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VICTORY

FORT JACKSON CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF PREPARING SOLDIERS FOR

A SPECIAL EDITION OF

WWW.THESTATE.COM

THE STATE
MEDIA CO.
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Sara Johnson Borton

publisher@thestate.com

VP & EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Mark E. Lett

mlett@thestate.com

VP OF ADVERTISING

Bernie Heller

bheller@thestate.com

EDITORIAL
ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Paul Osmundson
(803) 771-8308

posmundson@thestate.com

DESIGNER

Elissa Macarin
(803) 771-8471

emacarin@thestate.com

DIRECTOR OF
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

Matt Walsh
(803) 771-8376

mwalsh@thestate.com

WRITER
Jeff Wilkinson
(803) 771-8495

jwilkinson@thestate.com

PHOTOGRAPHY
Tim Dominick

tdominick@thestate.com
Tracy Glantz

tglantz@thestate.com
Gerry Melendez

gmelendez@thestate.com
Sean Rayford

online@thestate.com

ON THE COVER

Fort Jackson and the


Midlands share a bond

ort Jackson occupies more


than 52,000 acres, and an
even greater place in our
hearts.

The fort and the Columbia community


have been partners for nearly a century through hot wars and a Cold War,
through hard times and boom years, and
through challenges presented by a constantly
evolving society.
The fort and Columbia share a bond forged
from many of the same
beliefs contained in
the Soldiers Creed &
Army Values published
Mark Lett
on the back cover of this
book: Loyalty. Duty. Respect. Service.
Honor. Integrity. Courage. The result:
Fort Jackson today is a vital part of Americas defense infrastructure and Columbia is known as one of the most military-friendly communities in the country.
Things could have taken a different
turn, were it not for individual champions who nurtured and strengthened the
partnership. When federal spending cuts
closed some military installations a decade ago, Fort Jackson not only survived,
but thrived.
In making the case for Fort Jackson,
the community-fort collaboration was a
compelling argument. Among the most
persuasive voices was Ike McLeese, who
at the time was president of the Greater
Columbia Chamber of Commerce and
civilian aide to the Secretary of the
Army. Upon McLeeses death in 2013,
former Columbia Mayor Bob Coble
called the decision to protect Fort Jackson the greatest economic-development

announcement in the regions history.


The State newspaper has chronicled
the Fort Jackson story from its inception.
The book you hold in your hands is the
idea of Sara Johnson Borton, publisher
and president of The State, and is the
work of a group of newsroom professionals who spent months reporting and
compiling material. Among those:
Paul Osmundson, associate editor, a
native of Columbia who grew up within
earshot of the fort. Osmundson is a veteran Columbia journalist and former editor
of the Rock Hill Herald.
Matt Walsh, director of photography
and videography, whose visual journalism in South Carolina has taken him
from Greenwood to Sumter and Columbia.
Jeff Wilkinson, military affairs reporter for The State since the 9/11 attack
in 2001, including two stints covering the
war with Iraq in 2003.
Elissa Macarin, a design and copy
desk specialist who joined The State last
year after working at news organizations
in the South and Midwest.
Gerry Melendez, Tim Dominick
and Tracy Glantz members of The
States award-winning photo team and
freelance photographer Sean Rayford,
whose work has appeared in national
publications including The New York
Times and The Washington Post.
Robert Ariail, whose remarkable editorial cartoons have enriched South Carolina newspapering for decades. Youll
find his special tribute to Fort Jackson on
the back, inside cover of this book.
Each has done a terrific job. I think you
will agree as you turn the pages.
Mark Lett
VP & Executive Editor of The State

SPECIAL THANKS

Fort Jackson private Jamie Udet


PHOTO BY TIM DOMINICK

1401 Shop Road, Columbia, SC 29201


Phone: 771-8488 | Fax: 771-8613
2 | FORT JACKSON

Thanks to the officers, soldiers and staff of Fort Jackson for their help
with this publication. Special thanks to Chris Fletcher, Chief, Command
Information; Pat Jones, U.S. Army Garrison Public Affairs Officer;
Veran Hill, Public Affairs Specialist intern; Lt. Col. Jeremy Peifer,
commander of the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment; Capt. Avron
J. Bloom, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, Company D; and
Stephanie Sapp VanderKnyff and Henry Howe of the Basic Combat
Training Museum at Fort Jackson. Finally, thanks to the recruits in
Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 193rd Infantry
Brigade and all other soldiers for volunteering to serve their country.

VICTORY STARTS HERE!

ort Jackson: one hundred


years of service to the nation
and shared experience and
relationship with Americas
most military-friendly community
Columbia and the greater Midlands
of South Carolina. As we celebrate
our centennial, Fort Jackson will
have trained over 5 million soldiers,
ready and willing to defend our
nation and its interests around the
world. Established in support of the
call to arms for World War I in 1917,
Fort Jackson has since been instrumental in building trained and
ready soldiers to deter conflict and,
when needed, to fight and win our
nations wars.

Maj. Gen.
John Pete Johnson

Our motto Victory


Starts Here! reflects this
sacred responsibility as
well as the transformation
that occurs here at Fort
Jackson from volunteer

citizen to soldier. It ultimately is the seed corn of


victory on the battlefield,
as well as the catalyst for
many future immeasurable achievements.
All of us, through these
past 100 years, who have
been blessed to be a part
of this phenomenal
mission located in one
of the most patriotic,
endearing and serviceoriented communities
are honored and humbled
to be associated with its
legacy. We remain in awe
of the heroic and storied
tapestry this legacy represents, one that reflects
the Armys service and
sacrifice to this great
nation.
Each week, we are
inspired by our fellow citizens, who fully know-

ing the risks and hazards


given an Army at war
voluntarily raise their
right hand to support and
defend the Constitution of
the United States and seek
to earn the right to join
our ranks and be called
a soldier. And so, the
legacy and contribution
of Fort Jackson is not yet
finished and will continue,
in partnership with this
great community, as long
as our nation asks. I hope
you enjoy the stories of our
shared history as much as
I have.
Victory Starts Here!
Right Here!
Maj. Gen.
John Pete Johnson
Commanding General
U.S. Army Training Center
and Fort Jackson

INDEX
THE ROAD TO
BECOMING A SOLDIER

THE HISTORY
OF FORT JACKSON

A CITY WITHIN
FORT JACKSON

BEYOND THE BASICS:


OTHER MISSIONS AT
THE FORT

FORT JACKSON
& COLUMBIA

Follow a group
of recruits through
basic training

Columbia
visionaries recruited
Fort Jackson

The fort is a
small city within
Columbia

Basic training is just one of


many missions at the fort

The city and the


fort have a mutual
admiration

PAGES 4-33

PAGES 34-49

PAGES 50-61

PAGES 62-75

PAGES 77-81

Fort an essential pillar for the nation and Columbia


BY JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

Fort Jackson has been training soldiers


for the United States Army since 1917,
during the height of the First World War.
The fort has grown since then to
become the largest and busiest training
base in the U.S. military. By next June
the forts 100th birthday it will have
trained an estimated 5 million soldiers
who have fought and served in every conflict since the war to end all wars.

