1960-1970
FROM CAMP DIX TO JBMDL – 1960 – 1970
5 June 1960 – BOMARC anti-missile
missile catches fire and two nuclear warheads melt in Broken Arrow event.
1961 16 March – Fairchild C-119
Flying Boxcars arrive for the 514th Troop Carrier Wing.
10 June 1961 - Major General
Reuben H. Tucker, III commander at Fort Dix
1 February 1962 – Major General
Charles E. Beauchamp commander at Fort Dix
1962 February 17 – C-97s from
McGuire deliver dairy cattle to Afghanistan.
3 September 1964 –
Fort Dix chapel dedicated
1 May 1966 – Major General John M.
Hightower commander at Fort Dix
1966 – WWII 8th Army Air
Force General Ira Eaker guest speaker at 19th anniversary of the
USAF at McGuire.
1967 – Fort Dix Information
Office publishes a History of Fort Dix New Jersey – 50 Years of
Service to the Nation 1917-1967
1967 7 August – C-141 Starlifter
arrive at McGuire.
2 November 1968 – New York City
students picnic at Wrightstown-Fort Dix
5 June 1969 – 250 prisoners in Fort Dix Stockade
riot over conditions and torture. 38 were prosecuted and became known as the
Fort Dix 38.
1969 – John Levitow, then the lowest
ranking airman to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor, stationed at McGuire.
Chapter X – The Sixties
THE SIXTIES
From the first months of the
Sixties, it was apparent Fort Dix would develop at a pace even greater than
that of the previous decade.
One international crisis after
another, in which the United States was involved, convinced the nation of the
great necessity for a strong and ready Armed Force. Just two years before the
Sixties, on request of Lebanese President Chamoun, US forces were ordered to
occupy parts of that Middle East nation.
On 1 January 1959, President Batista
fled Cuba, and revolutionist Fidel Castro began to communize that island, only
90 miles from the US. In 1960, a series of coups in the former Indo-Chinese
country of Laos troubled the US government, resulting in significant increases
of US aid and advisors to that nation. Again nearby in Cuba, the ill-fated Bay
of Pigs fiasco on 17 April 1961 stunned the American people.
The “Berlin Crisis” in 1961 and the
Cuban missile confrontation of 1962 brought the United States and Soviet Union
face-to-face. In late 1962, the US provided massive support to India after its
invasion by Communist China. Every ripple in the waters of the Cold War placed
significant demands on the US Armed Forces, including Fort Dix, which was
responsible for providing its share of any soldiers required.
VIETNAM
Also in 1962, developments in South
Vietnam reached a stage in which US had little choice but to increase its
assistance. During the next four years, US Army strength in that war torn
country escalated from a handful of advisors to more than a quarter-million combat
troops. As if the Vietnamese situation were not a significant burden on the
training responsibilities of Fort Dix, the 1965 revolution in the Dominican
Republic and the continual buildup of American troops in Thailand added more.
From June 1965 to the beginning of 1967, the number of trainees in the Infantry
Training Center on any given day almost doubled – from 11,000 to 21,000.
WALSON ARMY HOSPITAL – 1960
At first glance, the construction
program at Fort Dix provided the most visible changes during the Sixties.
Opening of the post’s multi-million dollar Walson Army Hospital was the first
significant step in this program. More than 600 guests were present on 15 March
1960 as Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker dedicated the modern 500-bed
hospital.
The facility was named in honor of
Brigadier General Charles M. Walson, whose widow was present at the dedication
ceremony to unveil the commemorative plaque. General Walson had been born in
Laurel, Delaware, on 24 August 1883 and was graduated from the Jefferson
Medical College in Pennsylvania in 1906 and the Army Medical School in 1912.
During World War I, he served as a major with the American Expeditionary Forces
in France and the Army of Occupation in Coblenz until 1922. For his service as
surgeon general of Second Service Command from November 1940 to July 1945,
General Walson was awarded the Legion of Merit. He had fulfilled a significant
role in the processing of 145,000 Americans and 7,000 prisoners-of-war patients
who had passed through the port of New York during World War II. After his
retirement, he served as administrator of the American Red Cross blood program
for the greater New York area until his death in 1947.
The ultra-modern hospital, located
at New Jersey Avenue and West Third Street, make use of the latest medical and
recreational equipment and facilities. Patients are accommodated in one-to-four
bed rooms or operating rooms plus and emergency operating room located near the
ambulance entrance. A central food service section to the hospital prepares and
serves all food, thus eliminating the need for special diet kitchens. In its
first full year of operation, Walson admitted 22,999 patients.
REDEVELOPMENT
Lack of adequate billets for troops
was still an acute problem in the early 1960s. At the time, approximately 75
percent of the enlisted men at Fort Dix were still housed in “temporary”
barracks, built in 1940-41, with an original life expectancy of only five
years. Because of this, a special committee of four congressmen arrived on 12
June 1961 to investigate troop housing conditions. At the conclusion of their
tour, they were convinced building appropriations should be increased for Fort
Dix.
Representative Frank C. Osmers, Jr.
of New Jersey stated that renovation of the 20-year-old buildings would be as
“polishing rotten apples,” 1. (Fort Dix Post, vol. xx, no. xxiv 1961)
and said a three-to-four year program to replace temporary troop housing should
be carefully considered by the House Appropriations Committee. The other
representatives, Richard E. Langford of Maryland, agreed with Osmers “that the
Fort Dix staff had done a remarkable job keeping these old things on their feet
at all times.” 2. (Ibid)
NEW BARRACKS - 1961
The acutance of the barracks
situation was further aggravated in late 1961 with the call-up of the Army
Reserves and National Guard. At that time, the post received hundreds of
activated Reserve Forces personnel. The earlier congressional analysis led to a
June 1962 announcement that an $11 million project for construction of nine
permanent barracks and six mess halls. Then in November 1963, Congress
appropriated more than $19 million for further troop billeting improvements at
Dix during the Fiscal Year 1965. These were important steps in continuing the
long-range Military Construction Army (MCA) plan to relocate and rehouse all
personnel in permanent barracks by 1971.
REGIMENTAL COMPLEX
Construction of an entire regimental
complex was started in the area along Texas Avenue near McGuire Air Force Base
in September 1963. Eventually occupied by the 2nd Basic Combat Training
Regiment in 1964, it included 11 barracks, four mess halls, four battalion
headquarters and classrooms, four supply and administrative buildings,
regimental headquarters, dispensary, post exchange, chapel and gymnasium. A
motor pool complex supporting this area was completed in July 1966.
Another regimental complex was begun
along the Pemberton-Pointville Road in March 1964. The space allocated was
almost entirely occupied by cleared training areas and drill fields. The new
complex included eight barracks, each housing 326 men, regimental headquarters
and classroom buildings, supply and administration buildings for each of the
four battalions, post exchange branch, gymnasium, chapel, motor pool area, dispensary
and central heating plant. Two-thirds of the complex was completed in the fall
of 1965, and construction on the remaining one-third began in December 1965.
This area was occupied by the 3rd Basic Combat Training Brigade.
Fort Dix suffered a major setback in
its long-range troop housing improvement program in 1965. During that year,
Congress appropriated $21 million for building additional permanent structures
at Fort Dix. However, because of unprecedented costs of the Vietnam War, $17
million of the total was deferred by the secretary of defense late in 1965 only
to be reinstated in February 1967.
All told, MCA projects, other than
family housing units, completed since 1 January 1960, included 31 barracks, 12
administration and storage buildings, Post Chapel and Religious Education
Center complex, two other chapels, three motor pools, 11 battalion mess halls,
11 battalion headquarter buildings and classrooms, three brigade headquarters,
three post exchanges, three dispensaries, two gymnasiums, and addition to
Walson Army Hospital for clinics and an Air Evacuation Center, quarters for 80
nurses, and an addition to the Telephone Exchange. Construction started but not
completed by 31 December 1966 included three barracks, an administration and
storage building, chapel, battalion headquarters building, battalion mess hall
and a gymnasium.
