06/11/2025
BOURNE, Mass – The 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment held a change of command ceremony today, June 8, 2025, at the 26th Infantry (Yankee) Division Memorial at Camp Edwards.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Alex Hampton relinquished command of the battalion to Lt. Col Matthew Tina in front of the Soldiers of the 1-181st, family, friends, and leaders from the Massachusetts National Guard and 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
"First and most importantly to the members of this great battalion, to the soldiers, the officers, and the NCOs's standing before me and those who couldn't be here... we can definitively state that what we accomplished together in these last three plus years is really unprecedented, at least in the recent history of the great stat of Massachusetts," said Hampton.
The 181st Infantry Regiment traces its lineage to the 13th December 1636, when it was organized in the Massachusetts militia as the North Regiment. formed from the necessity to protect the villages and farms of this region 389 years ago, this regiment fought for the ideas that founded this nation in the Revolutionary War.
“I think it's worth pointing out that when the shot heard around the world kicked off in 1775, there was no US Army. It wasn't codified yet. It was the colonial militia that stood up against the British regulars and fought for our independence,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Kalin, Land Component Commander of the Massachusetts National Guard “This unit that you're a part of is one of the four oldest units in the United States Army, one of the four oldest units in the entire nation, that's something to cherish and to think about,” he added.
Most recently, the 1-181st deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Leading up to that deployment, the battalion underwent a vigours cycle of training, including eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) and Joint Readiness Training Center JRTC.
“We executed eight maneuver live fires in about a two-year period leading up to the deployment. It's fair to say that there are NCOs's standing in this formation today with more livefire experience than what many people get in their entire career,” said Hampton
Hampton will move on to a strategic fellowship to continue his military education. Before closing, he reflected on his career as an infantryman and his time as commander of the 1-181st.
“Once I finally summon the courage to remove the blue cord from my uniform, I will do so with the understanding that it's probably not going to go back on for the remainder of my career,” said Hampton. “If that is the case, and if my infantry career ends here today with all of you standing next to the colors of this story battalion, frankly, I could not ask for a better ending. Thank you all again. Keep your powder dry.” (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton)
44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
