Georgia National Guard History

The U.S. Army's Armor branch, traces its origin to the first regiment of cavalry authorized on this date in 1776. The Tank Service was formed on March 5, 1918 and the Armored Force was formed on July 10, 1940.

Lt. Col. William Waldo Headquarters Company, 101st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion William Slayton Waldo was born October 8, 1902. He was a long-time member of the 108th Cavalry and commanded Headquarters Company, 101st SP BN CAC. A native of Atlanta, Waldo died Dec. 9, 1943 in the Panama Canal Zone following an illness. He is buried in Marietta National Cemetery.

On the morning of Dec. 7 1941, more than 5,200 Georgia National Guard Soldiers in federal service woke up and went about their daily routine at camps of instruction from Fort Jackson, S.C. to Camp Blanding, Fla. Presently, wire reports of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were received and service members across the country were placed on high alert. Over the next four years, Georgia’s Citizen Soldiers would serve through Europe and the Pacific. Georgia National Guard anti-...aircraft artillery units would protect the skies over Port Moresby, New Guinea and Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Pacific Theater. Seven Georgia National Guard battalions would wade ashore on Normandy’s beaches and fight east helping to secure victory against Germany. While many of Georgia’s Guardsmen would continue to serve in federalized units of The National Guard, others would volunteer for service in the Airborne and leap into the skies over Sicily, France and the Netherlands. Still others joined the Air Corps and flew combat missions in fighter and bomber aircraft in all theaters of the war. Of the 5,200 of Georgia’s Citizen Soldiers who were mobilized Dec. 7, 1941, nearly 200 would never come home. The government mobilized the National Guards before Pearl Harbor. We knew that the war was coming, and we kneweverybody knew that the United States would be involved in it before it was over. - Sgt. Corbett Ward Clark, Battery E, 179th Field Artillery Regiment, Georgia National Guard.

Pvt. John McKee Company C, 122nd Infantry Regiment John Franklin McKee was born Aug 29, 1888 in Moreland, Ga. to farmers James and Nancy McKee. was inducted into federal service Sept. 19, 1917 in Company C, 326th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Division at Camp Gordon and was quickly transferred to Company C, 122nd Infantry Regiment. McKee died of pneumonia Dec. 3, 1917 at Camp Wheeler in Macon, Ga. at the age of 29, less than three months after entering the service. He is buried in Southview Cemetery in Moreland, Ga.

Today we honor the memory of Staff Sgt. Philip Travis, Sgt. Philip Dodson and Sgt. Marcus Futrell of the 148th Support Battalion who were killed Dec 2, 2005 in Iraq.

The Georgia National Guard in WWI: On Dec. 1, 1917, The Atlanta Constitution announced eight deaths from Pneumonia at Camp Wheeler near Macon, Ga. where units of the Georgia National Guard were conducting premobilization training for World War I. Among those lost were Pvt. John Warren of Company M, 121st Infantry Regiment and Pvt. Sammie Harden of the 122nd Infantry Regiment. Seventy two Soldiers succumbed to pneumonia in the previous 18 days. Of all Georgia National Guard deaths in WWI, one third were from pneumonia.

The Georgia National Guard in WWII Capt. Emory Trawick Headquarters Company, 121st Infantry Regiment... Emory J. Trawick of Macon was the second son of John, a meat plant operator and Anna Trawick. By 1940, Emory was employed as a meat cutter at his father’s plant. He entered federal service as a corporal with the Macon-based Headquarters Company, 121st Infantry Regiment in September 1940 at the age of 21. Trawick completed officer candidate school, commissioned a second lieutenant, and was assigned to the 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division. Captain Trawick was killed in action in during the Italian Campaign Oct. 30, 1943. He is buried in the Sicily Rome Cemetery.

The Georgia National Guard in World War II Pfc. Roy Hill Company H, 121st Infantry Regiment... Roy Alton Hill enlisted April 15, 1940 in the Albany Guards, Company H, 121st Infantry Regiment at the age of 18. Hill volunteered to serve in the Airborne and was assigned to the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was killed in action Oct. 29, 1944 in the Netherlands. He is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery.

The Georgia National Guard in World War I Pvt. Millard Kinnett Company C, 122nd Infantry Regiment... Millard Monroe Kinnett of Porterdale, Ga. was born Oct. 3, 1891. Kinnett was the middle child of a family of seven. In 1903, Millard’s father died and for the next several years Millard and his siblings helped their mother Martha on the family farm. Kinnett was inducted into federal service in the Company A, 307th Engineers October 29, 1917 and was subsequently transferred to Company C, 122nd Infantry Regiment. Kinnett transferred out of the 122nd in June and was ultimately assigned to Company B, 102nd Infantry Regiment. He was killed in action October 29, 1918, less than two weeks before the end of the war. He was 27. Kinnett was among the 3,583 names of casualties released by the War Department on Dec. 1, 1918, the highest number to that date.