During the first half of the decade,
additional family headquarters were constructed, and a concentrated effort was
made to improve the appearance of the post. Construction began on the first of
a 200-unit Capehart housing project for noncommissioned officers in February
1961, which was partially available for occupancy in December. The project,
located in the area west of 17th Street and extending to Gum Street along
the Juliustown-Browns Mills Road, contained two-, three- and four-bedroom
apartments. Costing $3,610,630 and completed in January 1962, the project – now
known as Laurel Hill – consists of 43 two-story duplexes.
In 1963, enlisted men in pay grade
E-4 (corporals or specialists four) with four or more years’ service were
permitted to apply for family housing a Sheridansville, Nelson Courts or
Kennedy Courts. Previously, the requirement for E-4s was seven years of active
service.
NEW LAKES CONSTRUCTED
Plans were drawn to beautify Fort
Dix. Through the efforts and skills of the 86th Engineer Battalion,
Dogwood Lake, Willow Pond, Deer Lake and Meadow Lake were completed by the
summer of 1960. Dogwood Lake, one of the first man-made lakes to be constructed
under the program, extends from Pennsylvania Avenue past Theater #5 to the Post
Golf Course. It consists of a system of lakes connected by culverts.
Not only did the lakes add to the
beauty of the installation, they also assisted in irrigation, water
purification training, and served as sources of water supply in the event of
emergency. They could be tapped to extinguish nearby brush fires. In addition,
their construction was a practical exercise for members of the 86thEngineer
Battalion. The use of heavy construction equipment and the skills of moving,
compacting, and making earth hold water were required. Other lakes already in
existence were Brindle Lake, Hipp’s Folly, Lake of the Woods, and Hanover Lake.
RESERVISTS AND NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATED – 1961
In the summer of 1961, increased
tension in Berlin and other parts of the world caused President John F. Kennedy
to ask Congress for standing authority to call 250,000 reservists and national
guardsmen to active duty. In August, 14 such units were alerted to report to Dix.
Arriving on post in October, the activated Reserve Components personnel
represented seven states from Main to Indiana. First to arrive was the
920th Transportation Company from New York. Traveling in buses, the
reservists received a warm welcome from the installation commander and an Army
band as they passed through the post entrance. After the greeting, men of the
920thsettled down to the routine of Army life, which lasted until August 1962.
On 24 October 1961, Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 173rd Medical Battalion of South Portland, Maine,
and the 114th Surgical Hospital Detachment from Patterson, New Jersey,
were assigned to Walson Army Hospital. The remaining Army Reserve or National
Guard units were attached to Special Troops. Units arriving at Fort Dix
included the 366th Medical Detachment from Cleveland, Ohio;
141st Transportation Company, Rochester, New York; 306th Medical
Detachment, New York City; 435th Finance Disbursing Section, Indianapolis,
Indiana; 834thSignal Company, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; 134th Ordnance
Company, Albany, New York; 445th Ordinance Company, Kearney, New Jersey:
340th Military Police Company, Garden City, New York; 322nd Military
Police Detachment (Criminal Investigation), Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania;
618th Transportation Company, White River Junction, Vermont: and the
321st Adjutant General Post Office of Troy, New York.
Approximately 14,000 reservists
underwent summer training at Fort Dix in 1961, as did some 10,000 in 1962. The
following year, 35,323 reserve personnel participated in weekend drills and
field exercises at the post, and an additional 10,482 underwent two weeks of
annual active duty training. In 1964, 44,137 reservists received weekend drill
and marksmanship training at Fort Dix, and 12,534 underwent annual training.
Personnel from 39 non-divisional unites, three training divisions and five Army
Reserve schools, participated in annual active duty training programs during
the summers of 1963 and 1964.
Fort Dix supported and coordinated
the training of 12,423 citizen soldiers who arrived for their annual active
duty between 5 June and 11 September 1965. During 1966 Dix units supported the
summer training of 13,890 reservists and national guardsmen from four divisions
and 39 separate units, representing 13 states from Main to Louisiana and as far
west as Illinois. Following the 16-week summer training period that ended on 10
September, Reserve Forces Division of G3 hosted an additional 25,000 officers
and enlisted men from 33 Army Reserve and National Guard units, who
participated in weekend drills at Fort Dix during the remainder of 1966.
INFORMATION BUREAU
For the convenience of visitors and
new arrivals to the post, the Information Bureau was opened 19 August 1961 on
Route 68, replacing the one located in the Sports Arena. Operated to expedite
the location of individuals, units and facilities on post, the bureau assisted
more than 14,500 visitors during its first two months of operation. Staffed by
the post’s military police, it operated seven days a week.
TRAINFIRE TARGETS MODIFIED
Paralleling dramatic improvements to
the Fort Dix physical plant was the modernization of training methods and aids.
In 1960, a Fort Dix-originated modification of Trainfire targets earned the
government a net saving of $7,000 during the first year of adoption. The
modification resulted in an all-weather, moisture-proof target, which was as
durable as the fiberglass targets originally designed for the range. Cardboard
targets were coated with paraffin, and tests revealed that the 19-cent
replacement had a usable period equal to those of fiberglass, which cost $1.75
each. Other advantages of the inexpensive targets were resistance to breakage
in strong wind or heavy firing and elimination of patching, refacing and
repairing.
Fort Dix implemented another
suggestion in October 1963 that saved $58,000 Army wide. Previously, each range
contained as many as 35 marker panels, located approximately 300 meters from
the firing line. Over a period of time these panels, which cost $6.20 apiece,
suffered many hits and required replacement, which meant a constant expense to
the government. The even-numbered panels that designated firing lines were
eliminated, doing away with as many as 17 panels. The idea was forwarded to
Headquarters First US Army, and then, Fort Benning, Georgia, where it was
tested by students of The Infantry School. From there, the system went on to
Department of the Army for Army wide adoption.
M-14 RIFLES And M-60 MACHINE GUNS –
June 1960
In June 1960, it was announced that
Fort Dix was scheduled to receive its initial shipment of M-14 rifles and M-60
machine guns – the general purpose weapons of today’s modern Army. Some 550
M-14s and 40 M-60s arrived later that year. Both weapons fire the standard 7.62
millimeter (civilian .308) round adopted by NATO countries in December 1953. In
1954, the round was formally accepted in the United States as the standard
military rifle cartridge. The M-14 replaced the (Garland) M-1 rifle, Browning
automatic rifle, .30 caliber carbine and the .45 caliber machine gun. Today,
all trainees at Dix are issued M-14s. Familiarization with the new M-16 rifle
is given to personnel leaving for Vietnam.
1st ADVANCED INDIVIDUAL
TRAINING REGIMENT
Additional heavy weapons training
was introduced to the curriculum of the 1st Advanced Individual
Training Regiment in January 1962. The regiment, which had been conducting
advanced eight-week courses in basic unit and individual training, began
teaching the 106mm recoilless rifle and the 81mm and 4.2-inch mortars. To
accommodate the new training program, four ranges and five training areas were
built. The regimental Training Committee was increased in strength and new
lesson plans written.
Meanwhile, constant research and
evaluation by Department of the Army in training potential enlisted leaders
resulted in the establishment of a trainee leadership school at Fort Dix in
January 1962. The program of instruction, encompassing 10 weeks, was designed
to train privates (E-2) to become effective leaders. The first two weeks of the
program were devoted to formal leadership instruction in the school’s
classrooms, and the remaining weeks were used for practical application in an
advanced individual training company. In 1963 and 1964, average weekly
enrollment at the school was 25 to 30 students, with more than 1,000 students
graduating both in 1963 and 1964.
