History of Company A, 1-121st Infantry Regiment

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Guidons representing the history of Company A, 1st Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment in the 48th Infantry Division and 48th Armor Division.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

Organized and federally recognized in the Georgia National Guard’s 48^th Infantry Division as the Cannon Company, 122^nd Infantry Regiment February 26, 1948 in Covington, Ga., the company was reorganized as the 122^nd’s heavy mortar company November 1, 1948[1]. 

FORT MCCLELLAN, Ala. August 20, 1955 - Having just dropped a round into their 4.2-inch mortar, these men of Covington's Heavy Mortar Company,
122nd Infantry Regiment, Georgia National Guard, await the blast that will send the projectile to its mark. Left to right are Pfc. Roger Bell,
Pfc. Albert Anglin and Pfc. Herman Shannon. Georgia National Guard Archives.

With the conversion of the 48^th ID to Armor in October 1955, the company was redesignated Company A, 161^st Tank Battalion.[2] A 1959 reorganization of the 48^th AD prompted the company to reorganize as Company B, 248^th Signal Battalion.[3] In 1963, the Georgia National Guard received all units of the 48^th AD. In the reorganization that followed, Company B was redesignated Company A, 248^th Signal Battalion.[4] With the inactivation of the 48^th AD, Company A was redesignated the 180^th Signal Company effective December 14, 1967.[5] The 180^th served for more than decade before it was redesignated Company A, 111^th Signal Battalion April 1, 1979.[6] The following year, the 111^th Signal Battalion was reorganized as the 1^st Battalion 122^nd TOW Light Anti-Tank with the Covington unit serving as Company B.[7] 

FORT STEWART, Ga., July 1984 - Private Jimmy Nowell of Athens, a member of the Georgia Army National Guard's Company B, 1st Battalion, 122nd Infantry
at Covington, camouflages his TOW light anti-tank weapon while undergoing two weeks of annual training at Fort Stewart, Ga. Photo by the 124th MPAD.

In September 1992, the TLAT was inactivated and the Covington armory became home to Detachment 1, Company A and Detachment 1, Company B, 2^nd Battalion 121^st Infantry.[8] The detachments were consolidated September 1, 1993 to form Company A, 121^st Infantry Regiment.[9] In 2004, Company A was consolidated in Lawrenceville with Company D, 1-121 and the consolidated unit was designated Company A.[10]

Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment during a unit assembly in February 2023.  Photo courtesy of Company A, 1-121.

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[1] NGB AROTO 325.4-Ga. May 5, 1949.

[2] NG AROTO 325.4 (27 Jan 56)-Ga. March 6, 1956 effective March 26, 1956.

[3] RA 73-59 June 10, 1959, effective July 1, 1959.

[4] RA 57-63 March 21, 1963 Effective April 16, 1963.

[5] RA 71-67 December 14, 1967 Effective January 1, 1968.

[6] RA 64-79 March 20, 1979 Effective April 1, 1979.

[7] OA 182-80 September 26, 1980 effective October 1, 1980.

[8] OA 261-92 October 21, 1992 effective September 1, 1992.

[9] RA 169-93 August 9, 1993, effective September 1, 1993.

[10] OA 180-04 September 24, 2004 effective September 1, 2002.

Georgia's 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment Adds New Chapter to 104-Year History

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

The Second Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment in 2022 and 1918. Photo collage by Maj. William Carraway.

Citizen-Soldiers of the 2^nd Battalion, 121^st Infantry Regiment said goodbye to the command team of Lt. Col. John Avera and Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Gulley and welcomed Lt. Col. Joshua Patterson and Master Sgt. Daniel Paul during a ceremony at the Monroe County Recreation Center March 5, 2022.

Lieutenant Colonel John Avera transfers the colors of the 2nd Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment to Col. Jason Baker, commander of the 48th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team, symbolizing his relinquishment of command during a ceremony in Forsyth, Ga. March 5, 2022. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Colonel Jason Baker, commander of the 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team presided over the ceremony and recounted the efforts and accomplishments of the 2-121 during Avera and Gulley’s tenure.

“Lieutenant Colonel Avera and Command Sgt. Maj. Gulley, you have led the battalion well, and you can be proud of the accomplishments that have transpired under your leadership,” said Baker. “Your contributions will have a lasting impact and you are leaving behind yet another foundation for continued success.”

