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124th Infantry Regiment (United States)

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The 124th Infantry Regiment is a parent regiment of the United States Army, represented in the Florida Army National Guard by the 1st Battalion headquartered in Miramar and 2nd Battalion at Orlando. The two Battalions are elements of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

124th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active1884–present
CountryUSA
BranchUnited States Army
TypeLight infantry
Nickname(s)First Florida
Motto(s)"Florida and Country"
EngagementsAmerican Civil War
Spanish–American War
Pancho Villa Expedition
World War I
World War II
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
DecorationsPresidential Unit Citation
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Colonel Albert H. Blanding
Insignia
Distinctive unit insigniaThe shield is white, the old Infantry color. The saltire is taken from the Florida State flag. The sheathed sword, from the Spanish War service medal, represents service during that war. The cactus symbolizes service on the Mexican Border, and the fleur-de-lis, service during World War I.[1]

History

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The regiment was organized 1884–1892 in the Florida State Troops from new and existing companies as the 1st,[2] 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th Battalions of Infantry, with headquarters at Jacksonville, Ocala, Pensacola, Gainesville, and Arcadia, respectively.

Spanish–American War

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The battalions consolidated, reorganized, and mustered into federal service for the Spanish–American War 20–25 May 1898 at Tampa. The reorganized unit became the 1st Florida Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Eight companies of the regiment mustered out 3 December 1898 at Tampa and four companies mustered out 27 January 1899 at Huntsville, Alabama. The regiment's coat of arms bears a sheathed Roman sword, derived from the Spanish War Service Medal, representing service during that war.[1]

The 1st Florida Volunteer Infantry was expanded and reorganized 17–18 August 1899 in the Florida State Troops as the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Infantry. The Florida State Troops were redesignated in 1909 as the Florida National Guard.[3]

 
2nd Florida Infantry on the Mexican border, 1916–17.[4]

Punitive Expedition

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2nd Florida Infantry passing in review at Camp Foster prior to deployment on the Punitive Expedition

Commanded by Col. Albert H. Blanding, the 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment mustered into federal service in June 1916 at Camp Foster, Florida and then deployed to the Texas-Mexico border in support of the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa. The 2nd Florida mustered out of federal service in March 1917.[3] The coat of arms bears a cactus symbolizing service on the border.[1]

World War I

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The 1st and 2nd Regiments of Infantry were drafted into federal service 5 August 1917 at Jacksonville and Wauchula, respectively.

The 1st and 2nd Regiments were consolidated, reorganized, and redesignated 1 October 1917 as the 124th Infantry and assigned to the 31st Division, as part of the mobilization for World War I. After the regiment arrived in France, it was split up and its soldiers were used to fill other units as replacements. The regiment demobilized 14 January 1919 at Camp Gordon, Georgia. The coat of arms bears a fleur-de-lis to symbolize its service in France during World War I.[1]

Interwar years

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In 1920–1921, the 1st Infantry Regiment was reorganized in the Florida National Guard, with the headquarters federally recognized 4 June 1921 at Jacksonville. The designations of the 30th, 31st, and 39th Divisions had been offered to the Fourth Corps Area in 1920-1921; the designations of the 30th and 39th Divisions were selected. The 31st Division, along with the 42nd Division, became the two divisions to be deleted from the postwar 18-division National Guard force structure.

During World War I, the 31st Division was made up of troops from Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, while the 39th Division was made up of troops from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; in the postwar reorganization, the 39th Division had troops from Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The 154th Infantry Regiment, which had been made up of Arkansas troops during World War I, was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921, allotted to the state of Florida, relieved from assignment to the 31st Division, and assigned to the 39th Division. The 154th Infantry was reorganized on 19 December 1921 by the redesignation of the 1st Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard.

In 1923, the adjutants general of the affected states petitioned the War Department that the designation of the 39th Division be changed to the 31st Division, as most state units now assigned to the 39th Division had served in the 31st Division during World War I. On 1 July 1923, the 39th Division was redesignated as the 31st Division (less the Arkansas elements) and the 154th Infantry was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 39th Division, redesignated as the 124th Infantry, and assigned to the 31st Division.

