US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Stewart, GA)

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A . fsp- g, ,- 1,-g,gt.'ff. pq-,--54 fa 9- gs 3 3 . , - - - wg., - -1 ,,.,f .f ' - f , .M V. -a '- --- 'li .Q v Y - r -- rw- -, .1 A , Camp Stewart, Georgia, named for General Daniel Stewart, Revolutionary War hero, was created as an antiaircraft training center in June, l940, by an Act of Congress. The Post, which is presently commanded by Brigadier General Richard W. Mayo, was redesignated Fort Stewart, and made a permanent Army installation by the Department of the Army on March 22, I956. The reservation contains 280,000 acres of land located in five Georgia counties-Bryan, Evans, Liberty, Long and Tattnall. lt covers a rough quad- rilateral area of about 20 by 35 miles. The post is among the largest of the country's military installations. Actual construction of the camp began in September, l940, and the basic cantonment area was completed six months later. Troops arrived at Stewart in mid-September, I940, and Brigadier General Richard F. Cox arrived in November to assume command of the newly activated 38th Coast Artillery Brigade fAntiaircrattl. He also became .the first post commander. By February, l74l, about l4,000 soldiers were located at Camp Stewart, mostly National Guard Coast Artillery units. ' When World War ll began in December, l94l, the camp settled down to the iob of training thousands of antiaircraft men. ln February, l942, Brigadier General Earl H, Metzger arrived as com- manding general of the Antiaircraft Training Center and Camp Stewart. Under his command, the system of training newly activated units with the assistance of older, fully trained units was initiated and became standard practice. On June l5, l942, there were at Stewart, in addition to post complement and service units, the following troops: two brigades, tive regiments of three battalions each and six separate battalions-2l battalions in all. Before l942, the gun units used the island of Fernandina, Florida, iust below the Georgia state line, for range tiring. However, during I942 im- provements in ranges on the reservation made this practice unnecessary. Camp and range facilities were continually enlarged during l942, magni- fying the past's housekeeping and maintenance problems. The necessity of performing such duties interfered with the primary mission of training the antiaircratt battalions, so the functions of Commanding General of the AATC and Post Commander were separated in August, I942, and the station complement was increased. ln late l942, to supervise the training of a large number of new units, tvlo new group headquarters were organized, and in the late fall, a new brigade was formed. By December, although certain units had been shipped out, Camp Stewart still had 25 battalions in training. The post had a troop strength of over 40,000 men during the winter and spring of I943 and new battalions constantly were arriving to replace those shipping out for overseas duty. During the build-up in England for D-Day. two more brigades and two new groups were stationed at Stewart. lt was during this period that an airborne antiaircraft battalion being prepared for the coming Allied offensive was trained at Stewart. Two other July sae Aeaesffaifrvui. ceased to function except 'tpr a and the two Italian units. F l945, the camp camp on the war, Stewart was used as a separation center for redeployed troops and then ceased operations. Camp Stewart was inactivated on July Visiting tankers and AAA men come to Fort Stewart throughout the year to train on the Poat's ranges. Tankers tire the weapons on their qiantjll-IB General Patton Medium Tanks. , 'fe 24, I946, and only a small detachment of two officers and ten enlisted men, plus a skeleton civilian force of about 50, remained on the post. Facilities tell into disuse, with the camp utilized only for National Guard summer encampments. On August l0, l950, the Korean emergency necessitated the reopening ot Camp Stewart as the Third Army Antiaircraft Artillery Training Center, com- manded by Colonel Kenneth M. Barager, who was succeeded in September, l950, by Brigadier General Charles G. Curtis. ln December, l950, Brigadier General Clare H. Armstrong assumed command of Camp Stewart, a position he held until his retirement in February, l953. The first units to be trained at Camp Stewart following its reactivation were National Guard units brought into active federal military service be- ginning in August, l?50, Training of these Antiaircraft Artillery units, which came from states in the eastern part of the United States, continued through l953. Numerous Regular Army antiaircraft artillery units also were activated at this station and received their training here. On March l2, l95Z, Fort Stewart's present commander, Brigadier General Richard W. Mayo, arrived to assume command of the post. General Mayo, who had seen extensive service in Europe during World War ll, had recently returned from duty in Korea as Chief of Staff for the Korean Military Ad- visory Group. For I3 months in Korea he had also commanded the Fifth Field Artillery Group. ln the fall of l953, it was determined that Camp Stewart, in addition to its mission of training AAA units, could also be utilized for the training t tank units. Early in l954, therefore, construction of tank tiring ranges and maneuver areas began. Subsequent training of tank units conclusively rl Mai. Theodore Stadnick. Adiutunt General. reads General Order des: nating this Post a permanent military installation during ceremonies 4 'I April 1956. while Gen. Mayo waits to sign the Order assuming cox 5 mand ol Fort Stewart. 5-os, S

