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

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Y e 3 Q E 2 'E 2 3 2 2 E . s h 1

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. t, K. Q A ' -If 1' FORT GORDON HISTORY 1. As new ideas gradually replace the old, Fort Gordon continues its planned modernization with improvements geared toward the fast-paced world of today's soldier. Improvements in housing and recreational facilities, as well as medical and educational opportunities are designed keep Fort Gordon Hon the move in response to the Army's ever in- creasing demand for professionalism. 2. The post's rapidly changing profile is high-lighted by the new Dwight David Eisenhower U. S. Army Medical Center. This, plus Fort Gordon's growing role as home of the Army Signal Corps, make the 1970's another decade of historic progress at the Fort. 3. Fort Gordon was activated December 4, 1941, three days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In those first war torn years, it was called Camp Gordon, and not until 1956 did the Secretary of the Army make the post a permanent military installation and change the name to Fort Gordon. 4. Throughout those first years, hundreds of thousands of infantrymen trained on Camp Gordon's newly cleared ranges, marched on its unpaved roads and lived in drafty wood barracks. 5. These men were members of three famous divisions which trained hereg first the 4th Infantry Division tthe Rolling 4thj commanded by Major General R. O. Barton, a native Augustan. 6. Next in line for Fort Gordon's training was the 26th Infantry Division. After one year of training, demands for fresh troops sent the 'tYankeei' division departing for Europe. 7. Then in September 1943, the 10th Armored Division iTigersj came and trained for a short time before leaving for foreign shores. In 1972, after a 31-year absence, the Tigers returned to Fort Gordon. That year the Army Chief of Staff directed the colors of the 10th Division be returned to Fort Gordon for a permanent home. 8. About the same time as the divisions were training, the Camp Gordon Station Hospital was constructed, made up of 139 frame buildings with a 300 bed capacity. Today, it has an authorized capacity of 1,100 and soon will be replaced with the new 14-story teaching hospital. 9. In 1948, the US Army Military Police School began Operations on Fort Gordon. In 26 years, it has played a major role in the development of the fort, but now is only a part of Fort Gordon's history as it has moved to Fort McClellan, Alabama. 10. The 1st Basic Combat Training Brigade was activated on 1 July 1975, an event which marked the return of basic combattraining to Fort Gordon after an absence of five years. After a short and intense preparation period, training began on 3 October 1975. The Brigade has since become known as the itRattIer Brigade and has adopted as its unofficial emblem the crest pictured on the cover of each graduating class program. A color reproduction would show 13 white stars on a field of infantry blue, representing. respectively, the 13 original colonies in honor of the bicentennial, and the Infantry which is the arm of service most closely identified with basic combat training. The rattlesnake signifies our nations readiness to defend itself. The nickname and motto are written on ribbons of Signal Corps orange representing the ultimate specialty to be performed by the majority of the brigades graduates. 11. The Consolidation of communications training and the construction of the Army's most modern medical center at Fort Gordon offer visions of even greater things to come as the post continues its tradition as a primary training site in the US defense structure.