4th Battalion , 227th Aviation Regiment The 4th Battalion 227th Aviation Regiment is an attack reconnaissance battalion , also known as 4 - 227 ARB supporting the 1st Cavalry Division . They fly the AH - 64D Apache Longbow and are based at Fort Hood , Texas . The history of the 4th Battalion can be traced back to Vietnam . It traces its history back to early 1963 , where the Army began to gather helicopters into the 11th Air Assault Division to test the airmobile concept . Shortly thereafter , they were reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division . On 1 August 1965 , the 1st Cavalry Division was sent to Vietnam . Aviators participated in 14 Campaigns and received seven decorations to include the Presidential Unit Citation ( 2 awards ) , the Valorous Unit Award ( 3 awards ) , the Meritorious Unit Commendation , the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm ( 3 awards ) and the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal , First Class during its 7 years of duty in Vietnam . The first Army aviator to win the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War was a member of the 227th Aviation Battalion . The 4th Battalion 227th ARB was reactivated on 15 November 2005 and assigned to the First Cavalry Division on Fort Hood , Texas . They were assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade . The " Guns Attack " battalion was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06 - 08 . The Battalion served for 15 months in Iraq . There are 6 companies inside the battalion A Co , B Co , C Co , D Co , E Co , and HHC . History . The 4 – 227th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion traces its origins to two distinct lineages : the regimental affiliation with the 227th AVN REGT and its roots as the Army ’ s first armed helicopter unit - the Utility Tactical Transport Company ( UTT ) - known simply as “ First with Guns ! ” . Constituted on 15 July 1961 , BG Joe Stilwell . Jr . led the UTT to develop attack helicopter tactics - evolutionary concepts as relevant today as they were innovative then . The UTT was re - flagged on several occasions in Viet Nam : in August 1964 , as the 68th Armed Helicopter Company ( AHC ) ; in MAR 1965 , as the 197th AHC ; and in September 1966 , as the 334th AHC - the first AHC in Viet Nam equipped with the advanced AH - 1G Cobra . During the same period , the Battalion ’ s regimental roots were constituted on 1 February 1963 as Company D , 227th Aviation Battalion , an aerial weapons company assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division . On 1 July 1965 , it was reorganized and re - designated as Company D , 227th Aviation Battalion , 1st Cavalry Division . The D Company “ Guns ” served valorously in support of 1st Cavalry Division operations , in Viet Nam , until it was inactivated on 30 August 1971 . The unit was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations and two Valorous Unit Awards for its sustained actions in the A - Shau Valley , and the provinces of Pleiku Binh Thuan , and Bien Hoa , from 1966 – 1971 . While the Guns of 227th inactivated , the Guns of the 334th AHC deployed to Hanau , Germany , in 1973 , and were later re - flagged the 503rd Aviation Battalion . The units of the 503rd would ultimately re - flag as AH64 units in the 227th AVN REGT , sustaining the First with Guns lineage in Europe . Back at Fort Hood , D Company , 227th was re - activated on 16 July 1987 , deploying with the Division to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm , in support of the Defense of Saudi Arabia and the Liberation of Kuwait . The Unit was again reorganized and re - designated , on 16 November 1993 as the 4th Battalion , 227th Aviation Regiment at Fort Hood , TX , serving the Division proudly until its deactivation as a regular Army unit on 15 February 1997 . During this Aviation Restructuring Initiative , the Army also down - sized the 2nd and 3rd ( AH - 64 ) Battalions of the 227th AVN REGT , activating the 1 – 501st AVN REGT ( ATK ) at Hanau , Germany as part of the 1st Armored Division . Following distinguished tours to Bosnia and Kosovo , the Battalion deployed on a 15 month combat tour to Operation Iraqi Freedom , in April 2003 , earning the Valorous Unit Award for its actions in the Baghdad area of operations . In 2005 , the 1 – 501st ATK deployed from Germany to Fort Hood to undergo the AH - 64D Unit and Fielding Training Program and re - join the 1st Cavalry Division . The Guns deployed to OIF 06 - 08 with the First Team on 24 September 2006 and conducted sustained attack and reconnaissance operations for 15 months over Baghdad , in support of MND - B and MND - C . The unit received the " Meritorious Unit Citation " For its action in the Battle of Najaf in 2007 . The unit redeployed to Texas in January 2008 . The unit was then deployed again to Iraq in April 2009 and earned another Valorious Unit Award .