125th Infantry Regiment (United States)

125th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active	1857 {Founded}. 1922-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Part of	37th IBCT
Garrison/HQ	Saginaw, MI
Nickname(s)	Third Michigan (special designation)
Motto(s)	"Yield to None"
Engagements	Civil War World War I World War II Iraq Afghanistan
Commanders
Battalion Commander	LTC Raymond Stemitz
Command Sergeant Major	CSM Vernon Pratt
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, is a regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, with headquarters now in Saginaw, Michigan. The regiment currently consists of the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, an infantry battalion in the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment currently oversees 5 companies within the Michigan Army National Guard.

The 125th traces its lineage back to the 1850s when on 24 December 1857 and 4 January 1858, two respective militia companies were formed; the East Saginaw Guards and the Flint Union Grays. On 25 April 1861 the two companies combined and expanded to form the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The regiment was mustered into federal service a month later on 25 May 1861 and fought for the duration of the Civil War. The regiment mustered out of Federal service on 29 June 1865. Companies from the Saginaw and Flint areas withdrew from the regiment in 1876 and consolidated with elements of the 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment to form the 3rd Infantry Regiment. In April 1915, the 3rd Infantry Regiment was designated as the 33rd Infantry. The regiment was mustered into federal service in June 1916 and was drafted in August 1917. The 33rd combined with the 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry to form the new 125th Infantry Regiment. The regiment was summarily assigned to the 32nd Infantry Division.

Task Force 1-125 Infantry began flowing into Afghanistan in December 2011. Inclement weather delayed many of the battalion soldiers entry into theater until late January. Relief-in-place was conducted with the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team for Forward Operating Base Kunduz, Kunduz City, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. Other battalion locations were in Imam Sahib City, Imam Sahib District, Kunduz Province; Shir Khan Bandar, Imam Sahib District; and Doshi District, Baghlan Province. Each company deployed with a security force assistance team, consisting of a senior advisor and senior noncommissioned officer, along with several subject matter expert enablers. The companies conducted security force missions to secure the advising teams during key leader engagements and other meetings with their Afghan National Security Force counterparts. The SFATs partnered, assisted and advised their counterparts initially on operations, rule of law, logistics, training/administration, government/development and maintenance/signal. The main effort switched to logistics, with the intent of enabling the ANSF to be self-sustaining to increase their operational capabilities. This effort met with mixed results and led to another change in priority to operations and rule of law being the main effort with logistics and human resource operations as supporting efforts. During the spring, elements of the battalion closed one combat outpost, with SFAT operations in that area ceasing shortly after.