FORT STEWART, Ga. - As part of the associated unit program, members of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team recently donned the shoulder sleeve insignia of the active component’s 3rd Infantry Division in a patch ceremony at Fort Stewart, highlighting the latest chapter of a mutual history between he units dating back to World War I.
“This formalizes a great relationship,” said Army Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, the adjutant general of the Georgia National. “This is going to make us better and it will make the division better as well.”
Announced in March, the associated unit program pairs and integrates active and reserve component units at nearly all levels for training, readiness and deployments. Nationwide, almost 30 Army Guard and Army units are participating in the associated unit pilot.
“We have had a great partnership in the past,” said Army Maj. Gen Jim Rainey, commanding general of the 3rd ID during the ceremony. “We have trained together, fought together and, sadly, we have bled together.”
During World War I, the 3rd ID fought at the Second Battle of the Marne, where it earned its nickname “Rock of the Marne”. In that same battle were Georgia Guard members of the 151st Machine Gun Battalion, whose companies carry on today in the 48th IBCT’s 121st Infantry Regiment. In 2005 Soldiers of the 48th IBCT served with the 3rd ID in Iraq, and both units have trained together in the past.
The two units have now integrated operations. Task Force 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, a 3rd ID infantry battalion based at Fort Benning, Ga., falls under the 48th IBCT. The 3rd ID provides training guidance to the 48th IBCT while the training program for TF 1-28 is provided by the 48th IBCT.
Still, some Soldiers had mixed emotions about swapping out the 48th IBCT’s “lightning bolt” patch for the new shoulder insignia.
“It is bittersweet,” said Army Col. Reginald Neal, commander of the 48th IBCT. “I’ve worn a lightning bolt patch for over 20 years, but putting on the 3rd ID patch means we are part of the team. There is no distinction between a 48th [IBCT] Soldier and a 3rd ID Soldier. It is a very significant day for the [Army] National Guard.”
The new patch, and the integrated units, come down to one thing, said unit leadership.
“This is about readiness,” said Rainey. “This is about going to war.”