History of the 227th Aviation Battalion (Assault Helicopter)
Continued
After the battalion had been back at the Golf Course for a couple of weeks, the Viet Cong attacked the Special Forces camp at Plei Me in force and the long and costly Plei Me - Ia Drang Valley Campaign was under way. The morning after the attack, 23 October 1965, Company "C" was ordered to Pleiku to support the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry. Within a few days the entire battalion was committed in support of the 1st Brigade, whose mission was to seek out and destroy the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces in the Plei Me area. This support was continued routinely with each of the lift companies supporting an infantry battalion daily until late in October. When the large North Vietnamese Army were located near the Ia Drang Valley, the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion began lifting the 1st Brigade units in combat assaults on enemy positions. On 3 November 1965, the 227th and the 1st Brigade units were relieved by other units of the division and returned to the Golf Course for a well deserved rest. On 10 December, Company "A" moved to Pleiku to support the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry in search and destroy operations reaching from Pleiku to Kontum and west to the Cambodian border. As the year came to a close, Company "A" was still in Pleiku supporting units of the 1st Brigade and the remainder of the battalion supporting the Division's units at An Khe preparing for the next large combat operation. The 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion's first half of the year with the 1st Cavalry Division was highly successful. Their accomplishments exceeded all expectations and have helped remove all doubt about the application of the air mobility concept to limited warfare in Southeast Asia. The battalion has continually emphasized further training and the development of new ideas and equipment. Ever looking to the future, The keynotes have been flexibility, mission orientation, and "Pouvoir".
KEY PERSONNEL
COMMANDING OFFICER
Lieutenant Colonel Jack Cranford
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Major Otrie B. Barrett
COMMANDING OFFICER
HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS COMPANY
Major John S. Bond
Major Eugene T. Boyd
COMMANDING OFFICER
COMPANY "A"
Major Floyd R. Wirthlin
COMMANDING OFFICER
COMPANY "B"
Major Donald G. Curry
Major Fred C. Headley
COMMANDING OFFICER
COMPANY "C"
Major Thomas I. McMurray
COMMANDING OFFICER
COMPANY "D"
Major Jack Kincaid
S-1
Major Robert C. Burgess
S-2
Major William J. Gorman
S-3
Major David L. Johnson
S-4
Major D. Joiner
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