Camp Mackall
Encyclopedia
Camp Mackall is an active U.S.
Army
training facility located in eastern Richmond County
and northern Scotland County
, North Carolina
, south of the town of Southern Pines
. The facility is in close proximity to and is a sub-installation of Fort Bragg
(home to the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Headquarters).
Camp Mackall is the setting of primary training to become a member of U.S. Army Special Forces. Inside the camp is the Resistance Training Laboratory, a mock prisoner-of-war camp in which special force soldiers are trained in resistance techniques for use if captured by enemy combatants.
and grew up in Wellsville, Ohio
. He served in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. During the Allied invasion of North Africa in the airborne segment called Operation Torch
, he was mortally wounded in an attack by French Vichy
aircraft on his aircraft as the aircraft landed near Oran
. Seven paratroopers died at the scene and several were wounded, including Mackall. He was evacuated by air to a British hospital at Gibraltar
where he died on November 12, 1942. He had been wounded on November 8, the day that construction began at the camp. Historian Stephen E. Ambrose described the camp as a "marvel of wartime construction", having been converted from 62,000 acres of wilderness to a camp "with 65 miles of paved roads, a 1,200-bed hospital, five movie thaters, six huge beer gardens, a complete all-weather airfield with three 5,000-foot runways, and 1,750 buildings" in just four months.
s: 4/22 is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 x 46 m) with an asphalt
surface and 11/29 is 4,740 by 150 feet (1,445 x 46 m) with a concrete
surface.
The Colonel James "Nick" Rowe Training Compound hosts SERE, SFAS, the Q Course and other training courses. It is named for Col. James N. Rowe
. The obstacle course at the camp, arguably the hardest obstacle course in the U.S. Army, is named the "Nasty Nick" in honor of Rowe.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
training facility located in eastern Richmond County
Richmond County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 46,564 people, 17,873 households, and 12,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile . There were 19,886 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
and northern Scotland County
Scotland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 35,998 people, 13,399 households, and 9,674 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 14,693 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, south of the town of Southern Pines
Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 10,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Southern Pines is located at ....
. The facility is in close proximity to and is a sub-installation of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
(home to the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command
United States Army Special Operations Command
The United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...
Headquarters).
Camp Mackall is the setting of primary training to become a member of U.S. Army Special Forces. Inside the camp is the Resistance Training Laboratory, a mock prisoner-of-war camp in which special force soldiers are trained in resistance techniques for use if captured by enemy combatants.
History
Originally named Camp Hoffman, on February 8, 1943, General Order Number 6 renamed the facility Camp Mackall in honor of Private John Thomas (Tommy) Mackall. He was born May 17, 1920 in OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and grew up in Wellsville, Ohio
Wellsville, Ohio
Wellsville is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 4,133 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. He served in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. During the Allied invasion of North Africa in the airborne segment called Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, he was mortally wounded in an attack by French Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
aircraft on his aircraft as the aircraft landed near Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
. Seven paratroopers died at the scene and several were wounded, including Mackall. He was evacuated by air to a British hospital at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
where he died on November 12, 1942. He had been wounded on November 8, the day that construction began at the camp. Historian Stephen E. Ambrose described the camp as a "marvel of wartime construction", having been converted from 62,000 acres of wilderness to a camp "with 65 miles of paved roads, a 1,200-bed hospital, five movie thaters, six huge beer gardens, a complete all-weather airfield with three 5,000-foot runways, and 1,750 buildings" in just four months.
Facilities
The Mackall Army Airfield has two runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 4/22 is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 x 46 m) with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface and 11/29 is 4,740 by 150 feet (1,445 x 46 m) with a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface.
The Colonel James "Nick" Rowe Training Compound hosts SERE, SFAS, the Q Course and other training courses. It is named for Col. James N. Rowe
James N. Rowe
James Nicholas "Nick" Rowe was a United States Army officer and one of only thirty-four American prisoners of war to escape captivity during the Vietnam War...
. The obstacle course at the camp, arguably the hardest obstacle course in the U.S. Army, is named the "Nasty Nick" in honor of Rowe.