Fort Stewart


Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties. The nearby city of Hinesville, along with Ft. Stewart and the rest of Liberty and Long Counties, comprise the Hinesville metropolitan area. Much of Fort Stewart's garrison are members of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The Fort Stewart Military Reservation includes about, including land that was formerly the town of Clyde, Georgia.

Geography

Fort Stewart is located along the Canoochee River.

Units

Units assigned to Fort Stewart are:
3rd Infantry Division
Fort Stewart is named for Brigadier General Daniel Stewart, a hero of the Revolutionary War and a political leader from Liberty County, Georgia. It is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River, covering, which include parts of Liberty, Long, Bryan, Evans, and Tattnall Counties. The reservation is about across from east to west, and from north to south. During World War II, the camp had billeting space for 2,705 officers, and 37,267 enlisted men. It is close to the East Coast, and two deepwater ports: Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Tank, field artillery, helicopter gunnery, and small-arms ranges operate simultaneously throughout the year with little time lost to bad weather.

Anti-Aircraft Artillery Center

In June 1940, Congress authorized funding for the purchase of property in coastal Georgia for the purpose of building an antiaircraft artillery training center. It was to be located just outside Hinesville, Georgia, some southwest of Savannah.
On 1 July 1940, the first 5,000 acres were bought and subsequent purchases followed. Eventually the reservation would include over 280,000 acres and stretch over five counties. The large expanse of property was required for the firing ranges and impact areas which an antiaircraft artillery training center would need for live-fire training.
In November 1940, the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Training Center was officially designated as Camp Stewart, in honor of General Daniel Stewart, a native of Liberty County, who had fought with Francis Marion during the American Revolution, and who became one of the county's military heroes. An announcement of the new post's name was made in January 1941.
During the early months, training was done on wooden mock-ups, since real antiaircraft guns were in short supply. Live-firing exercises were conducted on the beaches of St. Augustine and Amelia Island, Florida, since the necessary ranges and impact areas had not been completed at Camp Stewart. This live-fire training over the ocean continued until September 1941, while at Camp Stewart practice firing and searchlight training progressed. In fall of 1941, the Carolina Maneuvers were held, and all the antiaircraft units from Camp Stewart participated.
Savannah's First Bryan Baptist Church had a special service for soldiers from the Savannah Air Base and Camp Stewart 21 December 1941. Reverend Terrill wrote a letter to Asa H. Gordon, director of the Colored SSSS, extending the invitation to the soldiers. Church members took at least one soldier home from the service for Sunday dinner. Reverend Terrill, at the special service for soldiers, preached on "The Negro's Place in National Defense". Thelma Lee Stevens gave the welcome address. Scout Westley W. Law was master of ceremonies. The National Guard units departed, and new units came in for training. Facilities were expanded and improved. Antiaircraft artillery training was upgraded and a detachment of Women Airforce Service Pilots soon arrived at the air facility on post, Liberty Field, to fly planes to tow targets for the live-fire exercises. Eventually, radio-controlled airplane targets came into use as a more effective and safer means of live-fire practice.
As the war progressed, Camp Stewart's training programs continued expanding to keep pace with the needs placed upon it. Units were shipped out promptly upon completion of their training, and new units received in their place. The camp provided well-trained soldiers for duty in the European, Mediterranean, North African, and Pacific Theaters.

POW camp

By late 1943, Camp Stewart assumed a new responsibility, as one of many holding areas designated in the United States for German and Italian prisoners of war, who had fallen into Allied hands during fighting in North Africa. These men were held in two separate POW facilities on post, and they were used as a labor force for base operations, construction projects, and area farming.
Beside its initial purposes as an antiaircraft artillery training center, Camp Stewart also served as a cooks' and bakers' school, and as a staging area for a number of Army postal units. By spring 1944, the camp was bulging at its seams, as more than 55,000 soldiers occupied the facility during the build-up for the D-Day invasion. Almost overnight, though, the post was virtually empty, as these units shipped out for England. With the D-Day invasion and Allied control of the air over Europe, the need for antiaircraft units diminished, and in response, the antiaircraft training at Camp Stewart was phased out. By January 1945, only the POW camps were still functioning.

After World War II

With the end of the war, Camp Stewart came to life briefly as a separation center for redeployed soldiers, but on 30 September 1945, the post was inactivated. Only two officers, 10 enlisted men, and 50 civilian employees maintained the facilities, and the Georgia National Guard only did training during the summers.

Korean War

With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950, the U.S. once again found itself with the need to update training and to prepare new soldiers to meet the crisis in Korea. Camp Stewart was reopened on 9 August 1950, its facilities repaired, and National Guard troops brought in for training. On 28 December 1950, Camp Stewart was redesignated as the 3rd Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery Training Center. Intensive training of soldiers destined for service in Korea began. Since control of the air in Korea was not seriously challenged by the Communist forces, in late 1953, Camp Stewart's role changed from solely antiaircraft training to include armor and tank firing.
When the Korean War eventually cooled down, the U.S. obviously would be required to maintain a ready and able military force to deal with any potential threat to itself and its allies. Camp Stewart would have a role to play in that mission. The decision was made that the post would no longer be viewed as a temporary installation. On 21 March 1956, it was redesignated as Fort Stewart. Its role would continue to evolve in response to specific needs and world events.
In 1959, Fort Stewart was redesignated as an Armor and Artillery Firing Center, since its old antiaircraft ranges and impact areas were better suited for this purpose in the new age of missiles. By 1961, a feeling arose that Fort Stewart may have served its usefulness, and a movement was afoot to deactivate the post again. However, the age of missiles brought with it new threats and a new mission for Fort Stewart.

Cuban Missile Crisis

As a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, the 1st Armored Division was ordered to Fort Stewart for staging, and in the short span of two weeks, the population of the fort rose from 3,500 to over 30,000 personnel. The country prepared for the worst, but in the end, a compromise was reached, and the crisis passed. Shortly after, word was received at Fort Stewart that a VIP would be visiting the post and that the post conference room was not worthy of a person of this stature. Thus, preparations were rapidly made to convert this conference room into a more suitable one. The command group at Fort Stewart quickly discerned that this VIP would be none other than Commander in Chief, President John F. Kennedy. He arrived at Hunter Field on 26 Nov. 1962 and flew to Donovan Parade Field at Fort Stewart, where he reviewed the entire 1st Armored Division. From there, he was taken to the new conference room, where he was briefed on armed forces readiness to respond to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and then he visited troops in nearby training areas.