The 110th CSSB: A Brief History

By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Left: Distinctive unit insignia of the 560th Engineer Battalion and 110th CSSB. Right: SOUTHPORT, N.C., May 9, 2015— Sergeant 1st Class
Van Bryant of the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion double checks his manifest, insuring accountability of cargo containers
being loaded for distribution to the six joint munitions command depots located nationwide during Operation Patriot Bandoleer. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Gerard Brown.

The Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 110^th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion was organized and federally recognized in the Georgia Army National Guard as the Columbus-based HHC, 560^th Engineer Combat Battalion, part of the 48th Infantry Division April 20, 1948.[1]

Following the conversion of the 48^th Infantry Division to the 48^th Armor Division, the 560th was reorganized as the 560^th Armored Engineer Battalion November 1, 1955.[2] On July 1, 1959, the unit reorganized as the 560^th Engineer Battalion.[3]

FORT MCCLELLAN, Ala. August 20, 1955 - Headquarters and Service Company linemen string wire for the 560th Engineer Battalion bivouac site.
Left to right: Staff Sgt. William L. Lloyd and Private 1st Class Dan Bevan Jr., both of Columbus. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The 560^th continued to serve as the combat engineer element of the 48^th AD until the division inactivated in 1968 whereupon the 560^th was assigned to the newly created 265^th Engineer Group along with the 878^th Engineer Battalion.[4] Soldiers of the 265^th, 878^th and 560^th participated in Exercise Eastern Castle in Southeast Asia in 1992.[5]

In 1996, as part of a reorganization and reduction of the Georgia Army National Guard, the 560^th Engineer Battalion was broken up and elements formed the headquarters company of the 110^th Support Battalion.[6] Three years later, elements of the 110^th were called to support Golden Cargo 99 a multi-state effort that saw the 110^th serving as task force headquarters for the transport of multiple launch rocket system pods from Illinois to Texas.[7]

The 110^th mobilized in 2003 for Operation Noble Eagle[8] and in 2007 relocated to Tifton, Ga. where it is presently stationed.

The 110^th deployed to Iraq in 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[9] Two years later, Soldiers of the 110^th mobilized to Burkina Faso in support of the Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team training mission.[10] In 2015 the unit provided command and control for Operation Patriot Bandoleer and mobilized personnel to South Korea for Exercise Ulchi Freedom. [11] The 110^th again supported Patriot Bandoleer in 2017.[12]

FORT STEWART, Ga. October 10, 2016 - Georgia Army National Guardsmen of the 110th Combat Service Support Battalion and 148th Brigade Support
Battalion prepare pallets of water for transport to points of distribution following Hurricane Matthew. Photo by Capt. Robert Nash.

Units of the 110^th have supported hurricane response providing transportation assets to deliver humanitarian relief supplies following hurricanes Irma, Matthew, Michael and Dorian[13]. Soldiers of the 110^th also performed key roles during Georgia’s coordinated response to the Coronavirus outbreak staffing foodbanks in Valdosta, Atlanta and Thomasville while others assisted warehouse operations for the Department of Public Health. Still other Soldiers staffed specimen points of collection in Bulloch, and Tift Coffee County.

Georgia Army National Guardsman, Spc. Gary Poppell, a motor transportation sergeant with the Augusta-based 1148th Transportation Company,
unloads breakfast meals during the Atlanta Public Schools food distribution event at Douglass High School, Atlanta, Ga., April 20, 2020.
Photo by Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr.

The Headquarters Company of the 110^th CSSB is responsible for command and control of the largest battalion in the Georgia Army National Guard, The 110^th is presently comprised of the Fort Gordon-based 1148^th Transportation Company, the 277^th Maintenance Company at Kennesaw and the 1230^th Transportation Company in Thomasville. The subordinate elements of the 110^th CSSB have deployed multiple times in support of overseas and domestic missions, most recently in 2020 when Soldiers of the 1230^th TC supported the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on the southwest border of the United States and in 2021 when Soldiers of the 110^th CSSB supported Exercise Agile Spirit in the Country of Georgia.

 

Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Phoenix, senior enlisted advisor of the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 78th Troop Command,
Georgia Army National Guard, salutes during the opening ceremony of Exercise Agile Spirit 2021, July 26, 2021 at Senaki Air Base, Georgia.
Photo by Cpl. Rydell Tomas.

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[1] Military Department of the State of Georgia General Order No. 17 December 31, 1946, 2.

[2] NG AROTO 325.4 October 17, 1955, 7.

[3] OA 73-59 1 June 10, 1959, 7.

