The 1st Battalion (General Support), 168th Aviation Regiment (GSAB), can trace its history back to 1959 when it was originally organized as the 41st Aviation Company in the Washington Army National Guard located at Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington.

[1] Over the next fifty years the battalion would be reorganized several different times to meet the changing needs of the U.S. Army.

During the transformation to its current configuration, the battalion was alerted for deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 07-09.

The 168th has been designated CENTCOM Aviation Task Force with its headquarters located at Udari Army Airfield, Camp Beuhring, Kuwait several times.

Composed of units from Washington, Alaska, Iowa, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, and Minnesota, the Raptors deployed in 2011, in support of Operation New Dawn 11-12.