In September 1926, September 1928, and September 1935, the regiment was called up to perform relief work and maintain order after strong hurricanes hit South Florida. From 31 May to 6 June 1927, the 3rd Battalion performed riot duty in Tampa, protecting a jailed accused killer from an angry mob; five rioters were killed by the Guardsmen defending the jail.[5] Periodically between July 1929 and June 1930, the 1st Battalion and elements of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions performed guard duties in connection with the Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine in South Florida. In March 1933, Company H guarded Giuseppe Zangara, the would-be assassin of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, before his execution at the Florida State Prison at Raiford. From 7 to 9 June 1932, Companies A and B were used for guard and security duties in connection with the visit of Cuban national officials to Hollywood, Florida. In March 1935, elements were used for guard and security duties in connection with the visit of President Roosevelt to Winter Park, Florida.

The 124th Infantry conducted its annual summer training period at Camp Joseph E. Johnston or Camp J. Clifford R. Foster, Florida, and some years at Camp McClellan, Alabama. The regiment was inducted into active federal service at Jacksonville on 24 November 1940, and moved to Camp Blanding, Florida, where it arrived on 18 December 1940. In this period, the regiment participated in the Carolina and Louisiana Maneuvers.[6]

World War II

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Organization on 25 November 1940

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Unit[7] Headquarters location
Headquarters Jacksonville
Headquarters Company Jacksonville
Antitank Company Jacksonville
Service Company St. Augustine
Band Section, Service Company Jacksonville
Medical Detachment Sanford
Headquarters, 1st Battalion Sanford
Headquarters Detachment, 1st Battalion Sanford
Company A Miami
Company B Miami
Company C West Palm Beach
Company D Sanford
Headquarters, 2nd Battalion Jacksonville
Headquarters Detachment, 2nd Battalion Starke
Company E Live Oak
Company F Jacksonville
Company G Jacksonville
Company H Lake City
Headquarters 3rd Battalion Orlando
Headquarters Detachment, 3rd Battalion Winter Garden
Company I Palmetto
Company K Orlando
Company L Bradenton
Company M Tallahassee

On 15 December 1941, the 124th was relieved from assignment to the 31st Division. On 11 January 1942, it moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, where it was used as an additional demonstration unit for the students of the Infantry School. On 1 June 1942, it was assigned to the newly-activated Replacement and School Command, Army Ground Forces. It provided a portion of the cadre used to activate the 300th Infantry Regiment, another demonstration unit, on 10 December 1942. On 12 October 1943, it departed the Infantry School for Fort Jackson, South Carolina, under the XII and IX Corps, where it was inactivated on 2 March 1944. The inactivation came as a shock to many in Florida, and the Governor, Spessard Holland, appealed to the Secretary of War that the 124th Infantry be kept in service. He stated that "Its inactivation would be a severe blow to morale both in and outside the service and arouse bitterness in the hearts of many of our citizens who have served in it in the past".[8] The 124th Infantry was assigned on 5 April 1944 to the 31st Infantry Division and reactivated in Australia with the personnel and equipment from the 154th Infantry Regiment, 31st Infantry Division (activated 20 September 1942 in the Army of the United States), which was concurrently disbanded.

 
Colgan Woods by Jackson Walker

The 124th Regiment saw intense fighting on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines in 1945, especially in the Battle of Colgan Woods, named after Father Thomas Colgan, the Regimental Chaplain, who was killed in action while assisting wounded. Father Colgan was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery. On 5 June, Corporal Harry R. Harr was killed covering a Japanese grenade with his body to save those around him. For this action, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Lacking artillery support and facing an entrenched opponent, the 124th advanced for six days. The unit survived two banzai charges and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese. In the fighting, the 124th suffered 69 killed and 177 wounded.[9]

The regiment was inactivated 16 December 1945 at Camp Stoneman, California.[3]

Cold War

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The regiment was reorganized, and federally recognized 15 February 1946 in the Florida National Guard as the 124th Infantry, with headquarters at Jacksonville and relieved 13 June 1946 from assignment to the 31st Infantry Division.[3]

Assigned 5 July 1946 to the 48th Infantry Division. The 124th Infantry performed their first annual field training since reorganization at Fort Jackson from 18 July 18 to 1 August 1948.

