined forces.
Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
On 20 January, "F" Company, 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, currently
assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, received orders to deploy along with the
4th Infantry Division to southwest Asia. "F" Company is an Air Traffic Control
(ATC) asset of the 18th Airborne Corps out of Fort Bragg NC. Their mission
will be to provide air traffic control support for the 4th Infantry Division
in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
Operating out of Camp Speicher, a former Iraqi fighter training base where
bits of pieces of the orginal occupants equipment can be seen, "F" Company
operates independantly to support flight operations of the 4th ID. The
control tower, badly damages during the air strikes, has been refurbished and
communication equipments have been replaced allowing the control of fixed wing
and rotary aircraft withing a 5 mile radius of the airspace around the field
for approach and departure in either Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Ground
Controlled Approach (GCA) conditions.
The support of remote, temporary or forward refueling point operations, a
tactical team operating out of a Humvee outfitted with radar and
communications gear can be set up in under 20 minutes. Manpack radios, can be
dispatched to the site for a more rapid response.
As you journey through the history of the 1st Cavalry Division and its
assigned elements, you may find it interesting enough to send a message to
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Revised 21 Feb '04