Basic combat training is Fort Jacksons


primary mission. More than 50 percent
of the Armys male soldiers are trained at
the post, and more than 60 percent of the
female soldiers.
Today, 10 battalions of recruits, about
1,200 new soldiers each, are running in
constant 10-week cycles, producing up to
50,000 new soldiers each year. An 11th
battalion will be arriving soon.
This book celebrates Fort Jacksons
Centennial by examining its primary
mission, its history, and all of its other
training and activities. With its popula-

tion and services, the fort essentially is a


small city within the Midlands.
For Chapter One of this book, we followed several South Carolina recruits and
other members of Delta Company, 2nd
Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 193rd
Infantry Brigade as they moved through
boot camp during the summer of 2016.
Other chapters show how Fort Jackson
is an essential pillar, not just of the Army
and the military, but for everyone who
lives in Columbia, the Midlands and
South Carolina.
Its been that way for 100 years.
VICTORY | 3

THE ROAD TO BECOMING

A SOLDIER
BY JEFF WILKINSON

jwilkinson@thestate.com

everal hundred U.S. Army recruits file onto buses at


Fort Jackson for the short ride to their new barracks.
They come from myriad backgrounds and from
across the nation. A few recruits are even from other
countries.
Some join to begin a career; some from a yearning to serve.
Others join to earn money for college or for adventure. Some
enlist because they just dont know what else to do, or have no
other options.
They all pledge to serve and defend their country.

4 | FORT JACKSON

Recruits line up
during grenade
training in
August.
SEAN RAYFORD
VICTORY | 5

Devon Clarkson, 18, of Eastover, right, stands in line with fellow recruits following a swearing-in ceremony in June.

RECEPTION
The recruits come to
the nations largest basic
training base by airplane,
bus or car. Some recruits
have proud parents in tow
with the festive air of the
first day of college. Some
come alone.
They are star athletes
or street toughs. Some
come from rich families,
others from the depths of
poverty. They represent
every ethnicity and religion, every viewpoint and
perspective. They are men
and women together.
A few have been preparing for boot camp
for months and are ripped
and ready for training.
Others are out of shape,
ill-prepared and scared.
Most are somewhere in
between.
The first few days have
been mundane, filled with
in-processing tasks such as
uniform fittings, physical
exams, shots, haircuts and
reams of forms. It is called
reception.
6 | FORT JACKSON

Noah Hall, of Bainbridge, Ga.,


above, and Brandon Chavez, of
Washington, left, get haircuts
during reception at Fort Jackson.
During the reception stage, new
recruits complete paper work
and undergo medical and dental
screenings. Male recruits also
get the traditional boot camp
haircut.
PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

SEAN RAYFORD

GERRY MELENDEZ

Recruits head out of the reception center.

GERRY MELENDEZ

SEAN RAYFORD

Davelle Draper stands at attention during a swearing-in ceremony in June before the start of
basic training.

Jamie Bowen, 18, of St. Matthews, gathers


his three pairs of boots as he goes through
reception.

VICTORY | 7

PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

During the reception phase, recruits are outfitted with boots, uniforms, name tags and other basic materials. At left, Jamie Udet, 18, of Myrtle Beach,
organizes her name tag and patches. Center, recruits line up with their bags as they prepare to receive uniforms and boots. At right, recruits try on
their boots for the first time.

Drill Sgt. Javier Solivan demonstrates the proper parade rest position to recruits during the reception phase.

FORT FACT
Maj. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, commanding general of the 77th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Jackson,
addressed his men during the middle of World War II on April 11, 1942. We shall have thorough training and hard work. ...
If you think you are working too hard, remember what our enemies are doing.
SOURCE: A HISTORY OF FORT JACKSON PUBLISHED IN 1967
8 | FORT JACKSON

MY FORT STORY: JERRY B. TRAMMELL

A recruit meets
a general, fellow
Clemson fan
PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

Jamie Udet, middle, joins other recruits as they try on their uniforms for the first time.

Jamie Bowen and other recruits try on their uniforms for the first time.

On June 4, 1969, I got off the Greyhound


bus that had taken me from Anderson to Columbia and was met by a U.S. Army bus for
the ride out to Fort Jackson,
which would start my basic
training.
I was assigned to Company
D, Eighth Battalion, Second
Training Brigade for the
duration of my stay at the
fort. One day while mowing
As a soldier
the grass on the parade field
(during my zero week prior
to the beginning of my basic
training), I got to meet Brig.
Gen. William Coleman, the
deputy commanding general of Fort Jackson. He was
jogging around the same area
I was mowing and stopped
Trammell
to talk to me. He asked me
where I was from, and when I
told him Anderson, he told me he was from
Iva, which is just a few miles from Anderson, and we discussed our love of Clemson
University and its football team. During the
course of my training, he checked back with
me several times to talk about Iva, Anderson, and our team.
On Thursday, Aug. 7, (after going from
208 pounds to a very light 168 pounds due in
part to the hot, humid weather at the fort), I
graduated and went on to Fort McClellan in
Anniston, Ala. Meeting Brig. Gen. Coleman
made my stint at Fort Jackson special to me.
Jerry B. Trammell
Sumter, S.C.

Recruits are asked to hold a training pose by a drill sergeant during boot fitting in the
reception center.