Organization in 1948

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[10]

Headquarters Company Station
124 Infantry Regiment Headquarters & Headquarters Company Jacksonville, Florida
Service Company Jacksonville, Florida
Heavy Mortar Company Apalachicola, Florida
Heavy Tank Company Lake City, Florida
Medical Company Jacksonville, Florida
1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment Headquarters, 1–124 IN Tallahassee, Florida
Headquarters Company, 1–124 IN Live Oak, Florida
Company A, 1–124 IN Tallahassee, Florida
Company B, 1–124 IN Marianna, Florida
Company C, 1–124 IN Panama City, Florida
Company D, 1–124 IN DeFuniak Springs, Florida
2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 2–124 IN Lake City, Florida
Company E, 2–124 IN Ocala, Florida
Company F, 2–124 IN Jacksonville, Florida
Company G, 2–124 IN Gainesville, Florida
Company H, 2–124 IN Leesburg, Florida
3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment Headquarters, 3–124 IN Orlando, Florida
Headquarters Company, 3–124 IN Eustis, Florida
Company I, 3–124 IN Sanford, Florida
Company K, 3–124 IN Orlando, Florida
Company L, 3–124 IN Daytona Beach, Florida
Company M, 3–124 IN DeLand, Florida
 
Lt. Col. Ralph C. Davis (Battalion Commander) and Capt. Russell W. Buckhalt (Alpha Co. Commander) brief Gov. LeRoy Collins on an M-41 tank in front of the Capitol in 1956.

The regiment was broken up 1 November 1955 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows: Headquarters and 1st Battalion as the 124th Armored Infantry Battalion and 3d Battalion as the 154th Armored Infantry Battalion; both assigned to the 48th Armored Division.

124th and 154th Armored Infantry Battalions consolidated 15 April 1959 to form the 124th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st and 2d Armored Rifle Battalions, elements of the 48th Armored Division.

Reorganized 15 February 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions, elements of the 53d Infantry Brigade (Separate).

Reorganized 1 March 1964 to consist of the 1st Battalion and the 2d Battalion, an element of the 53d Armored Brigade.

Reorganized 20 January 1968 to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements of the 53d Infantry Brigade.

Withdrawn 1 May 1989 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System with headquarters at Miami.

Afghanistan and Iraq from 2003

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2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment clearing the berm for Special Forces soldiers to enter into Iraq, 19 March 2003.[11]

On 26 December 2002, both 3rd and 2nd Battalions, 124th Infantry, were ordered into active federal service in support of the "War on Terror." Ordered into active federal service 2–16 January 2003 at home stations; On the night of 19 March 2003, soldiers of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry, positioned in Jordan and both A and C Company, 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry, positioned in Kuwait, were among the first U.S. soldiers to invade Iraq.

Released 11 April – 21 May 2004 from active federal service and reverted to state control.

In March 2005, elements of the 2nd Battalion were activated and deployed to the War in Afghanistan. In June 2006, D Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry, was activated and deployed as part of the Multi-National Force - Iraq.

The 2006–2007 Brigade Combat Team reorganization converted the 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry into what is the 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry. The squadron was constituted entirely from the infantrymen of the 3rd Battalion, and so continue the 3rd Battalion's lineage.

The 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment is currently headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It consists of six companies: Headquarters Company in Orlando, Company A in Leesburg, Company B in Sanford, Company C in Ocala, Company D in Eustis, and an attached Forward Support Company (FSC) - Co H, 53rd Brigade Support Battalion in Haines City.

 
2d Battalion, 124th Infantry, Camp McGregor, New Mexico departing for Djibouti, September 2015.

Distinctive unit insignia

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  • Description

A Silver color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches (3.02 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Argent, on a saltire Gules between in chief a Roman sword in sheath paleways point to base and in base a prickly pear cactus, both Vert, a fleur-de-lis of the first. Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Silver scroll inscribed "FLORIDA AND COUNTRY" in Black letters.

  • Symbolism

The shield is white, the old Infantry color. The saltire is taken from the Florida State flag. The sheathed sword, from the Spanish War service medal, represents service during that war. The cactus symbolizes service on the Mexican Border, and the fleur-de-lis, service during World War I.

  • Background

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 124th Infantry Regiment on 19 November 1927. It was redesignated for the 124th Armored Infantry Battalion on 20 April 1956. The insignia was redesignated for the 124th Infantry Regiment on 27 June 1960. It was amended to add a motto on 20 August 1968.[1]