Sergeant 1st Class Early T. Grant of Headquarters Company, 190th Tank Battalion, Georgia Army National Guard, helps to unload a bed frame during his 25th annual encampment in October 1952 at Fort McClellan, Ala. When Grant retired two years later at the age of 59 with the rank of 1st lieutenant, he was the oldest active serving member of the Georgia National Guard. . Grant was born in 1894. He mobilized to the Mexican border with the 2nd Georgia Infantry in 1916 and served ov...erseas with the 121st Infantry Regiment in World War I. Rejoining the Ga. ARNG after the war, Grant was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant with the Forsyth-based 30th Tank Company and served with the unit until World War II. He rejoined the Forsyth unit when the Ga. ARNG was reestablished in 1947 and remained with the unit until his retirement. Grant died in 1976 at the age of 81 and rests in Forsyth City Cemetery. Today, Forsyth is home to 2-121 Infantry Battalion, 48th IBCT. Note the patch of the 48th Infantry Division on Grant's shoulder.

1st Lt. Alfred Ayash Headquarters Battery, 179th Field Artillery Alfred Irvin Ayash was born and raised in Atlanta and graduated from Tech High School in 1939. Following his graduation, Ayash continued his studies at Georgia Tech. In September 1940, Ayash was accepted into federal service at the age of 18 with the Atlanta-based Headquarters Battery, 179th Field Artillery. He subsequently volunteered for the Army Air Corps. He completed bombardier school in May 1944 and was pr...omoted to 1st lieutenant. Assigned to a B-17 crew in the 369th Bomb Squadron, Ayash was killed Oct. 25, 1944 when his aircraft was shot down over Hamburg Germany. He is buried in Crestlawn Cemetery in Atlanta, Ga. On April 21, 1949, Ayash’s mother Alice was presented with the Air Medal which was posthumously awarded to her son. Captain Robert McCombs of Marietta Air Force Base made the presentation. See more

In memory of Staff Sgt. Merck, lost this day in 2005 while serving with the 878th Engineer Battalion in Iraq.

On this day 65 years ago, the 48th Infantry Division was converted to an Armor Division. This chapter of the Georgia National Guard history blog takes a look at the history of the 48th ID and its conversion under Maj. Gen. Joe Fraser to an armor division. The 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team carries on the tradition of the 48th ID and AD in The National Guard of Georgia.

The Georgia National Guard in WWI: On this day in 1918, Col. James Thomas, first commander of the 121st Infantry Regiment and the man who gave the 121st its nickname "Gray Bonnet Regiment" died of pneumonia in Brest Harbor, France. He was 48 years old. The 121st would see limited service in WWI, but would fight from France to Germany in World War II and continues to serve today in the Ga. National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Please join us in honoring the memory of Master Sergeant Mark Allen who as a Soldier, recruiter and mentor had a role in shaping the careers of countless Soldiers in the Ga. ARNG. Your legacy of service lives on in those Soldiers whose careers you influenced through your example of leadership, professionalism and sacrifice.

The Georgia National Guard in World War I A tragic tale of two Georgia National Guard Soldiers from Savannah. One Soldier was born and raised in Savannah, while the other had immigrated from Turkey and settled in Savannah where he joined the local Guard unit. Both were swept up in the mobilization for World War I and both died of pneumonia at Camp Mills, N.Y. on the same day while awaiting embarkation to France with the 31st Division. Today, we honor the memory of Pvt. John Ramos and Lt. Aubrey Laughlin who had the courage and conviction to enlist and serve their state and nation. Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

TSgt. Willis Knight Company E, 121st Infantry Regiment Willis H. Knight of Glynn County, Ga. enlisted in Company E, 121st Infantry Regiment, the Brunswick Rifles, and entered federal service in September 1940. Knight transferred to the 80th Infantry Division which was training at Camp Forrest, Tenn. and was assigned to the 319th Infantry Regiment in 1942. Knight landed with the division on Utah Beach August 5, 1944 and fought with Patton's 3rd Army. He was killed Oct. 8, 1944 west of the Seille River near Moivrons, France. Knight is buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold.

On October 6, 1918, the British troop ship HMS Otranto collided with another ship in convoy and ran aground off the coast of Scotland. Of the more than 1,000 on board, 470 were lost. The ship was carrying a large number of Soldiers from Georgia who had trained at Fort Screven on Tybee Island. Among those lost was Georgia National Guard Pvt. John Hutton of the Coast Artillery.

On this day in 2016, Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the 178th Military Police Company mobilized from their Monroe, Ga. armory in response to Hurricane Matthew. The Soldiers, part of the 170th Military Police Battalion, set out ahead of anticipated hurricane impact to assist with evacuation and pre-stage for response operations. More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen and more than 200 volunteers of the Georgia State Defense Force were called to provide relief to coastal Georgia following Matthew.

The Georgia National Guard in World War I: On October 5, 1918, the U.S.S. America sank in Hoboken Harbor. Six American Service members were lost in the tragic accident including two Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the 1st Battalion 118th Field Artillery Regiment.