1st Battalion - 121st Infantry Regiment
"Gray Bonnets"
The 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, was originally established as the Independent Volunteer Battalion of Macon in 1860 and contained all the volunteer miltia companies in Macon. The battalion, comprised of Macon, Columbus, and Griffin, entered the Civil War in 1861. After the Civil War, the unit later reorganized as the 2nd Battalion, Georgia Volunteers in 1874.
The battalion consolidated with elements of the 1st and 4th Regiments for Federal Service during the Spanish-American War as the 1st Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1898, though they did not serve in the United States. The battalion was also federalized in 1916, because of the the Mexican border dispute. In 1917, the 2nd Battalion was redesigned with the former 3rd Seperate Battalion of Infantry. The Battalion received special battle honors during World War I. The unit went on to earn four unit decorations during World War II. Until 1946, when the Battalion was assigned to the 48th Infantry Division, the unit was restructured many times.
The 121st Infantry Battalion was constituted in 1953, and assigned to the Georgia National Guard as the 286th Infantry Battalion (Heavy Mortar). In January 1954, the Battalion was organized and federally recognized with Headquarters at Dublin, but later converted and redesignated in November 1955 as the 160th Tank Battalion. In 1959, the 121st and 171st Armored Infantry Battalions combined with the 160th Tank Battalion to form the 121st Infantry.
Various parts of the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry of Georgia's 48th Brigade Combat Team were attached to the Illinois Army National Guard's Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry in Iraq. The 130th was one of several out-of-state units that served with the 48th during its yearlong deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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