PORTABLE FOXHOLE
Instead of merely wondering who
trainees could fire higher scores on the ranges, cadremen of Company K,
4th Basic Combat Training Regiment, put their heads together, pooled their
ideas, and came up with a training aid called a wooden portable foxhole.
Adopted in 1962, this training aid – three feet square and almost six feet high
– made a noticeable difference in the scores of the regiment’s trainees. The
foxhole was used mainly to instruct trainees in the correct firing positions
before they went to the ranges. Once they had a basic knowledge of the proper
positions, the soldiers were able to “make themselves at home” in the range
foxholes. A higher percent of trainees qualified on the ranges when the
portable foxhole was used. Built in June 1962, the ingenious training aid was
the only portable foxhole on post and often loaned to other units.
EXPERT INFANTRY BADGE TEST
On 6 June 1964, the chief of Faculty
Group was assigned the responsibility of establishing an Expert Infantryman
Badge test for Fort Dix. In addition, to improve the trainee test program of
Faculty Group, a proficiency testing area was established on 15 July 1964. The
earlier area could not absorb the necessary changes, and a new area, comprising
eight permanent-type test stations and four other buildings, was built.
Stations were set up for such subjects as first aid, bayonet, hand-to-hand
combat, guard duty, and other exercises and techniques that every trainee must
know.
FIELD SANITATION TRAINING
In August 1964, the Faculty Group
was assigned to teach field sanitation, a subject previously taught by the
training regiments. To aid in the two hours of instruction, an elaborate
three-station field sanitation display area was constructed. One station
exhibited liquid waste disposal devices, another involved sold waste, and the
third station displayed field expedients for washing, showering and laundering.
BASIC RIFLE MARKSMANSHIP COURSE
During September 1964, the present
Basic Rifle Marksmanship Course replaced the Trainfire concept. Today, every
basic trainee is taught the name of various parts of the rifle and to assemble
and disassemble the M-14. He is told how and when to clean the weapon and to
fire from proper positions. A period involving sighting and aiming was added to
the marksmanship program. To accommodate this change, a new 100-point
preliminary rifle instruction area was built behind Faculty Group headquarters.
DRILL SERGEANT SCHOOL
In an effort to provide the most
highly skilled cadre for training brigades, a Drill Sergeant School was
established at Fort Dix and other training centers in October 1964. The school
was the result of a study by the Secretary of the Army Stephen Ailes concerning
the need for highly effective NCOs, under whose guidance the recruit would be
turned into a top-notch soldier. Identical schools existed in each of the six
other permanent basic training centers in the United States.
The first 70 men to graduate from
the Fort Dix Drill Sergeant School received their distinctive campaign hats at
the post’s Timmermann Theater on 30 November 1964. The class had begun with 90
noncommissioned officers from the basic combat training regiments, advanced
individual training regiment, common specialist training regiment, US Army
Personnel Center, and Faculty Company. The school’s cadre of 20 instructors and
there tactical NCOs were picked prior to the start of the course.
During the five-week school,
abilities of prospective drill sergeants were taxed physically and
academically. Intensive study was designed to acquaint them with the general
knowledge and specific skills required in handling training problems while
performing duties as leaders, instructors or administrators at platoon level.
Graduates were placed in a specialty classification and permitted to wear the
famous Army campaign hat, which had been eliminated from service in 1940. For
years, many top Army officials sought to have it reinstated because of the
espirit de corps it imparts to the wearer.
In December 1964, consolidation of
enlisted leadership training was effected within the fort Dix Leaders Academy.
The academy was assigned the mission of conducting the Drill Sergeant School,
the five-week NCO Academy Senior and Basic Courses, the two-week Trainee
Leadership Training Corps. Effective 1 July 1966, Fort Knox, Kentucky, assumed
sole responsibility for operation of the First US Army NCO Academy. All of the
above Leaders Academy courses remained at Dix.
In 1965 a shortage of qualified
cadre instructors existed because of increased trainee loads and the Vietnam
buildup that required transfer of drill sergeants overseas. To provide
immediate remedy, Major General Charles E. Beauchamp, commanding general, initiated
a Drill Sergeant Assistant Course at Dix and submitted the proposal to
Headquarters, United States Continental Army Command (USCONARC). The first
class at Fort Dix – composed of candidates who had completed basic training,
attended the Leadership Preparation Courses, and graduated from advanced
infantry training – began in October 1965. The program, designed to provide
cadre personnel who would assist drill sergeants in the training of recruits,
was approved by USCONARC and adopted by the other Army training centers. Late
in June 1966, the Drill Sergeant Assistant Course was redesignated the Drill
Corporal Course.
Meanwhile, the five Fort Dix
training regiments underwent modernization on 1 August 1965, when they were
redesignated training brigades. The 1st Training Regiment was redesignated
the 1st Advanced Individual Training Brigade, while the 2nd and
3rd Training Regiments became basic combat training brigades. The
5thTraining Regiment was renamed the 5th Common Specialist Training
Brigade. Under the reorganization, the 4th Basic Combat Training Brigade
was activated on 11th October 1965 and its companies assigned to the
2nd and 3rd brigades. The change, result of a study made by former
Secretary of the Army Stephen Ailes the year before, placed five companies in
each of the brigade’s five battalions. Each company had a capacity of 220
trainees. In addition, each of the basic combat training brigade’s headquarters
and headquarters companies were redsignated as headquarters detachments.
With reorganization of the training
brigades came the announcement that Faculty Group would be redesignated
Committee Group on 2nd October 1965. Faculty Company, then attached to the
post’s Special Troops, was transferred to Committee Group, with the group becoming
a major command reporting directly to Infantry Training Center Headquarters.
Its mission was to conduct standardized training through the committee system
for units undergoing basic combat training, in conformance with programs
published by USCONARC. It also conducted instruction of the Leaders Training
School (NCO), Leaders Training School (Trainee) and later the Special Training
Company (BCT).
On 10 December 1965, Special
Training Company was activated within Committee Group to provide extra training
for men having trouble with the requirements of basic combat training. The
assignment of 23 cadre, including three drill sergeants to each platoon,
provided personnel and time for special physical programs, counseling to
enhance confidence and motivation, and close personal supervision. Special
Training Company offered extra individual attention that an ordinary basic
combat training company could not afford because it would distract from the
overall training mission. During its first eight months of operation, 142 of
the 200 men assigned to the company mastered their individual areas of weakness
to the point that they were able to return to the basic combat training cycle
to complete training. However, trainees requiring the completion of only one
specific phase of training to graduate often were shipped to new assignments
directly from Special Training Company once that phase was mastered. Most
common deficiency was the lack of ability to pass physical training
requirements.
On 19 March 1966, the
5th Common Specialist Training Brigade was redesignated the
5th Combat Support Training (CST) Brigade, in accordance with a message
from USCONARC. It was felt that the title “common specialist training” did not
accurately describe the mission of the brigade, which provides the Army with
competent combat support specialists.
Five months later, in August 1966,
expansion plans were announced that would make the 5th CST Brigade the
largest of the four training brigades at Fort Dix, with an anticipated 75
percent increase in personnel. General Orders 276, issued on 19 August by
Infantry Training Center Headquarters, organized five battalions within the
brigade – an increase of three over the two provisional battalions – consisting
of 25 companies in place of the previous eight. In mid-October, the brigade’s
trainee strength had more than doubled, increasing from 3,500 to 7,300. As
examples of the expansion, the number of students in the Supply Clerk Course
almost quintupled, while enrollments tripled in another course and doubled in
two others. This reflected the increased number of Selective Service calls
during the preceding months, which were needed to provide trained individual
replacements and to active new Army units, particularly for Vietnam.
OPERATION SANTA HELPERS
Amid the expansion, the 5th CST
Brigade launched its ninth annual “Operation Santa Helpers,” a project to
collect outgrown or discarded toys, repair and repaint them, and distribute the
“new” toys to needy military families and orphanages and charitable institutions
in the surrounding communities.