Gulley assumed responsibility for the Warrior Battalion in 2018 and guided the battalion through its successful 2018-2019 Afghanistan deployment. Avera assumed command of the battalion in March 2020, just months after the battalion returned from Afghanistan. Within days of his assumption of command, Avera was leading the battalion through unprecedented civil support operations as part of the coordinated response to the Coronavirus pandemic in Georgia. Under the leadership of Avera and Gulley, Soldiers of 2-121 formed infection control teams to disinfect long term care facilities in Albany, Georgia which, in the early months of the pandemic, had one of the highest per-capita rates of COVID-19 cases in the nation. The Soldiers also provided personnel to assist hospital operations and testing facilities.

Specialist Jermon Christy, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the Albany-based Company H, 148th Brigade Support Battalion,
prepares testing kits at a specimen point of collection site in Albany, Ga. April 30, 2020. Photo by Sgt. Richard Sadilek.

“Your contributions to COVID operations, without a doubt, saved hundreds of lives,” said Baker.

As civil unrest gripped the nation in May, Soldiers of the Warrior Battalion rushed to the aid of civil law enforcement in Atlanta augmenting security at Centennial Olympic Park and ensuring a safe environment for free expression. Many of these same Citizen Soldiers would again be called to duty in the wake of unrest in Washington DC January 6, 2021. Originally tasked to provide security to the Washington Mall, the 1^st and 2^nd Battalions of the 121^st Infantry were assigned to provide security to the capitol cordon after volunteering for the mission.

The colors of 2-121 at the United States Capitol January 2021. Photo courtesy of 2-121.

Having battled COVID-19 and responded to two separate civil unrest missions the Soldiers of the 2^nd Battalion were again called to duty in 2021, this time mobilizing 370 Soldiers to Morocco for Exercise African Lion. The Soldiers conducted platoon training as well as day and night fire exercises with direct and indirect fire assets. The exercise ended with the 2-121 participating in a multinational combined arms live fire exercise.

Sergeant Thomas Cullens, an infantry mortarman assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment,
48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team inspects an M252A1 81mm mortar system during exercise African Lion 21 June 9, 2021, in Tantan, Morocco.
Photo by Capt. Bryant Wine.

In recognition of their outstanding efforts in leading the battalion Baker presented Avera and Gulley with the Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of their leadership of “…the battalion during one of its most tumultuous times.” In recognition to their support of the Warrior Battalion, Hannash Avera and Danielle Gulley received the Georgia Commendation Medal.

Left to Right: Lt. Col. Joshua Patterson and Master Sgt. Daniel Paul, incoming command team of the 2nd Battalion 121st Infantry Battalion;
Col. Jason Baker, commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; Lt. Col. John Avera and Command Sgt. Maj. Rickey Gulley,
outgoing command team of 2-121 prepare to conduct a change of command ceremony in Forsyth, Ga. March 5, 2022. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Assuming command of 2-121, Lt. Col. Joshua Patterson brings a wealth of experience to his new role. A former enlisted armor crewman with the 48^th Brigade’s 108^th Armor Regiment, Patterson commissioned and rose through the ranks of the 121^st Infantry serving in staff and command roles, He completed two combat tours in Afghanistan with the 48^th IBCT and most recently served as the operations officer of the 48^th IBCT and 78^th Troop Command.

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Patterson receives the colors of the 2nd Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment from Col. Jason Baker, commander
of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, symbolizing his assumption of command during a ceremony in Forsyth, Ga. March 5, 2022.
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

As incoming senior enlisted leader, Master Sgt. Daniel Paul Roberts is also a well acquainted with the 121^st. He deployed with Company A, 1-121 to Iraq in 2005. And served in Company H, 121^st Infantry Long Range Surveillance. He volunteered to return to Iraq in 2009 with the 178^th Military Police Company. Returning to the 121^st, Paul served as a platoon sergeant in Company D, 3-121 and as 1^st Sgt. of Headquarters Company and Company A, 2-121.

Master Sgt. Daniel Paul receives the colors of the 2nd Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment from Lt. Col. Joshua Patterson symbolizing his assumption
of responsibility during a ceremony in Forsyth, Ga. March 5, 2022. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

The Soldiers of 2-121 carry on the tradition of service that predates World War I. As part of the 2^nd Georgia Infantry Regiment. Soldiers of units that would constitute the 2nd Battalion mobilized to the Mexican Border in 1916. Returning to Georgia in 1917, the Soldiers immediately began training for European deployment and, in October 1918, sailed for France as part of the newly designated 121^st Infantry Regiment. The 2^nd Battalion was again called to serve in the European Theater in World War II fighting from Normandy across the Brittany Peninsula and one to the Hurtgen Forest.

December 4, 1944 – Two men of the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment walk down a street amid the ruins of Hurtgen, Germany.
Photo 197428, National Archives.