[4] State of Georgia Department of Defense. Annual Report FY 1968. (Atlanta: Georgia Department of Defense Sept. 1, 1968)

[5] State of Georgia Department of Defense. Annual Report FY 1993. (Atlanta: Georgia Department of Defense 1993) 7.

[6] OA 57-96 April 1, 1996, 1.

[7] “Georgia Units Haul MLRS Pods During “Golden Cargo.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine. Summer, 1999, 22.

[8] Permanent Order 193-1 and 194-6. Demob 1 May 04, Permanent Order 188-65.

[9] Lineage and Honors Certificate, 110^th CSSB.

[10] Caleb Waldron. “110^th CSSB Provides Key Support to African Nations.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine. July 2012, 22.

[11] Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report. 2015, 20.

[12] Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report. 2017, 19.

[13] Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report. 2016-2019.

Company B 148th Brigade Support Battalion Turns 75

 By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Then and Now: Left:1st Lt. Walter Pope, Capt. Henry D. Russell and 2nd Lt. Ezra Settle, Company A, 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment at Camp Cotton,
El Paso, Texas in 1916. Right: Soldiers of Company B, 148th Brigade Support Battalion Dec. 7, 2019. Photo by Maj. William Carraway.

Company B, 148^th Brigade Support Battalion carries on the tradition of Georgia Army National Guard service in Jackson, Ga. that began with the establishment of the Jackson Rifles in 1902.[1] The Jackson Rifles, Company A, 2^nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, were called into active federal service July 20, 1916 under the command of Capt. Henry Dozier Russell and mobilized to the Mexican Border.[2] The unit was stationed at Camp Cotton, El Paso, Texas patrolling the Rio Grande and protecting citizens from cross border raids before returning to Georgia in March 1917. Remaining in federal service due to declaration of war against Germany, the unit was redesignated Company A, 121^st Infantry Regiment Oct. 1, 1917 while training for European mobilization at Camp Wheeler, Ga. The 121^st deployed to France in October 1918 but arrived too late to participate in combat operations. Returning to the United States in 1919 the unit was inactivated January 14, 1919 at Camp Gordon, Ga.[3]

Poster commemorating Company A, 2nd Infantry Regiment’s mobilization to the Mexican Border in 1916.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

The Jackson Rifles were reorganized September 21, 1920 as Company A, 121^st Infantry.[4] 

Company A, 121st Infantry Regiment at annual training, St. Simons, Island, Ga. July 1927. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On Sept. 16, 1940 the unit was once again called to active duty and mobilized to Fort Jackson, S.C. as part of the 30^th Infantry Division. With the reorganization of Army divisions in November 1941, the 121^st was reassigned to the 8^th Infantry Division.

On July 4, 1944 the121st splashed ashore on Utah Beach and entered the Normandy Campaign. Within a week of landing, the regiment would suffer its first casualties and in less than 10 months, the casualty list of the 121st would grow to 70 pages as the regiment fought its way from La Haye du Puits France to Schwerin Germany and the liberation of concentration camps near Wobbelin.[5] Returning to the United States the 121^st was inactivated October 20, 1945 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.[6]

Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the Jackson-based Company A, 121st Infantry Regiment in formation before the start of annual training
July 24, 1949. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Company A was reorganized and federally recognized April 14, 1947 as part of the newly established 48^th Infantry Division commanded by Maj. Gen. Henry Dozier Russell.[7] When the 48^th was converted to an armor division in November 1955 Company A was redesignated Headquarters and Service Company, 48^th Reconnaissance Battalion.[8] In 1959 the unit was reorganized as Troop A, Reconnaissance Squadron, 108^th Armor Regiment.[9]

Troop A, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, 108th Armor Regiment at Fort Stewart, Ga. in August 1959. Georgia National Guard Archives.

In 1963, Georgia was allocated all units of the 48^th Armor Division Troop A was redesignated Troop A, 748^th Cavalry Regiment.[10]

Troop A, 1st Squadron 748th Cavalry Regiment at the Jackson Armory Nov. 21, 1965. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On January 1, 1968, the 48^th Armor Division was inactivated, and the Jackson unit was redesignated Company D, 878^th Engineer Battalion.[11] The unit was redesignated Company A, 878^th in 1976.[12]

Company D, 878th Engineer Battalion on parade at Fort Stewart, Ga. circa 1968. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On Sept. 16, 1980, The Jackson began its modern history as a maintenance unit as it was redesignated the 648^th Maintenance Company.[13] On August 12, 1985, the company was redesignated Company D, 148^th Support Battalion.[14] In 1987, the unit was redesignated Company B, 148^th Support Battalion.[15] In August 1993, the unit was redesignated the 166^th Maintenance Company[16] before reverting to Company B 48^th Support Battalion in 2008.[17]

 

FORT GILLEM, Ga. September 2, 2005  - Vehicles of the Georgia Army National Guard's 166th Maintenance Co. are lined up at Fort Gillem
prepared to convoy to the Gulf Coast. Georgia National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Gail Parnelle.