Toy pickup points were established in
September. As in the past eight years, the toys – ranging from games and dolls
to children’s cars, trucks and bicycles – were repaired by student-mechanics at
the brigade’s Wheeled Vehicle Mechanical Course who had completed training and
were awaiting orders. The cadre also aided in the project when not engaged in
instruction. Members of the brigade took an unusual interest in the project and
received a great deal of personal satisfaction from using all of the tools and
equipment in the repair shop. More than 4,500 toys of an estimated value of
$40,000 were repaired and distributed prior to Christmas 1966.
SPECIAL PROCESSING DETACHMENT
On 30 June 1963, a new unit, Special
Processing Detachment, was activated and assigned to the
1387th Replacement Company. Currently the detachment administers AWOLs,
deserters, and persons apprehended by military and civilian authorities in New
York and New Jersey who are confined at Dix. The detachment also arranges their
subsequent assignments or discharges. Its parent organization, the
1387thcontinues to process all incoming personnel returning from overseas for
duty on post and reenlistees who do not require basic training.
60th ORDNANCE DETACHMENT
The 60th Ordnance Detachment
(Explosive Ordnance Disposal) received orders on 6 April 1965 assigning it to
Special Troops. Operational control remained with the 542nd Explosive
Ordnance Disposal Company, Fort Jay, New York, as it had since August 1957. Today’s
60th Ordinance Detachment is capable of detecting, identifying, rendering
safe, recovering, field evaluating and disposing of unexploded United States
and foreign explosive items. Such items include bombs, shells, mines, rockets,
pyrotechnics, demolition charges, guided missiles, and special weapons that
have been launched, dropped, placed or armed in such a manner that they
constitute a hazard to personnel or material. They also include the disposal of
explosive items rendered unsafe due to damage or deterioration.
Training explosive ordnance
reconnaissance personnel, both military and civilian, is another responsibility
of the 60th Ordnance Detachment. It provides instruction for explosive
ordnance reconnaissance agents throughout New Jersey. Considering that the unit
at any time may be called on to aid civilian communities in the event of a bomb
threat or similar emergency, the importance of the 60th Ordnance
Detachment is recognized well beyond the gates of Fort Dix. In such instances,
the danger is just as great as if the unit were performing its mission on an
actual battlefield or at some training camp where artillery firing is taking
place.
RUMORS OF EXPLODING VIETNAMESE DOLLS
Just such an incident occurred
during 1965, when a rumor spread across the country that a number of Vietnamese
dolls in the possession of United States residents might be booby trapped.
Experts from the 60th aided civilian authorities in disposing of the
dolls, once such action had , County on 25 October. It collected and destroyed
68 eight-to-15-inch dolls that had been turned in to police departments in the
area. Authorities at Fort Benning, Georgia, said the rumor apparently began in
Vietnam and spread to the United States in letters from servicemen. The
oriental dolls turned up in almost every part of the country, but none was
found to be booby trapped. Explosive experts at Fort Benning x-rayed and
examined nearly 200 dolls without finding anything other than straw and rubber.
HOME OF THE ULTIMATE WEAPON STATUE
To provide the “Home of the Ultimate
Weapon” with a distinctive musical symbol representative of the training
mission and the pride and spirit of the trainee, CWO Samuel F. Brown, Jr., then
commanding officer of the 19th and 173rd Army Bands, composed “The
Fort Dix Proud Trainee” in April 1965. The song, which is heard at appropriate
occasions involving trainee participation, was created to ease the transition
from marching with cadence to marching with Band music.
FORT DIX MARCH
Commanders of major and separate
units were urged to compose a second verse, symbolic of their unit. With this
musical addition, the Fort Dix trainees appeared to march with snappier cadence
and more pride and spirit.
The words of the song are:
We’re training, fighting men of the
Army.
The rifle is our friend, in the
Army.
We train to be prepared and never to
forget,
The training on the rifle range and
with the bayonet.
We’re the Army, the marching Army.,
Proud of our training, fighting team
esprit de Corps.
Proficiency Park becomes the final
test,
Where every soldier strives to be
the best.
Prepared for all eventuality, is the
FORD DIX PROUD TRAINEE,
Ready to fight for right and
freedom,
Ready to fight ‘till victory’s won.
Ready to serve Old Glory.
Serve her proudly, ‘till the day is
done.
Ready to fight on hill or lowland,
in the defense of Liberty.
Ready to die, if it is Thy Will, Be
Done,
IS FORT DIX PROUD TRAINEE
Meanwhile, Fort Dix had made several
contributions to civilian as well as military, life. Projects included medical
research, support of the Project Advent Satellite Communications System, law
enforcement assistance in riot-torn Mississippi, and the President’s youth
opportunity programs.
Working in conjunction with the post
medical service in 1960, a civilian research unit from Columbia University made
a definite health contribution by developing an adenovirus vaccine for the
reduction of influenza. To carry out research, two Columbia technicians worked
closely with medical personnel assigned to the Fort Dix Health Center. The
development of a vaccine illustrated the close relationship between Army
medical services and civilian agencies in the joint search for better means to
protect the nation and its soldiers from disease.
PROJECT ADVENT
Fort Dix had a minor part in the
“space race in 1961 by providing limited logistical support to one of two
“Project Advent” instantaneous global communications ground stations in the
United States. In July of that year, one of the stations was erected near Dix
and the other placed near Camp Roberts, California. A shipboard terminal,
operating at sea in many parts of the world, tested communication capabilities.
The system permitted simultaneous worldwide transmission of high speed radio
teletype and voice broadcasts.
Project Advent called for stringent
reliability requirements in space technology. Advent satellites were designed
to remain operative for at least one year without failure. In addition,
altitude control and tracking capabilities were built into each satellite to permit
adjustment of its positon to synchronize with the earth’s rotation Horizon
sensors were used to keep the satellites’ antennas continuously turned toward
the earth. The satellites contained several receivers and transmitters for
microwave communications with ground tracking stations and receiving signals.
The communications and telemetry antennas were located on one end of the
satellite.
JAMES MEREDITH – FORMER USAF COLLEGE STUDENT
[Editor’s Note: James Meredith – an Air Force veteran, was inspired
to attend college by JFK’s inaugural speech he heard on the radio, but was
prevented from enrolling at the University of Mississippi because he was black.
President Kennedy ordered the National Guard to ensure he was enrolled.]
A year later, fort Dix’ 716th Military
Police Battalion was tasked to maintain law and order in riot-struck
Mississippi community. The riot-control-trained battalion was airlifted on 30
September 1962 from McGuire Air Force Base to Oxford, Mississippi, to enforce
desegregation at the University of Mississippi and to escort James Meredith,
the first Negro ever to enroll in “Ole Miss,” to classes. The 716thwas the
second Army unit to arrive at the university following rioting and other
disturbances designed to prevent a Negro from enrolling in the previously
all-white institution of higher learning. The first unit to arrive was the
503rd Military Police Battalion from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Upon arrival, the
716th bivouacked near the Oxford airport and immediately set up road
blocks around the campus and sent out patrols to prevent further rioting. In
addition to escorting Meredith, the Fort Dix military policemen safeguarded the
dormitory and other campus buildings, issued passes to students and faculty
members, and patrolled not only the campus but parts of Oxford. Relieved of
their chores in October, three of the 716th companies returned to Fort
Dix. On 20 November 1962, the officers and men of Company B returned to the
post. While at Oxford, Company B had patrolled the own and campus and secured
Baxter Hall, on-campus residence of James Meredith. The 720th Military
Police Battalion from Fort Hood, Texas took over the vigil at Oxford upon
departure of the 716th.
