US Army 120th AVN Co Arctic Knights Patch

US Army 120th Aviation Company Arctic Knights Patch

120th Aviation Company, United States Army

The 120th Aviation Company traces its origins to the 57th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter), one of the earliest U.S. Army helicopter units deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in December 1961. Redesignated as the 120th Aviation Company in June 1963, the unit served in Vietnam from that date through October 1972—nearly a full decade of continuous combat operations in Southeast Asia. The 120th operated from the sprawling Long Binh base complex for much of the war and was assigned to the 145th Combat Aviation Battalion, which carried the proud slogan "First In Vietnam" as the first aviation battalion deployed to the theater.

The 120th Aviation Company's lift platoons bore the callsign "Pack Rat," flying UH-1 "Huey" slick aircraft on troop insertion, resupply, and medical evacuation missions across the Mekong Delta and surrounding provinces. When the company received its gunship platoon, the attack helicopter crews adopted the callsign "Razorbacks." The unit was awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for operations between 2 June and 12 June 1964, alongside the 145th Battalion and the 118th Aviation Company. Tragically, on 15 November 1965, the company lost the youngest Army Aviator killed in combat in South Vietnam—Dana Edward Brann, just 19 years old.

Following its Vietnam service, elements of the 120th Aviation Company were stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska, where the unit earned the nickname "Arctic Knights." Operating AH-1G Cobra attack helicopters in the extreme cold of the Alaskan environment, the Arctic Knights' distinctive white and red painted helicopters—known as "Arctic Cobras"—became legendary in Army aviation circles. The unit tested and operated rotary-wing aircraft in some of the most demanding low-temperature conditions imaginable, proving that Army aviation could project combat power even in the frozen reaches of the Last Frontier.

Perfect For: 120th Aviation Company veterans and families, Arctic Knights members, 145th Combat Aviation Battalion alumni, Vietnam War helicopter crew members, AH-1 Cobra enthusiasts, and Army aviation historians.

From the rice paddies of Vietnam to the frozen tundra of Alaska—the Arctic Knights of the 120th Aviation Company, flying and fighting wherever the Army needed rotary-wing warriors.