US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Chaffee, AR)

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The United States Army Training Center, Field Artil- lery, at Fort Chaffee is the only post so designated in the U.S. Army. Its mission is to give basic artillery training, as well as basic training, to inductees and new enlistees. The field artillery has been an integral part of the United States Army throughout its history. Since George Washington's time, when lack of adequate cannon cost our forefathers heavily, the mission of the artillery is to provide close and continuous support for ground-gaining arms, and to give 'tdepth to combat. The artillery works closely with infantry and armored units, supporting these branches with heavy firepower in both short and long range operations. Each armored and infantry division has within it sufficient artillery to provide it with its heavy firepower. In its support mission, artillery provides a fire cover for advancing units, pinning down enemy positions with bombardment so their retaliatory fire is reduced. In its depth mission, artillery harasses enemy positions not reachable by small arms fire, extending the sphere of action far beyond the relatively small front-line zone. The artillery's armament today, including rockets, mis- siles and the atomic cannon, as well as more conventional weapons, is the most powerful the world has knwon. The first artillery training school was established at Fortress Monroe, Va., in 1824, one of the first of the Army schools. The Artillery School and Guided Missile Center presently is located at Fort Sill, Okla. The insignia of the field artillery is crossed cannons. Artillery braid for garrison caps and other uniform wear is red. From the gun-pointers, bombardiers and mat- trosses of the Revolutionary War to the forward observ- ers, FDG men and cannoneers of today, the field artillery consistently has been a bulwark of U.S. Army strength. ZMa,Ahe w0k.dhmg.. 0 To be trained to fight and survive in combat so that if the need arises you will be prepared to fight for your country. 0 To protect, defend and preserve the principles of the American way of life. 0 To prepare yourself to meet crises which threaten our democratic way of life. 0 To fulfill your obligation to your country with courage and determination. tChaHee Fort Chaffee, created to accommodate part of the greatly expanded Army at the beginning of World War II, was named for Major General Adna R. Chaffee, first chief of the U.S. Armored Force. Construction of the 73,000-acre post was begun in September, 1941. Most of the original buildings, con- structed of wood on concrete foundations, are still in excellent condition. The post operated as a training center from 1941 to 1944, then became a personnel center until it was in- activated in 1946. Chaffee was reactivated in 1948 as the home of the 5th Armored Division, with the mission of processing members of all services, giving short basic training to former Navy and Coast Guard personnel, and giving regular basic training to newly-enlisted and inducted Army personnel. The post was placed on standby status briefly in 1950, and was restored as a regular training base in September of that year. ' The 5th Armored Division was inactivated in March, 1956, and Chaffee was re-designated the United States Army Training Center, Field Artillery. The post was given permanent status by the Department of Army in March, 1956, and its title changed from Camp Chaffee to Fort Chaffee. Chaffee lies about eight miles southeast of Fort Smith, Ark., a city of 56,000 population on the Oklahoma border. The post is approximately 135 miles by highway from Tulsa, Okla., and Hot Springs, Ark., 160 miles from Little Rock, Ark., and 195 miles from Oklahoma City. Approximately 80 miles due south of the Missouri line., Chaffee is situated in the picturesque Ozark Mountain region, with many points of scenic and historic interest surrounding it. The post has almost perfect climatic conditions for training purposes. The area has mild winters, hot summers and no fog. A sensible summer training program, in which uniform and training regulations are relaxed to permit maximum comfort, minimizes heat effects on trainees.

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MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY COLBERN Commanding General William Henry Colbern was born in Lee's Summit, Mis- souri, June 26, 1895. He attended Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia and was commis- sioned a second lieutenant of Infantry in the Regular Army on August 9, 1917. General Colbern served in the Philip- pine Islands with the 9th Cavalry, and with the 15th Infantry in Tientsin, China. In 1922 he became professor of Military Science and Tactics for the San Francisco high schools. In March 1923 General Colbern was transferred from the Infantry to the Field Artillery. General Colbern is a graduate of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas, the Polish Cavalry School, both normal and advanced instructors, school in Grudziadz, Poland. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School in June 1937. He then became professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Illinois. From 1938 to 1940 General Colhern was United States Military Attache at Warsaw and at The Hague in the Netherlands. He became artillery commander of the 92nd Infantry Division in July 1942, and went overseas with that com- mand, remaining with it through combat in Italy. In 1945 he served as commanding general of the post at Camp Chaffee. In 1952 General Colbern commanded the 9th Corps Artillery in Korea. General Colbern assumed command of the 5th Armored Division, Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, December 12, 1955. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Ribbon, Distinguished Service Medal, Polonia Restitute, Military Cross for Valor ffrom the Italian Governmentj, Mexican Service Medal, World War I Victory Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army of Occupation Medal Uapanj, European-African-Middle Eastern Cam- paign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and United Nations Service Medal.