FOREST FIRE FIGHTING
In April 1963, Fort Dix again was
called on to provide assistance to a civilian community – this time in the
local area. Men and equipment from Fort Dix battled raging brush and forest
fires that swept through southern New Jersey for four days. Area fire fighters
had been unable to contain the wind-whipped flames and asked Fort Dix for
assistance. Within 45 minutes of the first distress call, the Fort Dix Fire
Department and soldiers of Company L, 1st Training Regiment, were
dispatched to the scene. They were backed up by men of Company K, 1st Training
Regiment, and assisted by the 716th Military Police and 86th Engineer
Battalions. Military policemen aided local police officials in controlling
traffic and establishing traffic control points. Using military radio patrol
jeeps, a radio communications network coordinated civilian and military
efforts. Men of the 86th Engineer Battalion battled the fires with giant
bulldozers by cutting fire breaks and clearing away charred debris.
The two main areas of conflagration
nearest the post were in Jackson and Pemberton Townships. The fire blazed its
way south, leaving 60,000 acres of charred and smoldering woodland in and
around Lebanon State Forest. At the height of the fires, almost 1,000 Fort Dix
soldiers and miscellaneous military fire fighting equipment were at the scenes.
The bulk of the men were from Company K and L of the 1stTraining Regiment and
Companies D and P of the 4th Training Regiment. In addition 200 beds and
mattresses and more than 400 blankets were sent to the Toms River Courthouse
Annex to help the homeless.
CIVIL DEFENSE RADIOLOGICAL DEFENSE
MONITORS
In the interests of civil defense,
another community service was provided the surrounding areas by Fort Dix
personnel. On 1 January 1964, the post’s chemical officer was delegated the
responsibility of training local civilian radiological defense monitors. The
first class was conducted at Margate, New Jersey, on 25 January 1964.
LBJ’S YOUTH OPPORTUNITY CAMPAIGN
When President Johnson’s Youth
Opportunity Campaign was initiated at Fort Dix in June 1965, the Civilian
Personnel Office announced that the post could hire 25 youths. This was in
accordance with the federal government’s policy of hiring one extra civilian
trainee for every 100 employees on the payroll to stimulate more than 500,000
work-training opportunities continuing essential and critical operations, it
was decided an additional 175 youths could be used during the summer. The
request was forwarded to the Department of the Army for consideration. Upon
receiving approval, the jobs were filled, resulting in Fort Dix exceeding the
President’s requirements to create additional positions for young men and women
between the ages of 16 and 21. In 1966, the Civilian Personnel Office at Fort
Dix hired 310 economically or educationally disadvantaged youths, who worked
during July, August and September as part of the President’s “War on Poverty”
program.
OPERATION ENTERTAINMENT
The 1960s saw a continued program to
improve morale, health and welfare services and facilities for military
personnel and their dependents. Enhanced were Special Services programs and
facilities, medical care, Army education opportunities, religious facilities,
post exchanges, sports programs, and open messes.
More than 8,000 basic trainees from
all of the basic combat training regiments at Fort Dix were entertained in 1960
by “Operation Entertainment,” which brought soldier variety shows to bivouac
areas for infantrymen undergoing field training. Initiated by the post
entertainment director, the shows provided relaxation and amusement for
trainees who, while spending a week in the field, had little opportunity for
recreation. The first of these shows took place in June 1960, and the project
continued through September. A troupe of 16 performers in each show entertained
trainees on bivouac, using the back of an Army truck as a stage. The group also
entertained patients in Walson Army Hospital and went on to perform in service
clubs. The program continued during summers of the next six years, with more
than 10,000 bivouacking troops entertained in 1966.
NURSES QUARTERS
The addition to Fort Dix of Walson
Army Hospital in 1960 was not the end of new medical facilities built on this
post in the Sixties. Quarters for 80 nurses, constructed in an area adjacent to
the hospital at a cost of $750,000, were ready for occupancy in March. A huge,
modern red-brick barrack, costing $691,000 and designed to house 326 medical
enlisted men, was ready for occupancy near Walson the following year.
In June 1965, a $1.3 million
construction program began on a two-story addition for clinics and a one-story
Air Evacuation Center for Walson Army Hospital. The two-story addition
increased medical facilities at the hospital by 32,000 square feet. Opened 22
June 1966, it was occupied by preventive medical facilities for Army health
nurse programs of immunization, physical examinations, and child and adult
health care and the following clinics: dental, dermatology, neuropsychiatric,
pediatrics, pharmacy, surgical and medical, and eye, nose and throat. After
these facilities moved into the addition, the builders returned to expand the
areas vacated by some of the clinics and modify activities remaining on the
first floor of the original hospital.
JOINT AIR EVACUATION CENTER
The Air Evacuation Center, a joint
operation involving Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base, moved into its newly
built facility at the hospital in May 1966. The addition is 14.5 feet high and
expands floor space by 6,000 square feet. Responsible for giving medical care
to air evacuation patients en route to their final destination, the center
handled between 750 and 825 patients a month between July and October.
Despite the expansion of the
Sixties, not all medical facilities are located in the hospital complex. The
Medical Activities Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, formerly known as the
Health Center, houses facilities for the Mental Hygiene Consultation Service,
the First US Army Medical Personnel Procurement Office, the veterinarian, and
the Columbia University Research Team. The Medical Processing Center of the
Department of Hospital Clinics, located on Florida Avenue, conducts physical
examinations.
During 1966, a staff coordinator
from Walter Reed Hospital arrived at Walson Army Hospital to develop plans for
WRAIN-University of Maryland, a program for training student nurses at the
hospital. Plans call for the first group of student-nurses from the University
of Maryland to arrive at Fort Dix in July 1967 under the WRAIN (Walter Reed
Army Institute of Nursing) program.
ARMY EDUCATION CENTER
The Army Education Center located at
8th Street and New York Avenue, offered a variety of services to raise an
individual’s education level through collegiate training, on-and off-duty
instruction, self-study and examination. Additionally, high school and college
courses through the United States Armed Forces Institute were offered. Nearby
colleges, including Rutgers, Trenton State, Temple, Rider, Princeton and the
University of Pennsylvania, offered evening courses, which permanent party
soldiers could attend. In 1964, Trenton Junior College offered a program of
courses to Dixans to complement those already available. By 1965 a broad field
of courses ranging from sociology to data processing was available to post
personnel.
Continued emphasis on education brought
a marked increase in the number of high school graduates or equivalent among
the ranks of enlisted personnel. With a goal of at least a high school
education for enlisted men in the Army, a general educational development test
was administered and diplomas issued. In February 1961 alone, a record of 413
permanent party enlisted personnel successfully completed the high school
equivalency test.
POST LIBRARIES
In the Sixties, the post’s six
libraries continued to serve the interests of Fort Dix personnel. By the end of
1966, the Main Post Library contained 30,000 volumes with more than 1500
phonography records in the music room. In addition to the main library, branch
libraries are located in four of the service clubs and Walson Army Hospital.
Also, a library bookmobile serves personnel at Nike Army Air Defense Command
sites in Clementon and Swedesboro, New Jersey and Edgemont,
Pennsylvania. The total number of
volumes in the Fort Dix Library system exceeds 65,000. On-post libraries serve
the entire Fort Dix community, with emphasis on nonfiction and reference
materials.
BOOK RETURNED 47 YEARS OVERDUE
The time-worn cleche, “better late
than never,” properly describes an incident involving the Post Library in 1964.
Bruce Williams of Westfield, Massachusetts, was a civilian employee at Camp Dix
in 1917. At that time he “borrowed” a book from the Post Library. In mid-1964,
a small package arrived at the Post Quartermaster’s Office. In it was a book of
John Greenleaf Whittier’s Complete Poems, along with a note from the man who
had borrowed the book 47 years before. Said Williams in his letter, “I would
rather return the book now than have folks think I failed to return it to its
rightful owner. Please forward this to the librarian.”