When the Georgia National Guard was reconstituted in 1946, the 121^st Infantry was reorganized as part of the 48^th Infantry Division. The units of 2-121 remained in service through the reorganization of the 48^th as the 48^th Armor Division in 1955 and were one of the original units assigned to the 48^th Infantry Brigade when it was constituted in 1973. The 2^nd Battalion mobilized to Bosnia Herzegovina in 2001, Iraq in 2005 and to Afghanistan in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battallion-121 Infantry Regiment pull security at a tactical control point while the Iraqi Army Forces
inspect vehicles on July 10, 2005, near Al-Radwnea, Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon.

Changes of Command for Historic Georgia National Guard Infantry Battalions

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

1st Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment Feb. 22, 2021 in Winder, Ga. and Feb. 1, 1918
at Camp Wheeler, near Macon, Ga.

 

Citizen Soldiers of the Georgia National Guard’s historic 121^st Infantry Regiment welcomed new leadership in change of command ceremonies this weekend.

On August 21, the Soldiers of 3^rd Battalion 121^st assembled at their armory in Cumming, Ga. as Lt. Col. James McKnight relinquished command to Maj. Christopher Roberts. McKnight commanded the Pathfinder Battalion since Jan. 11, 2020.

Lieutenant Colonel James McKnight(right) transfers the colors of the 3rd Battalion 121st Infantry to Col. Anthony Fournier,
commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Aug. 21, 2021 at the Cumming Regional Readiness Center to symbolize his relinquishing
of command of the Pathfinder Battalion. the incoming commander, Maj. Christopher Roberts stands left. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Joining the Georgia National Guard in 2012, Roberts commanded Headquarters Troop of the Calhoun-based 1^st Squadron 108^th Cavalry. He has additionally served as chief of operations for the Macon based 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during the brigade’s deployment to Afghanistan in 2019.

Lieutenant Colonel Wesley Eminger receives his first salute as commander of the 1st Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment during a change of command ceremony
 in Winder, Ga. Feb. 22, 2021. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

On August 22, the 1^st Battalion, 121^st Infantry bid farewell to Lt. Col. Matt Johnston and welcomed incoming commander Lt. Col. Wesley Eminger during a ceremony at Winder-Barrow High School in the battalion’s hometown of Winder, Ga. Eminger, whose most recent assignment was with the 3^rd Infantry Division Main Command Post Operational Detachment has spent many years in the 121^st Infantry Regiment during which he mobilized twice to Afghanistan.  

Major General Tom Carden, Georgia’s Adjutant General and Brig. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard confer with
Lt. Col. Matt Johnston, commander of the 1st Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment in Forsyth, Ga. Jan 15, 2021 as units of the 48th IBCT prepare to
support inauguration security operations in Washington D.C. and Georgia. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

McKnight and Johnston both assumed battalion command in January 2020 just months after the 121^st returned from Afghanistan, and both led their battalions through unprecedented domestic operations. Within weeks, the Soldiers of 1^st and 3^rd Battalion were again deployed, this time in support of the coordinated response to the Coronavirus pandemic in Georgia. The battalions provided personnel to staff infection control teams which disinfected long term care facilities across the state to improve the odds of survival for the elderly. Their Soldiers also embarked on medical support team missions augmenting operations at hospitals such as Northeast Georgia Medical in Gainesville and Athens Regional Medical Center. 

An infection control team comprised of Soldiers from 3-121 completes a disinfecting mission at a long-term
care facility in Gainesville, Ga. April 23, 2020. Photo by Sgt. Lauren Garrison

As civil unrest gripped the nation in May, Soldiers of the 121st Infantry augmented law enforcement at multiple locations around the state. Many of these same Citizen Soldiers would again be called to duty in the wake of unrest in Washington DC January 6.

Lieutenant Colonel James McKnight, second from left, briefs Soldiers of 3rd Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment on expectations during security operations at
Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta  May 30, 2020. Photo by Capt. Edner Julien

The events of 2020-2021 are just the latest chapter in the storied history of the 121^st Infantry Regiment. Units of 121st Infantry served overseas in World War I and later in World War II where the Regiment earned the Presidential Unit Citation. The 3rd Battalion inactivated from 1968-2016. In the interim,  Soldiers of 1st Battalion mobilized to Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan. In 2018 the 121st Infantry Regiment deployed overseas with three battalions for the first time since 1944 and returned home the following year.

Soldiers of the 121st Infantry Regiment provide security in support of inauguration preparations Jan. 19, 2021. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class R. J. Lannom.