Editors note: General Coleman became Fort


Jacksons 26th commanding general in July 1970.
He was a 1936 graduate of then Clemson College
and received a commission as a second lieutenant
in the Army through Clemsons ROTC program.
After teaching high school in McCormick, he
served in the Army during World War II as a
special operations and intelligence officer with the
Seventh Army Headquarters. He also served in
the Korean War and did two tours in Vietnam. He
retired in 1974 and died at Moncrief Army Hospital
at Fort Jackson on July 25, 1977. He received the
Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf
clusters, the Army Distinguished Service Medal,
the Silver Star with three oak leaf clusters, among
other medals.
VICTORY | 9

PHOTOS BY TIM DOMINICK

Fort Jackson recruits have to carry their duffel bags a long distance and then hold them over their heads when arriving at the living quarters. Drill
sergeants have no patience with those who packed too much and cannot complete the task.

RED PHASE
On a morning in early July, the
recruits of Delta Company and the
rest of their battalion are herded onto
buses and taken to their barracks for
the start of the Red Phase of training.
As the buses stop and the recruits exit,
the shark attack begins.
The recruits are immediately and
aggressively confronted by their drill
sergeants, who they are meeting for
the first time. They are screamed at.
Hurried. Harassed. Forced to line up.
Forced to lift their heavy duffel bags repeatedly above their heads to the point
of exhaustion.
Their cellphones are confiscated.
Their belongings are rifled through
for contraband.
Then they are hustled off to Victory
Tower, where they are forced to climb
a maze of ropes and nets and to rappel
down a 40-foot wall. Its their first
training exercise, intended to build
their confidence, and for some, it is the
most difficult obstacle they will face.
No is not an option. Welcome to
the Army.
10 | FORT JACKSON

Drill sergeants swarm a recruit who packed too much.

PHOTOS BY TIM DOMINICK

Fort Jackson recruits have to give up their cellphones while in basic training. They get one quick call home to say they have arrived safely.

Fort Jackson recruits meet their drill sergeants for the first time during the Red Phase. Here,
Staff Sgt. Alfonzo Branch gives orders to the recruits.

Fort Jackson recruits on the short bus ride to


meet their drill sergeants for the first time.
VICTORY | 11

ARMY
PHRASES
ON THE TRAIL
The time a soldier
spends as a drill
sergeant.

JACKED UP
Screwed up,
messy soldier.

SQUARED AWAY
A sharp, neat,
physically fit soldier.

ON POINT
A soldier in complete
control of himself
or herself and the
situation around
them.

HOPN & POPN


When a soldier
is moving quickly
and with purpose.

ARE YOU
TRACKING ME?
Do you understand
what Im saying?

ROGER THAT
I totally understand.

HOOAH
An affirmative call
and response.

A recruit rappels
down Victory
Tower.
TIM DOMINICK

12 | FORT JACKSON

PHOTOS BY TIM DOMINICK

At the start of basic training, recruits face their fears at Victory Tower. This section of the obstacle course is called the Commando Crawl.

Recruits must get used to carrying their weapons almost everywhere.

Xavier Ruffin, 18, of Bamberg, and other recruits leave the gas chamber after removing their
masks and experiencing a nontoxic, but irritating, gas.
VICTORY | 13

WHITE PHASE
A soldier is nothing without his or
her rifle. And in White Phase also
known as the rifleman phase recruits
are taught how to use their weapons,
engage the enemy, protect their fellow
soldiers and live to fight another day.
The drill sergeants teach the new
soldiers how to move, communicate
and shoot. The training becomes more
difficult as it unfolds. Not only do the
privates learn to fire their rifles, they
also use heavy machine guns as well
as rocket-propelled grenades and hand
grenades.
During White Phase they are beginning to become soldiers. The disdain
of the drill sergeants exhibited in Red
Phase begins to dissipate.
The recruits are transitioning into
privates in the United States Army, but
they still have a lot to learn.
After White Phase, most recruits
who struggled have been held back
for another cycle or washed out. Some
might have to work a little harder on
some aspect of their training mostly
physical to graduate.
14 | FORT JACKSON

SEAN RAYFORD

Above: An instructor demonstrates proper technique during grenade training. Top: Fort Jackson
privates listen to instructions during buddy movement training.

FORT FACT
Corp. Freddie Stowers, who trained at Fort
Jackson, is the only African-American to be
awarded the Medal of Honor for service
during World War I.
A native of Sandy Springs in Anderson
County, Stowers joined the First Provisional
Infantry Regiment for
African-American
soldiers on Oct. 4, 1917.
He was part of the first
military draft of World
War I.
Stowers was killed by
machine gun fire on Sept.
28, 1918, while leading an infantry charge on
German trenches.
His Medal of Honor citation says Stowers
went above and beyond the call of duty
when his company led the attack at Hill 188,
Champagne Marne Sector, France.
TIM DOMINICK

Shortly after the attack began, the enemy


came out of the trenches, leading Stowers
and his company to believe the Germans
were surrendering. However, soon after the
American forces came out of their trenches,
the enemy resumed fire.
Stowers led his company to the enemy
trench line to take out a machine gun post
that was causing a majority of the casualties.
As Stowers and his men moved forward,
he was shot. He continued to go on with
his company and encouraged his men to
go forward without him. They eventually
captured the hill.
Stowers commanding officer recommended him for the Medal of Honor, but the
paperwork was misplaced. But on April 24,
1991, President George H.W. Bush presented Stowers Medal of Honor to his two
sisters.
He is buried at Meuse-Argonne American
Cemetery and Memorial in Lorraine, France.

A recruit talks to an instructor during grenade training.

SEAN RAYFORD

SOURCES: FORT JACKSON LEADER,


INDEPENDENT-MAIL OF ANDERSON

VICTORY | 15

A recruit crawls toward


a target during Night
Infiltration Course
training. The nighttime
training uses live
machine gun fire as
recruits crawl toward
a target over a sand
obstacle field about
200 yards in length.
SEAN RAYFORD

TIM DOMINICK

Above:
Recruit
Devon
Clarkson
goes through
buddy
movement
training.
Right:
Jamie Udet
and Allicia
Wiggs, 18,
of Beaufort,
hoist
Jamie
Bowen
up a wall.

TRACY GLANTZ

TRACY GLANTZ
16 | FORT JACKSON

Jamie Bowen on the Confidence Climb, a 40-foot tower, during the


White Phase of basic training.