Today the library’s scope is
supplemented by arrangement with New Jersey’s Public and School Library
Services Bureau. This arrangement provides practically everything in the way of
reference material. A microfilm viewer has been purchased, and microfilm of the
New York Times and several periodicals, spanning the years 1961 to the present,
are available for viewing.
RELIGIOUS FACILITIES – POST CHAPEL –
April 1963
Religious facilities on the post
received a major boost on 11 April 1963 when groundbreaking ceremonies were
held for a 600-seat Post Chapel and Religious Center. The center, featuring
complete religious education facilities, was dedicated on 3 September 1964.
Earlier, on 29 June, construction of a 300-seat regimental chapel had begun in
the 2nd Training Regiment Area. AT the time the post chapel opened, 13
others were in operation. Each had chaplains available to servicemen and their
families. Regular services were scheduled for Protestants, Catholics and Jews.
In addition, services were conducted for specific denominations, such as
Christian Scientists, Episcopalians, Latter-Day Saints and Lutherans. Each of
the chapels provided an active religious program, which included religious
instruction, baptism, and marriage, in addition to general programs of Sunday
school, catechism classes and Hebrew School.
MAIN POST EXCHANGE
Meanwhile, after extensive
renovation, the Main Post Exchange was reopened in June 1964. Two snack bars,
two filling stations, a beauty shop and tailor pick-up point were added to the
exchange system. Sales of all exchange facilities during 1965 totaled $13
million and in 1966, almost $15 million.
Other changes were made on post to
improve morale and welfare programs and facilities. Among them were revision of
the Army sports program, opening of additional Special Services facilities,
refurbishing the Fort Dix Officers Open Mess, and construction of a new Fort
Dix NCO Open Mess.
GOLF FACILITIES DRIVING RANGE 1962
The post golf facilities were
complemented in 1962 with construction of a driving range. In 1963, five
softball fields, two tennis courts, a baseball field, and a football field were
added to Fort Dix.
BOWLING ALLEY
Also during 1963, a 24-lane bowling
alley was constructed. When it neared completion, a wire service story with a
Washington D.C., dateline was carried in the local newspapers quoting the mayor
of Wrightstown, New Jersey, the community adjoining Fort Dix. He stated he
would appear before the Senate Armed Forces Committees to air his complaints
against ‘unfair competition by the services.” News stories in the local papers,
including publications in Philadelphia, Trenton and Newark, followed. Although
queried by many press representatives, Fort Dix officials did not comment on
the mayor’s remarks. Opening on 30 September 1963, the $338,000 Fort Dix Bowl
was considered one of the finest bowling alleys on any military installation.
INTER-INSTALLATION COMPETITION ENDS
– 1965
Since its 1917 inception, Fort Dix
has had successful sports programs, and this was well exemplified during the
1960s, however, a 1965 change in the Army sports program eliminated many of the
post-level teams and inter-installation competition. Too much military training
time was used by individuals to train, travel and compete in such sports. Until
this change, Fort Dix had excelled in competition between installations.
Presently only those sports that lead to international competition, such as
boxing, basketball, wrestling, track and field, triathlon and soccer, are
supported. Teams travel only once – to the site of the Army’s area
championships.
Over the last 10 years of inter-installation
competition, Dix captured 61 First US Army championships, 42 runner-up awards
and 12 third-place finishes. In 1960 Fort Dix won the First US Army basketball,
boxing, volleyball, table tennis, flag football, bowling and horse shoes
championships. 1961 saw the post-level teams repeat in the first five sports
above and add the baseball title to their string of victories. Fort Dix
athletic teams won six of nine First Army championships in 1962 and continued
their winning performances in 1963. Softball, baseball and horseshoe
championship laurels were added in 1964, although the track and field team
failed to retain its championship.
In 1965, Fort Dix won First US Army
championships in boxing and basketball, the two sports during the Sixties in
which Dix athletes always excelled. At the time of the Army sports program
change, the boxing team had won six consecutive championships and the
basketball team an even more impressive 11 straight. On their way to the First
Army basketball championships, the “Borros” had posted some phenomenal season
records, such as 43-2 in 1960 and 34-1 in 1962.
1960 - US OLYMPIC BOXING SQUAD – CASSIUS CLAY
Fort Dix also played host to a
number of important sporting functions during the Sixties. The post was the
headquarters and training camp for the 1960 United States Olympic Boxing Squad,
which faired so well in the Olympics at Rome. Among the team members was a
classy young boxer named Cassius Clay, later to become the professional world
heavyweight boxing champion.
In May 1961, the 14th Conseil
International du Sport Militaire Boxing Championships were held in the Sports
Arena at Fort Dix. Nine countries were represented in the bouts conducted from
9 through 12 May. The teams represented Italy, West Germany, United Arab
Republic, Belgium, France, Iraq, Austria, Tunisia and the United States. The
United States team won the championship.
SPORTS STARS – DON BRAGG – ROOSEVELT GRIER
Famous professional athletes also
have trained or been stationed at Fort Dix. Pole vault star Don Bragg was
assigned to Fort Dix when he was a member of the 1960 Olympic track team and
holder of the world’s indoor pole vault record.
The football world has been
represented by such all-pro standouts as linebacker Jim Houston of the Browns
and former Giant tackle Roosevelt Grier.
SANDY KOUFAX – DON DRYSDALE
Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers might
have been in trouble during recent years if they had two of their “Dix-trained”
stars. Trading baseballs for hand grenades did not seem to bother Dodger
hurlers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
Nor did it seem to hinder 1965
American League home run leader Tony Conigliaro of the Boston Red Sox.
All-American cagers Sihugo Green from Duquesne and Al Ferrari of Michigan State
trained here before making successful transition to professional basketball.
SPORTS PROGRAMS
Today, Fort Dix offers an excellent
and varied sports program for the athletically included soldier. Currently
there are 18 major sports in the installation’s sports program. Offered are
bowling, basketball, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, track and field,
tennis, golf and swimming. Also included are softball, horseshoes, flag
football, boxing, wrestling, soccer, weight lifting, skeet shooting and handball.
The current Army sports encourages maximum participation by personnel for
physical development, teamwork, and the enhancement of the esprit de corps.
This is accomplished through company intermural competition. At the discretion
of the commanders, a maximum of two hours daily during duty hours is authorized
for sports training at installation level and below. All competition between
teams is held during these two hours and off-duty time only. Two fully
enclosed, lighted softball fields were completed at Dix in October 1966, making
it possible for soldiers to participate in softball games during the hours of
darkness.
NCO And OFFICERS’ MESS
Both the NCO and officers’ open
messes witnessed major improvements in their facilities in 1963 and 1964. In
the last quarter of 1963, the bar, cocktail lounge and TV room at the officers’
open mess were completely renovated and refurbished. On 1 December 1964, ground
was broken for a new $650,000 NCO open mess. The air-conditioned structure,
which had its grand opening in February 1966, contains a ballroom with a
seating capacity for 550 persons. The building is complete with bandstand,
performers’ dressing room, 175-place dining room, 20-man stag bar, barber shop,
snack bar, cocktail lounge, television lounge and service bar.
FORT DIX COMMUNITY – FAMILY SERVICE
CENTER
In February 1965, the Fort Dix
Community Service Center was established to assist in meeting the social
welfare needs of military personnel and families who live at Fort Dix or in the
surrounding communities. Located in the old hospital area in Building S3648,
the center is staffed by professional military social service workers and a
host of volunteers. The center is guided by a board of governors and meets
family needs through two broad programs: family services and youth activities.
The family service program is
designed to assist families on an emergency basis, when hardships result from
illness, death, moving, financial crisis or other unexpected events. A
committee was established to provide information to newly arrived families
about services available, such as the location of the commissary, post-exchange,
theaters, hospital and religious facilities. Referral services are provided in
the areas of marriage, finance and welfare services in New Jersey.
