Fort Jackson, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the current U.S. Army post. For other uses, see Fort JacksonFort JacksonFort Jackson can refer to several places or things:*Fort Jackson , also called Fort Toulouse, a War of 1812 fort*Fort Jackson , a frontier trading post located near present-day Ione, Colorado...
.
Fort Jackson is a United States 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...
installation, which TRADOC
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
Established 1 July 1973, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command is an army command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine, and the development and procurement of...
operates on for Basic Combat Training
United States Army Basic Training
United States Army Basic Training is the program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become a soldier in the United States Army, United States Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. It is carried out at several different Army posts around the United States...
(BCT), and is located in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
and 7th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Overview
Fort Jackson was created in 1917 (as Camp Jackson) as the United States entered World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. At the conclusion of World War I, Camp Jackson was shut down and the Camp was abandoned 25 April 1922 pursuant to General Orders No. 33, War Department, 27 July 1921. Camp Jackson was reactivated for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At the conclusion of World War II, the post was to have been inactivated by 1950; however, the outbreak of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
caused the Post to remain active and it remains an active duty post in the early 21st Century.
Fort Jackson is the largest and most active Initial Entry Training Center in the U.S. Army, training 50 percent of all soldiers and 80 percent of the women entering the Army each year. Providing the Army with new soldiers is the post's primary mission. Accomplishing this mission means training in excess of 45,000 basic training and advanced individual training soldiers annually. The training is provided by the 165th
165th Infantry Brigade (United States)
The 165th Infantry Brigade is a brigade of the United States Army. It no longer serves a combat role, and instead is a training unit of the United States Army.-World War I:...
, 171st
171st Infantry Brigade (United States)
The 171st Infantry Brigade is an infantry brigade of the United States Army based in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. With a long history of serving, the Brigade saw action during both World War I and World War II before it was inactivated in 1946. During the Cold War the brigade was once again...
, and 193rd Infantry Brigades
193rd Infantry Brigade (United States)
The 193rd Infantry Brigade is a United States Army infantry brigade, which was originally constituted in the Army's organized reserves on 24 June 1922 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 193rd Infantry Brigade and assigned to the 97th Division. The brigade was reorganized and reconstituted in...
.
The post has other missions as well. While some military installations have experienced downsizing and closure in past years, Fort Jackson has added several new schools and training institutions since 1995 including the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute, the Department of Defense Chaplain Center and School, and the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment. In 2007 the Army consolidated all of its training facilities for Drill Sergeants at Fort Jackson, and in 2009 Command Sergeant Major Teresa King
Teresa King
Command Sergeant Major Teresa King is the first woman to head the U.S. Army's Drill Sergeant School at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. She took the post as the first female comandant of the Army's sole facility for training drill sergeants on September 22 of 2009.- Early life :King was born in...
became the first woman to head what is now the sole Drill Sergeant School for the U.S. Army.
The fort encompasses more than 52000 acres (210.4 km²) of land, including over 50 ranges and field training sites and 1000 buildings. Other expansion and improvement projects have been completed or are in progress. New projects include a Post Exchange complex
Base exchange
A Base Exchange is a type of retail store operating on United States military installations worldwide...
, an Emergency Services Center and a Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
Center. A $4.5 million family water park opened in the summer of 2004 and a new barracks complex and central energy plant costing $59 million have been completed.
Soldiers, civilians, retirees and family members make up the Fort Jackson community that continues to grow in numbers and facilities. An additional 14,000 soldiers attend courses at the Soldier Support Institute, Chaplain Center and School and Drill Sergeant School annually. Thirty-six hundred active duty soldiers and their 10,000 family members are assigned to the installation and make this area their home. Fort Jackson employs almost 4,400 civilians and provides services for more than 115,000 retirees and their family members. In addition, Fort Jackson receives almost 60 percent of all the female recruits of the United States Army.
Located in the heart of the midlands region of South Carolina, Fort Jackson was incorporated into the city of Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
in October 1968 and is midway between New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Miami. Columbia has direct access to three interstate highways, I-20, I-26
Interstate 26
Interstate 26 is a nominally east–west main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W and U.S. Route 23 in Kingsport, Tennessee, generally southeastward to U.S. Route 17 in Charleston, South Carolina...
and I-77, and indirect access to two additional interstates within 100 miles (160.9 km), I-95
Interstate 95 in South Carolina
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway, running along the East Coast of the United States from Florida to Maine. In South Carolina, I-95 runs approximately parallel to the Atlantic Ocean shore although about inland, from Hardeeville in the south to Dillon in the northeast.-Route...
and I-85. Average temperatures in the region range from a high of 90+ °F (32 °C) in July to a low of 34 °F (1 °C) in January. Annual rainfall averages around 48 inches (1,219.2 mm).
The fort has a significant economic impact on the local area. Annual expenditures by Fort Jackson exceed $716.9 million for salaries, utilities, contracts and other services. In addition, over 100,000 family members visit the Midlands area each year to attend basic training graduation activities, using local hotels, restaurants and shopping areas.
In the film Renaissance Man, scenes from the fictional "Fort McClane" were filmed at Fort Jackson.
U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS)
- See: Chaplain Corps (United States Army) #Army Chaplain Center and School
Notable former soldiers
- Joe Plumeri, Chairman & CEO of Willis Group HoldingsWillis Group HoldingsWillis Group Holdings is a global insurance broker headquartered in the Willis Building, London, United Kingdom. It has more than 400 offices in 120 countries, and approximately 17,000 employees...
, and owner of the Trenton ThunderTrenton ThunderThe Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...
, was in the Army Reserves at Fort Jackson in 1968. - Jim CroceJim CroceJames Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
(January 10, 1943 - September 20, 1973) Singer-songwriter.