Devon Clarkson helps Jamie Bowen up a wall during the confidence course.

TRACY GLANTZ

TRACY GLANTZ

GERRY MELENDEZ

Above: Allicia Wiggs looks at the 40-foot tall obstacle she and
other recruits will climb during the confidence course.
Left: Recruits with D Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry
Regiment, 193rd Infantry Brigade go through weapons training
at the Bastogne range.

VICTORY | 17

Xavier Ruffin
goes through
weapons
training at the
Bastogne range.
GERRY MELENDEZ

18 | FORT JACKSON

SEAN RAYFORD

Above: Recruits practice during grenade training. Below: A recruit dives for cover
during grenade training.

TIM DOMINICK

Allicia Wiggs and Jamie Udet go through buddy movement training.

SEAN RAYFORD

VICTORY | 19

FORT FACT
Hilton Field, where nearly all basic training graduation ceremonies

machine-gun nest in Brancourt, France. When they ran out of

are held, is named for Richmond Hobson Hilton of the Westville

ammunition for their rifles, Hilton continued attacking with just his

community in Kershaw County.

pistol. He killed six enemy soldiers and captured 10. His arm was

Hilton, a member of the S.C. National Guard, was awarded the

later amputated because of injuries sustained in the battle.

Medal of Honor for his service in World War I, according to a histo-

He later became a lawyer and commander of the S.C. American Le-

ry of Fort Jackson published in 1967.

gion. He drowned in Lake Murray in 1933 after his boat overturned.

On Oct. 11, 1918, Hilton and other men attacked an enemy

He is buried in Camden.

20 | FORT JACKSON

MY FORT STORY:
RONALD W. VAUGHN

A bloody
encounter
with a
sergeant

GERRY MELENDEZ

Above: Jamie Udet,


left, Xavier Ruffin
and Devon Clarkson go through
weapons training
with grenade
launchers at the
Bastogne range.
Left: Devon Clarkson goes through
buddy movement
training.
TIM DOMINICK

I went to basic training at Fort


Jackson in August 1960. What
I remember the most was that
basic training was
not hard on me.
The main reason
was that I was in
such good shape.
In special training I
finished the highest
in all aspects of
As a soldier
physical fitness
in my company.
Toward the end of
the cycle we had an
overnight camping
trip on the other
side of the base. We
had to clean our
weapons in the dark
Vaughn
and perform various exercises and
maneuvers during the excursion.
The next night we ran back to the
barracks. Most of the company
stopped running after a while but
I was able to keep running longer.
Another time toward the end of
basic training we had to stand in
formation with our M-1 rifles. When
the sergeant came in front of you for
inspection, you had to slide the bolt
back, then let it close, using your
thumb to push the slide down and
the bolt back. This had to be done
fast in order to get your thumb out
of the way. I had done this many
times in the past with no problem.
This time, however, I was not able to
get my thumb out in time and blood
went on the sergeants shirt. He
paused his next inspection, turned
back to me, smiled, and then went
on to the next soldier.
Ronald W. Vaughn
Cayce
VICTORY | 21

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: Jamie Udet, left, eats an M.R.E. during the Victory Forge training exercise. Victory Forge is the culminating basic combat training exercise
where recruits spend four days and three nights putting their skills to test with little time to rest. It concludes with a 10-mile march.
Below: Privates in D Company shout a cadence on their way to lunch.

BLUE PHASE
In Blue Phase, recruits learn to
work as a team in combat situations,
how to cover each other when moving
forward and how to negotiate a night
infiltration course. They take long,
challenging marches. Leaders emerge.
By the time Blue Phase arrives, the
privates begin taking more individual initiatives in their training. They
learn to live for long periods in remote
surroundings, digging foxholes and
latrines and sustaining themselves
with Meals Ready to Eat.
Physical training is honed to the
highest level. Milestones are reached.
Blue Phase is the culmination
of all the new soldiers training.
When they have passed all of the
tests, the privates congregate for Rite
of Passage and receive their black
berets with their distinctive blue
patches.
22 | FORT JACKSON

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

A soldier in training holds the push-up position before lunch.

FORT FACT
President George W. Bush
spoke at a basic training
graduation at Fort Jackson
on Nov. 2,
2007.
Over the
last century,
Fort Jackson
has prepared
countless
young Americans to defend
our country, Bush said
at Hilton Field. Soldiers
marched from these fields to
battle fascists, and dictators,
and terrorists. Those soldiers
brought freedom to millions
of people they never knew.
Because of their efforts,
America is stronger, America
Test grader Daniel Hoyson, left, watches Anthony Garcia during his final Army Physical Fitness Test in basic
training.

is safer, and America is free.


SOURCE: THE STATE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
VICTORY | 23

Devon Clarkson digs a foxhole during the Victory Forge training exercise.

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: Quentin Wright digs a foxhole during the Victory Forge training exercise.
Left: Brian Cabico provides security during Victory Forge training.

24 | FORT JACKSON

Allicia
Wiggs
provides
security
during
Victory
Forge.
SEAN RAYFORD
VICTORY | 25

Above:
Marichung
Duncan grimaces
while removing
her boots after
the final march of
Victory Forge.
Right:
A private in
D Company,
2nd Battalion,
60th Infantry
Regiment, 193rd
Infantry Brigade
shows
his feet to a
drill sergeant
following the
march concluding
Victory Forge.
PHOTOS BY SEAN
RAYFORD

26 | FORT JACKSON

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: A private looks through photos in his locker during downtime at Fort Jackson on a Sunday
in August. Left: Jamie Udet, of D Company, 2nd
Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 193rd Infantry
Brigade, laces up a pair of boots.

Above: Private Devon


Clarkson, left, talks with
a fellow soldier.
Left: Private Christopher Hamilton, right,
prepares a uniform
during downtime.
Far left: Private Jamie
Bowen looks over a
hand-drawn calendar.

VICTORY | 27

Privates react after a two-mile run during their final physical fitness test in basic training.