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[1] Adjutant General of the State of Georgia. Register of the National Guard of Georgia for the year 1917. Atlanta, January 1, 1917

[2] “Muster-in Roll of Company A, 2^nd Regt. Inf. Ga. N.G. Called into Service 20 July 1916” 180.

[3] Center for Military History. “Lineage and Honors of the 121^st Infantry Regiment.”

[4] “30^th Infantry Division (States of Georgia Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.) Division Troops, Georgia.”

[5] “Historical Data 121^st Infantry Regiment (Old Gray Bonnet) 8^th Infantry Division European Theater of Operations (ETOUSA) World War II.” Command Historian, Georgia Army National Guard Aug. 17, 1988.

[6] Center for Military History. “Lineage and Honors of the 121^st Infantry Regiment.”

[7] NGAROTO 325.4 Nov 1, 1955.

[8] NGAROTO 325.4 Nov 1, 1955.

[9] RA 73-59 June 10, 1959.

[10] RA 57-63 March 21, 1963.

[11] RA 71-67 Dec. 14, 1967.

[12] RA 229-76 Oct. 14, 1976.

[13] OA 182-80 Sept. 16, 1980.

[14] OA 111-85August 12, 1985.

[15] OA 7-87 Feb. 12, 1987.

[16] OA 169-93 August 9, 1993.

[17] OA 112-08  May 21, 2008.

1936: The Georgia Guard Response to Historic Gainesville Tornado

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

The operations center of the 122nd Infantry Regiment in the town square of Gainesville, Ga. April 7, 1936. Photo by Kenneth Rogers. Atlanta Constitution.

On April 6, 1936, residents of Gainesville, Ga. were just arriving to work on the Monday morning before Easter Sunday when two tornadoes shattered the downtown area killing more than 200 and injuring 1,600. Eighty-six years later The Gainesville Tornado remains the fifth deadliest in United States history.[1]

In Atlanta, the 122^nd Infantry Regiment were ordered to report to their home armories within 90 minutes of the storm impact. Companies A, B, C, E and F were dispatched north to Gainesville to assist civil authorities. Upon their arrival the Soldiers beheld a scene of complete destruction. Entire blocks of brick buildings had been torn to pieces by the wind splintering telephone poles and hurling vehicles. With the streets clogged with debris, the Soldiers had to clear their way to the town square where they set up a base of operations.[2] The headquarters tents of the 122^nd Infantry Regiment stood in sharp contrast to the wrecked surroundings which included the Gainesville City Hall and the Hall County Courthouse, both destroyed by the tornado.[3]

Colonel T. L. Alexander, commander of the Georgia National Guard’s 122nd Infantry Regiment discusses response operations with Lt. Carleton Redfearn
and Capt. Sterling Howard. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The Georgia National Guard joined a response effort comprised of local, state and federal agencies. In addition to the Red Cross, representatives from the Works Progress Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps and Salvation Army swelled the ranks of responders who rushed to aid the people of Gainesville. President Roosevelt visited Gainesville April 9, met with responders and addressed a crowd of 2,000 citizens expressing condolences and promising federal aid.

With the town’s water supply contaminated by debris, the Soldiers were pressed into service distributing food and water. Additional Guardsmen, trucked water into the city in converted oil tanks.  

By April 7, more than 200 residents remained missing. The Red Cross opened a missing person’s bureau to assist families. Two local churches were pressed into service as make-shift morgues housing nearly 50 dead while rescuers desperately searched debris for survivors.

Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the 122nd Infantry Regiment patrol the streets of Gainesville, Ga. just days after the city was struck by a tornado
April 6, 1936. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Throughout the response, the Guardsmen performed a myriad of duties including guard duty, traffic control and debris clearance. While most of the Guardsmen were relieved from response duties one week after the tornado impact the last of the Soldiers remained on duty until April 20.[4]

 

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[1] “The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes.” National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.html

[2] “Gainesville Tornado of 1936 killed 165; Former Guardsmen of 122^nd Infantry Recall the Disaster.” The Georgia Guardsman. March-June 1961, 6.

[3] Austin Eller. “Remembering the Gainesville tornadoes of 1936.” Access WDUN. https://accesswdun.com/article/2021/4/994788/remembering-the-gainesville-tornadoes-of-1936

[4] “Gainesville Tornado of 1936 killed 165; Former Guardsmen of 122^nd Infantry Recall the Disaster.” The Georgia Guardsman. March-June 1961, 7.