YOUTH ACTIVITIES PROGRAM
The broadest of the programs is the
youth activities program, which operates on a year-round basis for children of
all ages. Activities include the Fort Dix Teen Club, brownies and girl scouts,
cubs and boy scouts, and youth sports such as bowling, baseball, football and
basketball.
A youth employment bureau was
established to provide such summer jobs as camp and recreational counselors, as
well as on-and off-post employment for interested teens and college students.
The service of volunteers in every activity – recreation, arts and crafts,
athletics and baby siting – illustrates the service center’s slogan, “The Army
Takes Care of Its Own.”
The Community Service Center, which
had been singled out in the summer of 1966 for having the best operation of a
major installation in the First US Army area, was commended as outstanding in
the US Continental Army Command. In August, its record reviewed again, it was
proclaimed “best in the United States Army” by Department of Army.
The Dix center was cited by the
Department of the Army for assistance given servicemen and their families
“during the 1966 expansion of the Army which necessitated moves on short notice
for thousands.” In winning the Continental Army Command award several months earlier,
the center’s activities had been judged outstanding in all areas of management
and in the use of professional personnel, community resources, volunteer
workers and an advisory council.
SECOND US ARMY MERGED WITH FIRST US
ARMY
As the first half of the 1960s drew
to a close, a change affecting all installations in the eastern United States
took place. It was decided by Department of the Army to merge Second US Army
with First US Army. The merger added a larger area, New Jersey and parts of New
York and eastern Pennsylvania, to Fort Dix in its responsibilities of
supporting off-post units and activities. However, its mission of training
troops continued as if no merger had taken place. The phase-in of the merger,
which inactivated Second US Army, began in July 1965 and was completed on 1
January 1966. First US Army headquarters moved from Governors Island, New York,
to Fort Meade, Maryland,
previously the home of Headquarters, Second US Army.
During the Phase-in period, Fort Dix
hosted the visit of civilian aides to the secretary of the army from the then
First and Second Army areas. On 28 and 29 September 1965, they met with the
commanding generals of the two armies as well as those of the II, XX and XXI US
Army Corps. During their stay at Dix, members of the group were briefed on the
merger of the armies and the training mission and activities of the United
States Army Training Center, Infantry, Fort Dix. They also visited training and
other activities on the post.
The aides are civilian advisors to
the secretary of the army, the Army chief of staff and the commanding general
of the Army areas in which they live. Their function is to interpret Army
missions and objectives to the community and civilian views and reactions to
the Army. The group’s visit came at the end of the first half of the Sixties –
a period when the nation faced perplexing crisis. Cold War activity and the
challenge to freedom’s frontiers had continued throughout the five years, then
exploded with active combat in the Vietnam War.
VIETNAM WAR
Again the American soldier was
called on to fight in a land thousands of miles away from home. Young men in
increasing numbers were inducted to fulfill their obligation in the military
service of their country. Fort Dix’ continuing mission of training such men and
preparing them for combat never diminished during the sixth decade of the
20th Century. Just as their older brothers and uncles in the Korean War,
their fathers in World War II and their grandfathers in World War I, the Fort
Dix-trained soldier of the 1960s displayed the courage, loyalty and love of
country for which US Army men long have been noted. Never had the US Army
received men who responded so well to training and assimilated it so fast.
Perhaps this speaks well for the training abilities and dedicated of their
trainers.
And so, the primary mission of
training troops did not change over the years – only the methods to perform
that mission. In a world where different types of war – nuclear, conventional
and unconventional – could be fought, lighter and more efficient weapons and
equipment plus up-to-date methods and tactics were furnished and taught the
modern soldier – America’s Ultimate Weapon.
Chapter XI - Fort Dix Today - 1967
FORT DIX TODAY - 1967
“Let, then, each and every
individual connected with the Wrightstown Cantonment make high resolve to put
into the work every ounce of intelligence, energy and ability that he can call
into play, to the end that when the story of Wrightstown is written we may
point with justifiable pride to our part in its accomplishment.” Thus wrote
Irwin and Leighton, the original contractors, in the first issue of the “Camp
Dix News,” published on Thursday, 16 August 1917.
Today, 50 years later, a brief trip
around Fort Dix is enough to convince any observer that the plea of the first
builder has been answered. Although little remains of their work, they laid the
foundation and instilled the spirit of dedication that has characterized the
efforts of the thousands of “builders” – military and civilian – who followed
them to construct the Fort Dix of today.
In the final analysis, however, the
true value of the “Home of the Ultimate Weapon” can be measured only through
the men who trained at this post – - the millions that Fort Dix readied to
serve with distinction in every armed conflict in which the United States
participated since World War I.
Throughout a half century, the primary mission
of the post has been to prepare US soldiers for the defense of their country.
This purpose is still paramount and will continue so long as American soldiers
are needed in Vietnam or any other place in defense of freedom.
In order to carry out its mission in
1967, Fort Dix is organized into four major activities: Infantry Training
Center, US Army Personnel Center, Walson Army Hospital, and the US Army
Garrison. Although each of these activities plays a singular role, the one most
directly concerned with the development of the individual soldier is the
Infantry Training Center. It conducts four separate programs, which, in progressive
stages, mold the raw recruit into a finished soldier prepared to take his place
in a combat unit.
BASIC COMBAT TRAINING PROGRAM
Of the four programs, the most
fundamental is the eight-week basic combat training program conducted by the
2nd Basic Combat Training Brigade “Proud Rifles” and 3rd Basic Combat
Training Brigade “Pioneers.” These two brigades provide the initial training to
produce a soldier well-grounded in basic military subjects and principles of
ground combat. Reports from commanders in Vietnam confirm that this training is
the best they have noted during their long Army careers. Under the expert
leadership and guidance of his drill sergeant, the trainee masters those combat
skills that instill confidence in himself, his individual weapon, and his
ability to meet an enemy in ground combat and destroy him. Currently, more than
10,000 trainees in 50 companies of the two brigades are undergoing basic combat
training. In 1966, more than 50,000 men were graduated from this course at Fort
Dix.
Following completion of his basic
combat training, the soldier moves on to more technical training in his field.
He may be assigned to advanced branch or combat support training.
ADVANCED BRANCH COMBAT SUPPORT
TRAINING
At Fort Dix, the advanced infantry
training program is conducted by the 1st Advanced Individual
Training Brigade – the “Blue Bolts.” This brigade provides the trainee with
eight weeks of general instruction in the organization, mission, and functions
of the infantry, to include general subjects, light weapons, heavy weapons, and
tactical training. Upon successful completion of the course, trainees are
assigned to regular units as light weapons infantrymen, infantry indirect fire
crewmen, or infantry direct fire crewmen. At the beginning of 1967, more than
2,300 men were receiving advanced infantry training in nine companies of the
brigade. Beginning in April 1967, both the number of trainees and companies are
expected to double. In 1966, some 12,000 soldiers completed this type of
training at Fort Dix.
Combat support training is conducted
by the 5th Combat Support Training Brigade (the “Crusaders”), which
instructs trainees in nine specialist fields as basic administration and
personnel specialists, supply clerks, chaplain’s assistants, cooks, field
communication crewmen, radio operators, light vehicle drivers, and wheeled
vehicle mechanics. In 1966, almost 25,000 combat support trainees were
graduated from the 5th Brigade. At the beginning of 1967, 7,000 students
were attending formal courses and another 500 men were receiving on-the-job
training. In early 1967, the number of students is expected to increase to
9,000.
Committee Group (the “Paragons”)
provides all committee-taught subjects to basic combat trainees. These include
marksman-ship, hand grenades, night firing, close combat,
chemical-biological-radiological warfare, and individual tactical training.
Committee Group also directs the Leaders Academy.
FORT DIX LEADERS ACADEMY
To provide a corps of qualified
instructors, the Fort Dix Leaders Academy trains specially selected enlisted
personnel as leaders for the training brigades. The Academy, under the
direction of the Fort Dix Committee Group, conducts a seven-week Drill Sergeant
Course, four-week Drill Corporal Course, and a two-week Leaders Preparation
Course. Periodically, the Leaders Academy also holds a two-week Effective
Military Instruction Course and a one-week Drill Sergeant Orientation Course.