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

FORT FACTS
An estimated 500,000
American soldiers were
trained at Fort Jackson during
World War II.
SOURCE: A HISTORY OF FORT JACKSON
PUBLISHED IN 1967

Actor Leonard Nimoy, who


played Dr. Spock
in the
Star Trek
television
series and
movies,
received basic

AP

combat training at Fort Jackson


in 1953. He served in the Army
through 1955.
SOURCE: FORT JACKSON, ARMY TIMES

28 | FORT JACKSON

Staff Sgt. Tiffany Brown watches a private during her final physical fitness test of basic training.

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Xavier Ruffin and fellow soldiers in D Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 193rd Infantry Brigade participate in a drill and ceremonies
competition following their Rite of Passage ceremony at the end of basic training.

Above: A private holds a flag before a Rite of Passage


ceremony at Fort Jackson on Sept. 3. The ceremony
recognizes that each soldier has successfully completed
the tasks needed to graduate from Basic Combat Training.
Left: Quinton Wright leads fellow soldiers in a drill and
ceremonies competition following their Rite of Passage
ceremony.

VICTORY | 29

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: Americas newest soldiers emerge from behind a smokescreen to greet relatives and friends for the first time in 10 weeks. Below left:
Private Katrina Trujillo, left, shares photos with Xavier Vasque at the Officers Club during Family Day. Below right: Private Jemik Davis holds his son
Kimej Davis during Family Day.

FAMILY DAY
At the end of their training cycle, on the
Wednesday before graduation, the new
soldiers are reunited with their families.
It is the first time their loved ones have
seen them in 10 weeks. For many, the transformation is shocking.
The gangly high schooler and overweight
problem child have become the nations
newest soldiers. And their familys pride is
often overwhelming.
30 | FORT JACKSON

Top: Soldiers march across


Hilton Field during Family Day
on Sept. 7.
Above left: Family and friends
of soldiers applaud for their
loved ones during Family Day.
Above right: Soldiers and
family members look at
artifacts in the Basic Combat
Training Museum during
Family Day.
Left: Jamie Udet, left, gets a
hug from her boyfriend, Zack
Perritt, during Family Day.
PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

VICTORY | 31

GRADUATION
Graduation ceremonies begin with the new soldiers staging at the far end of Hilton Field. They then march in formation to the fields center. Awards are presented. Speeches are
given. The battalion passes in review.
Then the soldiers are released into the custody of their families for one afternoon. Most head out on the town for a meal of
their choosing at the restaurant of their choosing.
Then early the next morning, the soldiers immediately
ship out for their advanced individual training at bases
across the United States.
You arrived at Jackson as individuals but you leave now as
members of the Army Strong team, Lt. Col. Jeremy Peifer,
commander of the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment,
193rd Infantry Brigade, said when D Company graduated on
Sept. 8. We need you to be proud of what you have accomplished over the last 10 weeks. Remember, soldiers: No one
handed this to you. You have earned the privilege and honor
to call yourselves United States Army soldiers.
32 | FORT JACKSON

Above: Soldiers
march during
graduation day
ceremonies Sept. 8.
Left: Jamie Udet
stands at attention
during graduation
ceremonies.
Far left: Private
Devon Clarkson,
right, hugs
his father, Terry
Clarkson, following
graduation day
ceremonies.
PHOTOS BY
SEAN RAYFORD

VICTORY | 33

THE HISTORY
OF FORT JACKSON

BY PAUL OSMUNDSON

posmundson@thestate.com

he Columbia Chamber of Commerce saw an opportunity


and took advantage.
With World War I raging in Europe, many Americans
in 1916 believed the United States would soon be
drawn into the fight. Many also saw that the country
was unprepared for war. Among the most pressing needs:
training camps for soldiers.

34 | FORT JACKSON

Soldiers train at Fort Jackson in 1941.


The fort has trained soldiers for our
nations wars since 1917.
BASIC COMBAT TRAINING MUSEUM ARCHIVES
VICTORY | 35

FORT FACTS
During World War
I, one soldier sent a
postcard to his brother
about the conditions
at Fort Jackson. Yes,
the green grass is a
misprint as there is no
grass here. Weather
is very hot but the
sweating I think it will
do me good in the long
(run) as I have already
dropped from 46 size
(suit) to 37.
SOURCE: COURTESY OF
CARL R. SHIRLEY JR.

In mid-September 1918,
an influenza outbreak
occurred at Fort Jackson. Eventually, 5,000
people at the fort were
treated and 300 died
from the disease.
SOURCE: A HISTORY OF FORT
JACKSON PUBLISHED IN 1967

36 | FORT JACKSON

BASIC COMBAT TRAINING MUSEUM ARCHIVES

Above: Hardaway Contracting Company of Columbus, Ga., was selected to build the Army camp in Columbia.
Within six months, the company constructed 1,519 buildings at what was then known as Camp Jackson. The
buildings included a movie theater. Below: A postcard shows soldiers practicing semaphore signaling during
World War I.

Above: The
Camp Jackson
flagpole,
erected in
October 1917,
was located
in front of the
81st Division
headquarters
building. The
Camp Jackson
flagpole was
153 feet tall,
made of two
straight timbers spliced
together.
Left: Inside
Fort Jackson
mess hall
BASIC COMBAT
TRAINING MUSEUM
ARCHIVES

VICTORY | 37

Columbia Chamber leaders


thought their city would be ideal
for such a camp. They proposed
to the Army that land formerly
owned by the late Wade Hampton be selected for training. The
chamber led a fundraising drive
that quickly raised $59,000 to
purchase the property east of
Columbia from the Hampton
estate, according to a history
of Fort Jackson prepared for its
50th anniversary.
On May 19, 1917 just a month
after Congress declared war on
Germany Maj. Douglas MacArthur announced that one of the
Armys 16 new camps would
be constructed near Columbia.
The Army was drawn to the area
because of the citys support,
the areas moderate climate, and
the new bases sandy soil, which
eased drainage after heavy rains.
Columbia put up a good fight
for the camp, and deserved
to win, The State newspaper
reported.
In June of that year, a contract was awarded to Hardaway
Contracting Co. of Columbus,
Ga., to build the camp. During
the next six months, Hardaway
built 1,519 buildings at the
camp, including theaters, stores,
barracks, training facilities,
stables and garages, according
to the 50th anniversary history.
An airfield also was built, and
railroad lines were laid.
In July 1917, Camp Jackson
was officially established as a
World War I training base. It
was also named for Andrew
Jackson, an Army major general
during the War of 1812 and the
nations seventh president.
The Columbia City Trolley
Company established a new line
to Camp Jackson by mid-April,
and the first draftees arrived for
training on Sept. 5.
Draftees began arriving on
Sept. 5, 1917, before Camp Jackson was completed in January
1918. In just eight months, two
swamps were drained including Gills Creek swamp and
a sewage system with 84,500
linear feet of pipe was built.
To date, nearly 5 million soldiers have been trained at Fort
Jackson, and they have served in
every conflict the United States
has fought since World War I.
Today, it is the nations largest
basic training installation.