Decorations

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Ribbon Award Streamer embroidered Order No. Battalion
  Presidential Unit Citation (Army) NEW GUINEA 1944 2nd & 3rd Battalions
  Presidential Unit Citation (Army) IRAQ 2003 Permanent Order 110-15, 20 April 2009[12] 3rd Battalion
  Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) IRAQ 2003 Permanent Order 100-25, 9 April 2008[13] 3rd Battalion
  Valorous Unit Award AL ANBAR PROVINCE 2003 Permanent Order 232-02, 19 August 2008[14][15] 1st Battalion
  Meritorious Unit Commendation IRAQ 2003 Permanent Order 222-30, 15 August 2007[16] HHC, 2nd Battalion
  Meritorious Unit Commendation AFGHANISTAN JUL 05-JUL 06 Permanent Order 102-002, 15 August 2007[17] Co. C, 2nd Battalion (earned as Troop E, 153d Cavalry)
  Meritorious Unit Commendation IRAQ OCT 2006-OCT 2007 Permanent Order 233-24, 21 August 2009=[18] Co. D, 2nd Battalion
  Meritorious Unit Commendation IRAQ MAR–DEC 2010 [19] 2nd Battalion
  Superior Unit Award 2015-2016 Permanent Order 128-001, 8 May 2017 2nd Battalion
  Philippine Presidential Unit Citation 17 October 1944 to 4 July 1945 All
  Florida Governor's Meritorious Unit Citation 2003 (State award) All
  Florida Governor's Meritorious Unit Citation 2010 (State award) All
  Florida Governor's Meritorious Unit Citation 2022 Permanent Order 066-02, 16 March 2023(State award) 1st Battalion


Regiment commanders

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  •  
    COL Raymond C. Turck, 124th Infantry Regiment, circa 1920s.
  •  
    COL Vivian B. Collins, 124th Infantry Regiment, 9/30/1925 – 5/25/1928.
  •  
    COL Chester Wilson, 124th Infantry Regiment, circa 1928–1934.
  •  
    COL Preston Ayers, 124th Infantry Regiment, 7/13/1934 – circa 1940.
  •  
    COL Fred Safay, 124th Infantry Regiment, 1940 - 1942.
  •  
    COL Maxwell C. Snyder, 124th Infantry Regiment, 1947–1952.
  •  
    COL Robert B. Harkness, 124th Infantry Regiment, 1952–

Campaign participation credit

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World War I

  • Streamer without Inscription

World War II

  • New Guinea (with arrowhead)
  • Southern Philippines

War on Terrorism

  • Afghanistan: Consolidation I

Company B (Cocoa), 1st Battalion, additionally entitled to

  • Southwest Asia, Defense of Saudi Arabia, Liberation and Defense of Kuwait and Cease-Fire[3]

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 124th Infantry Regiment (United States).
  1. ^ a b c d e "124 Infantry Regiment". The Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012.
  2. ^ In 1884 the "Jacksonville Light Infantry" of the Civil War 1st/3rd Florida Regiment was attached to the 1st Florida Battalion. See Webb's Historical, Industrial and Biographical Florida, Part 1, 1885, pg 124.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Lineage and Honors 124th Infantry Regiment". U.S. Army Center of Military History.
  4. ^ Floridamemory.com N030654
  5. ^ Ingalls, Robert P. (1987). "Lynching and Establishment Violence in Tampa, 1858-1935". The Journal of Southern History. 53 (4): 630–632. doi:10.2307/2208777. JSTOR 2208777.
  6. ^ Clay, Steven (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919–1941, Volume 1, The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations. Fort Leavenworth: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 417.
  7. ^ Collins, Vivian (1941). Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida for the years 1939 and 1940. Florida National Guard. pp. 24–26.
  8. ^ Collins, Vivian (1946). Report of the Adjutant General of the state of Florida, 1945–1946. Florida National Guard. p. 7.
  9. ^ "Southern Philippines". The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. The U.S. Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  10. ^ Lance, Mark (1948). Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Florida, 1947-1948. Florida National Guard. p. 9.
  11. ^ "Berm to berm: 2–124th leads the way". Florida Guard Online. Florida National Guard. 13 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Permanent Orders 110-15" (PDF). Department of the Army. 20 April 2009.
  13. ^ "Permanent Orders 100-25" (PDF). Department of the Army. 9 April 2008.
  14. ^ "Permanent Orders 232-02" (PDF). Department of the Army. 19 August 2008.
  15. ^ "Permanent Orders 038-22" (PDF). Department of the Army. 7 February 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Permanent Orders 222-30" (PDF). Department of the Army. 15 August 2007.
  17. ^ "Army General Orders Unit Award Index". Archived from the original on 12 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Permanent Orders 233-24" (PDF). Department of the Army. 21 August 2009.
  19. ^ Ballard, Bobby (23 August 2012). "Infantry soldiers complete annual training". Florida Guard. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
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