ANACDUTRA – Annual Active Duty
Training
In addition to the above regular
programs, the Infantry Training Course also provides for training of US Army
Reserve (USAR) and National Guard units. The 78th Infantry Division,
the first to make its home at Camp Dix, is now a USAR training division from
New Jersey, which has conducted its annual active duty training (ANACDUTRA) at
Fort Dix. The 76th and 98th Training Divisions, from New England and
New York, respectively, also perform ANACDUTRA at the post. Elements of the
80th Training Division have trained at the fort each year since 1960.
[Editor’s Note: the New York
National Guard that annually trains at Dix was activated by the Governor of New
York to assist the local authorities during the Woodstock Music festival in
August 1969. Guard helicopters airlifted doctors and nurses into the area as well
as the musicians to the stage – the show must go on, and it would not have if
it wasn’t for the NY National Guard who trained at Dix.]
In 1966, some units of the
85th Training Division from Illinois spent two weeks at Fort Dix. In
addition to the Army Reserve, a considerable number of National Guard units
train at the post on weekends.
US ARMY PERSONNEL CENTER
Another major activity of Fort Dix
is the United States Army Personnel Center (the “Centermen”), which is
concerned with processing men as they enter the Army from civilian life, when
they ship overseas, and as they leave the service. During 1966, almost 200,000
were processed in one way or another through the Personnel Center – Reception
Station. 68,907; Overseas Replacement Station, 88,713; and Transfer Station,
39,481.
The newly inducted or enlisted
soldier can expect to stay at the Reception Station for three to five days.
During this time he is given special medical and dental examinations,
classification and aptitude tests, personal interviews to help determine his
future army training and assignment, his new military clothing, and orientation
on military justice, PX privileges, pay scale, and conduct and discipline in an
effort to make his transition to military life as smooth as possible.
THE OVERSEAS REPLACEMENT STATION
The Overseas Replacement Station
processes and assembles personnel for overseas shipment. Means of
transportation to the new unit is coordinated with Eastern and Western Area of
the Military Traffic Management Terminal Service, and is determined by the
availability of spaces aboard military or civilian aircraft.
At the end of a tour of active duty,
many officers and enlisted men receive final processing for retirement,
separation, or transfer to reserve units at the Transfer Station. The wide
range of personnel passing through this activity include persons arriving by
air at McGuire Air Force Base, from units in the vicinity of Fort Dix, and
individuals permanently assigned to this Army post.
The personnel commitments of the Army
are extensive and variable. In times of crisis, buildups, and reductions, the
Personnel Center has a ready organization through which it can react quickly
and effectively with the personnel requirements of any situation.
WALSON ARMY HOSPITAL – JOINT BASE
OPERATION
Walson Army Hospital and the post’s
health facilities provide medical care and hospitalization for Fort Dix,
McGuire Air Force Base, and Lakehurst Naval Air Station military personnel and
their dependents, military personnel overseas, and retired military
personnel and their dependents living in New Jersey – Pennsylvania area.
Staffing the medical complex are 1,357 military and civilian personnel,
including 104 doctors, 68 nurses, 447 medical specialists, two veterinarians,
236 administrative personnel, and 500 civilians. Specialized clinics include
dermatology, cardiology, radiology, radioisotope therapy, gastroenterology,
internal medicine, pulmonary functions, obstetrics, gynecology, orthopedics,
urology, neurology, psychiatry, pediatrics, surgery, preventive medicine,
anesthesiology, veterinary medicine, and eye, ear, nose and throat. The
hospital provides training residency programs in general practice,
pre-specialty surgical and preventive medicine.
During 1966, the hospital had a
total of 32,780 admissions, an increase of almost 10,000 over the previous
year. The number of major and minor surgical procedures performed during the
year was 16,980. Outpatient clinic visits reached a total of 586,028, an
increase of 200,000 over 1965. Even with completion of the new wing, pressure
of an ever increasing patient load eventually will necessitate further
expansion of the Fort Dix medical facilities.
Attached to the hospital to assist
its normal staff are the 4th Field Hospital and the 461st Medical Detachment.
These units maintain themselves in a state of operational readiness for
deployment elsewhere, if needed.
The Dental Service Unit, which
staffs six on-post clinics, provides complete care and treatment to all
eligible persons, with emphasis on maintaining military personnel ready for
combat. The unit also conducts the preventive dentistry program and the dental
intern and dental resident training program.
US ARMY GARRISON – ADMINISTRATION
AND SUPPORT
Another major activity of the post
is Special Troops, US Army Garrison. This unit houses and administers the
servicemen and women who perform thousands of administrative and supporting
tasks required for the smooth functioning of this 45,000-man training center.
Special Troops (the “Garrisoneers”) comprises more than 20 separate units,
including communications and ordnance units; engineers, military police, and
band units; Women’s Army Corps Company, which supplies stenographers, medical
aides, and receptionists; and units that supply all the administrative
personnel to operate the training center headquarters, garrison headquarters,
and all post agencies. In addition, Special Troops receives, processes,
prepares, trains, and ships units departing for overseas.
MAJOR GENERAL JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
These organizations, operating under
the direction of the Headquarters, United States Training Center Infantry,
commanded by Major General John M. Hightower, carry out their duties at the
largest military organization in the northeastern United States. Fort Dix today
has come a long way from the 7,500-acre, 1,600-building camp that existed in
the early days of World War I.
POST GROWTH
The post has grown in size until it
comprises 32,605 acres, of which 1,566 acres are improved lad, 13,274 acres
unimproved, and 17,765 woodland – all used for training. Fort Dix can take
pride in a total of 2,611 major buildings, including 397 barracks without mess
halls, 27 barracks with mess halls, 56 separate mess halls, 283 supply
buildings, 197 administrative and personnel structures and 742 on-post housing
units. There are also 12 chapels, the hospital complex, five theaters, 32 post
exchanges facilities, and a variety of small administrative, supply and
maintenance structures.
At the beginning of 1967, there were
approximately 33,000 military personnel and 4,097 civilian dependents of
military personnel living on- and off-post and several thousand retired
personnel and their families living in the area. Military population of the
post will increase because of additional requirements by higher headquarters,
particularly in the advanced individual training brigades.
ECONOMIC IMPACT TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
The economic impact of this military
establishment on the New Jersey communities surrounding the post is
considerable. For the last six months of calendar year 1966, $50.7 million was
disbursed by the Post Finance Office. Of this amount, $32.1 million was for
military pay, $1.9 million for travel pay, $8.9 million for civilian pay and
$7,8 million for commercial payments. For the month of November 1966 alone, the
total disbursed was $14 million, which was $3 million more than was disbursed
for the month of May 1966. A large part of this money was fed into businesses
of the local community, and over the years, Fort Dix spending has been credited
as a major contributing factor in the prosperity and continued growth of the
cities and towns of the surrounding area.
IN CONCLUSION – FIRST 50 YEARS
This brings to a close the story of
50 years at Fort Dix. By no means, however, will the post’s essential service
to the nation end here. Perhaps the first 50 years will prove only a
superficial beginning compared to its future. Although Fort Dix has experienced
good years and lean years since its humble beginning in the cornfields and
cranberry bogs of central New Jersey, the post today exudes and aura of
permanency – not only in the construction of its buildings but in the expansion
of its programs.
For five decades, Americans at Fort
Dix have served their nation well. To their successors, they leave a legacy of
accomplishment and a challenge to carry on with ardor and dedication in
furthering the cause of freedom.
END - PART ONE - FROM CAMP DIX TO JBMDL - 1910-1970
PART TWO - 1970 - 2017 - IN PROGRESS
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