38 | FORT JACKSON

BASIC COMBAT TRAINING MUSEUM ARCHIVES

Above: An observation balloon during World War I. Right: Soldiers train on artillery equipment in
1918.

FORT JACKSON
TIMELINE

SOURCE: FORT JACKSON HISTORY PREPARED


FOR ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

MAY 19, 1917

Maj. Douglas McArthur


announces that Columbia has
been chosen for one of 16
new Army bases.

SEPT. 5, 1917

First draftees arrive at Camp


Jackson.

NOV. 11, 1918

World War I ends.

APRIL 25, 1922

The barracks and bath houses at


Fort Jackson during World War I.
The first draftees arrived at the
fort on Sept. 5, 1917.

With World War I over for


more than three years, Camp
Jackson is abandoned. During
the next 17 years, the camp
becomes a summer training
camp for the South Carolina
National Guard.

OCTOBER 1939

One month after the start of


World War II, Camp Jackson
is activated again. The Armys
6th Division is called up for
duty and begins training at the
base.

AUG. 15, 1940

The Army announces that


Camp Jackson will become a
permanent military post. The
name is changed to Fort Jackson. In less than a year, a military city for 43,000 men is
built. It includes 3,000 buildings, 6,000 winterized tents,
barracks, parade grounds, 100
miles of hard-surfaced roads
and streets, 17 chapels and a
187-acre lake.

MARCH 15, 1941

Gen. George C. Marshall,


Army Chief of Staff, visits
Fort Jackson. After a threehour inspection, he praises
the troops morale and their
training.

VICTORY | 39

Soldiers train on
an M1917 Browning
machine gun mounted
on a truck in 1943.
BASIC COMBAT TRAINING
MUSEUM ARCHIVES

FORT FACT
The first conscientious objector to receive
the Medal of Honor trained at Fort Jackson
during World War II.

handle weapons or work on the Sabbath.


Doss, a private, was accompanying troops in
the battle for a 400-foot-high ridge on Oki-

Every wounded man was lowered to a


safe spot 35 feet below the ridge top,
and then Doss came down the ridge
unscathed.

Desmond T. Doss, a member of the

nawa on May 5 when the Japanese coun-

Seventh-day Adventist Church, was an

terattacked. Many of the Americans were

Soon after that, Japanese fire hit him, and

unarmed Army medic credited with saving

driven off the ridge, but wounded soldiers

he suffered a compound arm fracture.

the lives of dozens of fellow soldiers under

were stranded atop it. Doss remained with

fire on Okinawa in World War II, according

the wounded, and, according to his Medal

to The New York Times. While training at

of Honor citation, he refused to seek cover,

stateside posts, including Fort Jackson,

carrying them, one by one, in the face of

Doss faced harassment from fellow soldiers

enemy fire. He lowered each man on a

for his devotion to prayer and his refusal to

rope-supported litter he had devised.

40 | FORT JACKSON

Doss died in 2006.


A movie based on his life, Hacksaw Ridge,
was released in 2016.
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

President Franklin D. Roosevelt reviews troops stationed at Fort Jackson in 1941. In the presidents car are, left to right, General H.D. Russell,
Commander of the 30th U.S. Division, back to camera, President Roosevelt, Gov. Burnet Maybank, and General W.E. Shedd, commander of the 1st
U.S. Army Corps.

MARCH 31, 1941

President Franklin Roosevelt


visits Fort Jackson, which he calls
"a wonderful piece of work."

JUNE 8, 1942

Gen. George C. Marshall; Lord


Mountbatten, Britains Chief of
Combined Operations; and other
allied officers visit Fort Jackson.
If the United States can go on
turning out divisions like that,
Mountbatten said, victory will
be ours much sooner than I had
thought.

JUNE 24, 1942

The Christmas dinner menu in 1941

COURTESY OF CARL R. SHIRLEY JR.

British Prime Minister Winston


Churchill visits. He, too, was impressed with Americas soldiers.
Theyre just like money in the
bank, he said.
VICTORY | 41

MY FORT STORY: BILL VAUGHAN

Columbian snuck off base to visit his wife


As a soldier

Vaughan

42 | FORT JACKSON

I lived in Columbia from 1961


until October 1968, when I was
drafted and went to Fort Jackson
for basic training. Since we were in
a short cycle, they wanted us finished before Christmas, so training
was six days a week with Sundays
off. But we were restricted to our
company area. I had married right
after I graduated from Columbia
High School and really wanted
to go home during training, so I
would sneak off and my wife would
come on base and I would hide in

the trunk to go home and to come


back. I was so afraid my sergeant
would find out but it was worth that
one day home.
One Monday morning, he said,
Vaughan, you been home lately?
I said, You know, sergeant, we
cant leave our area! He looked
at me but never said another word
and neither did I.
Our barracks were old, twostory wooden buildings not far
from the base hospital. They used
No. 10 size food cans as cigarette

butt cans half filled with water. It


was so cold inside that the water
froze.
We all graduated in December. I
was assigned to be an MP, and after
that training I spent another year at
Fort Jackson before receiving orders
for Vietnam. Those orders were
changed to Korea, thankfully, where
I stayed 13 months before finishing
my service.
Bill Vaughan
Ponte Vedra, Fla.

SEPT. 30, 1942

Roosevelt visits the fort and


watches the 77th Division pass in
review.

EARLY 1943

Fort Jacksons first female soldiers


arrive. The women worked in
motor transport, in the library and
performed clerical duties. Their
arrival allowed more men to be
trained for combat.

MAY 8, 1945

The war in Europe ends.

AUG. 14, 1945

Japan surrenders, ending World


War II.

