123rd Field Artillery Regiment


The 123rd Field Artillery Regiment is an active Field Artillery Branch regiment of the Illinois Army National Guard. The regiment's 2nd Battalion last served as a towed, 155mm cannon battalion assigned to the 169th Field Artillery Brigade, though administratively under the control of the 65th Troop Command.
On 31 August 2016, the 2nd Battalion was officially inactivated, after casing its colors on 13 August. It transitioned to the 123rd Engineer Battalion, which was activated on 22 September 2017. The 123rd Engineer Battalion was split in the Fall of 2018 resulting in the reactivation of the 2nd Battalion as a Field Artillery unit. The 2nd Battalion is currently assigned to the 45th Field Artillery Brigade and is under the administrative control of the 65th Troop Command Brigade.

Lineage and honors

Lineage

  • Constituted 4 May 1882 in the Illinois National Guard as the 6th Infantry Regiment and organized from existing units in northwestern Illinois.
  • Mustered into Federal service 11 May 1898 as the 6th Illinois Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of Federal service 25 November 1898 at Springfield
  • Reorganized in 1903 in the Illinois National Guard as the 6th Infantry
  • Mustered into Federal service 25 April 1917 at home stations; drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917.
  • Converted, reorganized and redesignated 19 September 1917 as the 123d Field Artillery and assigned to the 33d Division
  • Demobilized 9 June 1919 at Camp Grant, Illinois
  • Reorganized 17 August 1921 in the Illinois National Guard as the 1st Battalion, 123d Field Artillery, an element of the 33d Division.
  • Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated 3 June 1936 as the 123d Field Artillery; Headquarters Federally recognized 26 July 1936 at Monmouth
  • Inducted into Federal service 5 March 1941 at home stations
  • Regiment broken up 12 February–18 April 1942 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows:
and relieved from assignment to the 33d Division
redesignated as the 33d Infantry Division)
  • After 18 April 1942 the above units underwent changes as follows:
with Headquarters Battery and Service Battery, 210th Field Artillery Battalion, and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters Battery and Service Battery, 210th Field Artillery Battalion, elements of the 33d Infantry Division
  • 123d Field Artillery Battalion and the 133d Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion consolidated 1 March 1959 to form the 123d Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st Rocket Howitzer Battalion and the 2d Howitzer Battalion, elements of the 33d Infantry Division
  • Reorganized 1 April 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions, elements of the 33d Infantry Division
  • Reorganized 1 February 1968 to consist of the 2d Battalion, an element of the 47th Infantry Division
  • Redesignated 1 May 1972 as the 123d Field Artillery
  • Withdrawn 5 February 1987 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System
  • Reorganized 10 February 1991 to consist of the 2d Battalion, an element of the 34th Infantry Division
  • Reorganized 1 October 1996 to consist of the 2d Battalion, an element of the 34th Infantry Division, and the 3d Battalion
  • Reorganized 1 October 1997 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions
  • Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 123d Field Artillery Regiment
  • Reorganized 1 September 2006 to consist of the 2d Battalion
  • Ordered into active Federal service 20 May 2010 at home stations; released from active Federal service 23 June 2011 and reverted to state control
  • Deactivated 31 August 2016
  • Reactivated 1 September 2018

Campaign participation credit

  • War with Spain: Puerto Rico
  • World War I: St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Lorraine 1918
  • World War II: New Guinea; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Luzon; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe
  • War on Terrorism; Campaigns to be determined

Decorations