"Wings of Freedom"
1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment conducts sustained training of world class United States Army, Department of Defense, and Partner Nation Aviators to fundamental proficiency at Fort Rucker and the local flying area; continuously provides undergraduate and graduate level instruction in contact, instrument, tactical, night, and night vision goggle phases of flight in the UH-60M helicopters; maintains and operates Lowe Army Heliport; facilitates tenant organizations’ mission training.
Leadership
Commander, 1-212th Aviation Regiment
Lt. Col. Ryan C. Sommer, from Zionsville, IN, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2007 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Aviation Branch.
After graduating from flight school at Fort Rucker, he was assigned as a Platoon Leader in Alpha Company, 5-101st Aviation Regiment (Fort Campbell, KY). He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009 to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wolverine... READ MORE
Command Sgt. Major, 1-212th Aviation Regiment
Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew D. Thomas
CSM Thomas is a native of Oceanside, CA. He graduated from San Marcos High School in San Marcos, CA in 1996. CSM Thomas enlisted into the Army on July 2003, and attend Basic Combat training at Fort Benning, GA. His follow-on Advance Individual Training at Fort Lee, VA awarded him the MOS of 92G Food Service Specialist in November of 2003 in which he served for the first four years of his career. In 2007 CSM Thomas attended MOS reclassification training at Fort Eustis, VA where he graduated.... READ MORE