JUNE 4, 1945

Fort Jackson designated by the


Army as one of four permanent
replacement-training centers in
the United States. The others are
at Fort Ord, Calif.; Fort Dix, N.J.;
and Fort Knox, Ky.

APRIL 30, 1950

With World War II over, Fort


Jackson prepares to be placed on
standby status. But North Korea
invades South Korea less than two
months later, and Fort Jackson is
never placed on standby.

NOVEMBER 1953

Above: More
than 270,000
soldiers were
trained at
Fort Jackson
from May 1939
through March
1944.
Left: Soldiers
present arms
during training
in 1942.
BASIC COMBAT
TRAINING MUSEUM
ARCHIVES

Hilton Field is established in honor


of Richmond Hobson Hilton of
Kershaw County.

JUNE 1958

The 48th Ordnance Detachment


destroys incendiary bomb duds
that had been dropped on Lake
Murrays Twin Islands during
World War II. The islands were
used as a bombing range by
planes from the Columbia Army
Air Base. About 2,200 duds were
uncovered and destroyed.

OCT. 27, 1958

Army Trainer Academy established


at Fort Jackson. It later becomes
the Fort Jackson Non-commissioned Officer Academy.
VICTORY | 43

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Above:
Winston
Churchill,
Britains Prime
Minister, gives
United States
army parachutists the onceover while
visiting Fort
Jackson on
June 24, 1942.
Churchill said
the thousands of
trainees
were just
like money
in the bank.
Right:
Soldiers board
a train to go
home for
Christmas in
1968.
THE STATE ARCHIVES

44 | FORT JACKSON

THE STATE ARCHIVES

The USO in the 1960s.

MY FORT STORY: CLIFTON REYNOLDS

Questions about sparse food spark changes


I arrived at Fort Jackson on Aug. 10,
1968. The first thing I remember was all
of the good food at the mess hall at the
Induction Center. After receiving new
uniforms, haircuts, shots and giving a
pint of blood, we loaded onto a bus for
zero week at our Company E21 on
top of Tank Hill. Once on the company
grounds, no one was allowed to leave
for any reason without permission from
the drill sergeants. The exception was
for Sunday church services or, if not on
duty, Sunday afternoons.
Chow was hectic to say the least.
Once in line, you did not want to be one
of the first 10 guys because you would
be required to serve the other troops
and would have very little time to eat.
I was always hungry, and when we got
paid the first month, I bought snacks to
supplement what the Army was giving us
to eat. I only weighed 126 pounds at that
time, so if I was hungry I knew the other
guys bigger than me were starving. But
we thought it was part of the training so
we complained only to each other.
On a Saturday, we were on the rifle

range, and the chow wagon pulled in for


lunch. I made sure I was not in the first 10
guys in line so I would not
have to serve. This time
they picked the second 10
in line to serve. I was in the
second ten. My job was to
hand out slices of bread.
When some of the guys in
my barracks came though
the line, they asked for two As a soldier
slices of bread, and I gave it
to them.
One of the cooks helpers saw me giving out two
slices of bread, and he told
the mess sergeant, who
came over to me and said:
One slice per man. You
Reynolds
got it?
The next morning I went
to church. After the sermon the chaplain
was shaking hands as we left the church,
and I made sure I was the last one to
leave. I told the chaplain that I had been in
the Army only a short time and certainly
did not know proper procedures but that

we were not getting enough to eat. He said


he would look into it.
The next morning before daylight we
were in formation, and one of the drill
sergeants addressed us and welcomed a
soldier behind us. I recognized his voice as
the chaplain I had spoken to on Sunday.
When we got in line for chow, the
chaplain was at the front of the line
talking with us. When we got into the
mess hall, he was serving ham and bacon. Before our barracks got through the
line they had run out of both and had to
go to the company next door to get some
of the ham and bacon to serve the rest of
the company.
All of the guys were amazed at how
much food we had gotten that morning.
When we returned to the company
that afternoon we heard the news that an
officer and a sergeant had been removed
from duty and that another sergeant and
a cook had been arrested for selling food
to local restaurants in Columbia.
Clifton Reynolds
Sumter

VICTORY | 45

Armed Forces
Day Parade
in downtown
Columbia
in 1968.
THE STATE
ARCHIVES

FORT FACT
Fort Jackson and the military were at the forefront of racial
integration in the nation and in South Carolina. In September
1950, the fort became one of the Armys first bases to integrate,
following President Harry Trumans executive order two years
earlier that the U.S. armed services become desegregated.
In 1963, Fort Jackson Elementary School later named Hood
Street Elementary School became the first desegregated
public elementary school in South Carolina.
SOURCES: BLACK, WHITE AND OLIVE DRAB: RACIAL INTEGRATION AT FORT JACKSON, SOUTH
CAROLINA, AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, BY ANDREW H. MYERS; FORT JACKSONS 50TH
ANNIVERSARY HISTORY TIMELINE

46 | FORT JACKSON

AUGUST 1963

Fort Jackson Elementary


School opens. It is the first
integrated public elementary school in South
Carolina.

OCTOBER 1968

Fort Jackson is officially


annexed by the city of
Columbia.

MAY 19, 1976

Fort Jackson soldiers


begin wearing a new
insignia designed exclusively for the fort. The
insignia displays a replica
of the general and former
U.S. President Andrew
Jackson statue and is
inscribed Victory Starts
Here. Fort Jackson is the
first training base to have
its own insignia.

OCT. 14, 1994

Women are fully integrated into Army basic combat


training units.

AUG. 1, 1995

Construction begins on
the U.S. Army Chaplain
Center and School. The
center opens in 1996.

NOV. 2, 2007

President George W. Bush


visits Fort Jackson.

NOVEMBER 2008

Fort Jackson National


Cemetery opens.

JANUARY 2010

Armed Forces Chaplaincy


Center opens.

