Unit History
Where we came from.
3rd Battalion (Assault), 4th Aviation Regiment, “Comanches”, was first constituted on March 17, 1980, as Company C, 4th Aviation Battalion, as an element of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado.
On August 16, 1987, the unit was reorganized and designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, as an element of the 8th Infantry Division in Germany. As Army Aviation began restructuring, the need for heavy divisions to have an air assault capability was identified. As the 4th Infantry Division lost its air cavalry component, it began to form its air assault Battalion.
In 2004, the 4th Brigade (Aviation), 4th Infantry Division was reorganized and designated as Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. This transformation was part of the reorganization of the 4th Infantry Division to the US Army’s modular force structure. As part of this transformation, on August 16, 2004, D, E, and F Troops of 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment were reflagged as elements of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, which was activated and took the name “Comanches”.
The Battalion successfully deployed to Iraq in December 2005 in order to conduct full spectrum operations out of Camp Taji, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In July 2009, the remainder of the 4th Infantry Division, with the exception of the Combat Aviation Brigade, moved to join other elements of the Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. Instead of joining them, the Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, including 3-4 Aviation, prepared to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force. The Combat Aviation Brigade and 3-4 Aviation, upon completion of their Afghanistan deployment, moved to Fort Carson, Colorado to join the 4th Infantry Division.
In November 2015, the Comanche Battalion deployed to Afghanistan again, this time in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. In July 2018, 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment was deployed to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve and their NATO allies. In May of 2020, elements of 3-4 Assault Helicopter Battalion deployed to Afghanistan again in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.