How It Began
On 1 September 1965 the company and detachments began receiving the majority of their personnel. On 25 October 1965 the aircraft and an advance party of 4 Officers, 1 Warrant Officer, and 20 Enlisted Men departed Alameda Naval Air Station, Oakland, California aboard the United States Navy Ship Kula Gulf for Vung Tau. On 5 November 1965 the main body and detachments departed from pier 7, Oakland Army Terminal aboard the United States Navy Ship Geiger with an ultimate destination, Cam Ranh Bay and assignment to the 10th Combat Aviation Battalion (10th CAB) with duty station Phan Rang to support the 101st Airborne Division.
When the advance party began flying aircraft from the Kula Gulf to Vung Tau they were issued the call sign "Blue Star" and it remained the company's name and call sign throughout the war (the call sign was changed twice but each time the commanding officer was able to get it back).
On 25 November 1965 the advance party, who had flown three aircraft from Vung Tau, met up with the 48th main body at Cam Ranh Bay. A group of Officers, Warrant Officers and Enlisted were gathered to make an advance party and off they went to Phan Rang Airforce base. Once at Phan Rang the Airforce quartered the advance party in tents and showed them where the 48th's area would be. When the main body closed on the area on 26 November they were issued axes and machetes and work began on clearing an area for the company. To assist in the effort the monsoon rains began.
On 29 December 1965 the company completed its first combat mission with the extraction of bodies from a crashed airforce aircraft.
On 1 January 1966, after only 36 days in country the 48th was declared combat operational.
On 30 May1966, the 48th Aviation Company was renamed the 48th Assault Helicopter Company by order of Brigadier General Seneff, Commanding General, 1st Aviation Brigade.
On 1 May 67 the company moved it's base of operations to Ninh Hoa, where it was assigned the mission of supporting the 9th Korean Infantry (White Horse) Division.