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HEADQUARTERS a I FORT STEWART AA ARTILLERY AND TANK TRAINING CENTER OFFICE OF THE COMMANDING GENERAL FoR'r STEWART. GEORGIA . 31 Dhy 1956 T0 THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF FCRT STEWART: In the ,three years that I have commanded Fort Stewart, I have seen it grow and develop as it has served an increas- ingly important role in our nation's defense structure. In this period, Fort Stewart has become a tank training center while retaining its initial mission as a site for antiair- craft artillery training. Each year, Fort Stewart's reputa- tion as a training site for Regular Arm' and civilian component units has grown, and mny commanders of these units have commended our facilities, operations, and the support they received here. ' In recognition of Fort Stewart's importance and fine reputation, the Department of the' Army in March designated this post as a permanent military installation, assuring it a continuing opportxmity to serve the nation. This recogni- tion could never have come without the effort, industry, and attention to duty of all personnel of this command. ly active Army career which began when I enlisted in 1920 will probably end after 32 years of military service this 31 July, when I expect to retire. I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity of expressing W fullest appreciation for your loyal support, outstanding effort, and record of accomplishment in this, lv last active irq command. I consider it to have been the greatest privilege of my military career to have been associated with you at Fort Stewart. I hope this Historical and Pictorial Book will serve to remind you in future years, as it will me, of your ser- vice at Fort Stewart and the achievements of this post. s RICHARD W.. IIAYO Brigadier General USA Commanding N

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proved fhaf this posf's 280,000 acres could simulfaneously accommodafe bofh Tank and anfiaircraff unifs. To reflecf fhe added mission of fank fraining, Camp Sfewarf was officially renamed Camp Sfewarf Anfiaircraff Arfillery and Tank Training Cenfer in l954. In l954, AAA unifs from fhe seven sfafes in fhe Third Army area were frained af Camp Sfewarf, as were rank unifs sfafioned easf of fhe Mississippi River. In addifion, l2,000 Nafional Guard and Reserve componenf froops frained hare during the summer. The increasing imporfance of Camp Sfewarf in fhe nafion's milifary pic- fure was reflecfed in fhe subsfanfial increase in Nafional Guard and Reserve unifs fraining here in fhe summer of l955-approximafely 23,000 men. Also, Camp Sfewarf AAA and Tank Training Cenfer confinued fo provide facililies for fhe fraining of regular army unifs. To facilifafe fhis fraining, fhroughoul fhe year Camp Sfewarf conlinued fo consfrucf addifional fank frails and firing ranges for large caliber weapons and fo clear land for addifional maneuver areas. Official redesignafion ceremonies were held on April 7, l955, when Gen- eral Mayo signed orders assuming command of The Forf Sfewarf Anfiaircraff Arfillery and Tank Training Cenfer. As a permanent posf Forf Sfewarf will confinue fo provide fraining facili- fies and supporf for regular army and civilian componenf unils. This summer lhe number of civilian componenl froops fraining here willl again show a subsfanfial rise, wilh abou? 35,000 Nafional Guardsmen and U. S. Army Reservisfs scheduled lo conduct Two weeks of infensive field fraining af fhis AAA and Tank Training Cenfer. Five anhaxrcraf! artillery battalions actxvaled at Fori Stewart dunng 1955 are equipped with ihe Army's polent 75-millimeter radar-controlled Skysweeper AAA gun. T, ay, 43' , fs a..e,..a., W, llllll SlElUHlll if if 80lh Army Band leads Fl. Siewarf umis ln Armed Forces Day parade an Savannah