125th Forward Support Battalion
125th Forward Support Battalion safely deploys with or without equipment, protects the force, supports the building of combat power, and provides combat service support to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team; and redeploys.
The 125th Forward Support Battalion was constituted in 1936 at the 3rd Battalion, 49th Quartermaster Regiment and activated on 1 April 1942 at Berkeley, California, as the 3rd Battalion, 49th Quartermaster Truck Regiment. The 3rd Battalion was broken up and separated in 1943 and its element reorganized and redesignated. On 17 December 1943 the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment was redesignated as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 125th Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile. In 1946, the battalion was converted to the 125th Transportation Corps Truck Battalion and inactivated.
The 125th was reactivated in Germany in 1955 and redesignated in 1957 as the 125th Transportation Battalion. While in Germany the unit was inactivated in 1959, activated in 1962 and deactivated in 1965. On 1 May 1987, the 125th Forward Support Battalion was activated in Germany along with Alpha, Bravo and Charlie companies. The 125th was assigned to the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division. The 125th Forward Support Battalion was temporarily moved to Fort Lewis, Washington and deactivated in 1995.
It was not until 16 February 1996 that the 125th Forward Support Battalion with the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division found its home at Fort Riley, Kansas. At that time, the 596th Signal Company was attached to the 125th, allowing the battalion to provide logistics support, maintenance support, medical support and communication support for the entire Brigade.
Soldiers of the 125th Forward Support Battalion participated in the following campaigns during World War II: Naple-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, North Apennines and Po-Valley. They were also present during operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Unit decorations include the Valorous Unit Award for Desert Storm and the Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for World War II in Italy.
