Members of the Kansas Army National Guard’s Second Battalion, 137th Combined Arms Regiment celebrated as they redesignated Saturday.
The Emporia-based unit is taking on a moniker it had back in the 1980s and 1990s: the First Battalion, 635th Armor Regiment. Before the ceremonies in Fort Riley, National Guard Command Sergeant Major Steve Harmon of Emporia said the Army had the unit deploying as a combined force, with infantry, armor and engineering personnel, for around 15 years.
The roughly 30-minute ceremony included unit leaders receiving the meritorious citation and streamer, the official redesignation and a change of responsibility involving outgoing Sgt. Major Paul Purdum and incoming Sgt. Major Lee Gerard.