FEB. 23, 2011

U.S. Army Drill Sergeant


Academy opens. The
school consolidates previous drill sergeant schools
at Fort Leonard Wood,
Mo.; Fort Benning, Ga.;
and Fort Jackson.
VICTORY | 47

A soldier
trains in
1966.
THE STATE
ARCHIVES

BASIC COMBAT TRAINING MUSEUM ARCHIVES

Above: Soldiers on Fort Jacksons obstacle course in 1991. Right: Staff Sgt. Craig Perrin fires
a 75 mm cannon at Fort Jackson on April 25, 1994, in memory of former President Richard M.
Nixon, who died on April 22, 1994. The cannon was fired once every half hour from 6 a.m. to
5 p.m. on April 25.
48 | FORT JACKSON

THE STATE ARCHIVES

FORT JACKSON

BY THE NUMBERS

63,021

53

Soldiers and sailors trained

38,002

Soldiers who received


basic combat training

23,764

Soldiers who received


advanced training

1,255

Navy sailors who trained


at Fort Jackson

4,932

Civilian employees

Percentage
of all soldiers
receiving basic
training at Fort
Jackson

476,252

Retirees and veterans


in South Carolina supported
by Fort Jackson

59

Percentage of all female


soldiers receiving basic
training at Fort Jackson

2,916

11,686

Family members
of Fort Jackson soldiers

184,000

Active duty military


personnel

Family members of new


soldiers who visit each year
for graduation ceremonies
SOURCE: FORT JACKSON, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
NUMBERS FROM 2015

SEAN RAYFORD

MY FORT STORY: BUD FERILLO

Recruits training led to a path of leadership


I was drafted in 1967 while a student at
the University of South Carolina, having
lost my student deferment because I had
to work during the fall of 1966.
My father had become furious with my
civil rights work, which had become conspicuous, and he discontinued what little
financial support he had been providing.
Even when I returned to Carolina in the
spring 1967 semester, I did not regain my
student deferment. I was listed with the
draft number 1A, just in time of the buildup of troops in Vietnam.
I entered Fort Jackson on July 5, 1967,
and recall the screaming drill sergeants
who greeted us. I was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade (A-1-1). For
a skinny city boy who had only shot a BB
rifle as a kid in Charleston, I was not the
least bit prepared for the eight weeks of
training to come. Nor was I expecting to
be assigned to the infantry by graduation.
My drill sergeant was a fountain of
inane sayings that made us all laugh even
when he was giving us hell: It dont rain
in the Army, it rains on the Army; Walk,
dont run in the rain. Its only water; and
when he issued condoms on our first week-

end of leave: If it rains, wear a raincoat.


Rain, always rain. Good prep for Vietnam.
Once you got past the
head shaving, intense summer heat, constant perspiration and sand down your
back, you had to adjust
to late night cleaning of
the barracks: scrubbing,
waxing and polishing the
floors every night; using
As a soldier
an open restroom with 10
commodes next to each
other without dividers, and
one shower with ten spouts
for 20 soldiers per floor
in the two-story, wooden
barracks.
On the firing range,
in hand-to-hand combat
Ferillo
and bayonet training, and
hand-grenade throwing,
you were remade into a soldier real quick.
Fort Jackson was and remains a good
place to toughen up for the more intensive
training that follows basic infantry training when the country is at war. For me,
Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk,

La., and NCO School at Fort Benning, Ga.


When I went to Vietnam a year later, I had
three stripes on my sleeves as a Sergeant
E-5, serving as a squad leader and occasional platoon sergeant in the 4th Infantry
Division based in the central highlands
of Vietnam. I arrived in July 1968, smack
in the middle of the bloodiest year of the
war (18,000 lost that year alone out of
the 58,000 killed in action) and returned
home exactly two years after I entered
Fort Jackson.
Those were the hardest two years of
my life but the training that began at Fort
Jackson, hard as it was, set me on a path
to leadership and survival. I know things
are better now in our all-volunteer Army,
but I do not regret a day of it, although I
believed then and now that war was not
worth a single American life because our
national interest and safety were never at
stake. But as long as we want ours to be the
land of the free and the home of the brave,
duty, honor, country must always come
first.
Bud Ferillo
Columbia
VICTORY | 49

Cars line up at
6 a.m. at the Fort
Jackson main gate
on Forest Drive.
TRACY GLANTZ

50 | FORT JACKSON

A
CITY
WITHIN
FORT JACKSON

BY JEFF WILKINSON

jwilkinson@thestate.com

or many people driving past Fort Jackson on Interstate 77, the Army
post is a bit of a mystery.
It is surrounded by wire and guarded at the entrances by burly guards
with guns. From outside the fence, they can hear the frequent cadences of massed soldiers, the occasional boom of artillery or the rattle of machine-gun fire.
And, of course, there are the regular bugle calls that signal when soldiers
are supposed to rise, eat, assemble and sleep.

VICTORY | 51

Fort Jackson is a 24-hour operation. At 8 a.m., soldiers march to combative training.

TRACY GLANTZ

FORT FACT
The number of
Fort Jackson
military police was
expanded from
150 to 250 in early
1941 because of
vice conditions
aggravated by
camp followers,
according to a Jan.
12, 1941, article in
The State newspaper. The additional
military police
were added as the
number of soldiers
at the fort increased
before the U.S.
entered World
War II.

SEAN RAYFORD

At 11:30 p.m., Fort Jackson gate guard Willie Shaw checks a drivers identification at the Forest Drive entrance.
52 | FORT JACKSON

Just after
midnight, Staff
Sgt. Jeremy
Douglas works at
the front desk in
a living quarters
office on Fort
Jackson.
SEAN RAYFORD

At 7 a.m., Cpl. Jessica Bruha closes off a road near the Forest Drive gate.

TRACY GLANTZ

The uninitiated may have visions of


long columns of soldiers with guns, a
rough outpost of hard-fightin G.I.s,
intimidating to and wary of those civilians outside the gates.
Not really.
Fort Jackson is more of a college
town where all the students and
instructors wear camouflage.
Sure, there are plenty of seasoned,
veteran soldiers at Fort Jackson, particularly among the drill sergeants.
But there are no combat units, as like
at Fort Bragg, N.C., or Fort Stewart,
Ga. The only people who carry loaded
weapons on post are security guards,
police and soldiers on well-monitored
rifle ranges. Thats true for the bases
that house combat division and brigades as well.
Outside of barracks, classrooms
and chow halls for recruits and remote firing ranges and training sites,
Fort Jackson is a self-sufficient city
within a city, open to the public. It
hosts amenities like shops, fast-food
restaurants, a civic center, museums,
a golf course and a movie theater,
many operated by private franchisees
and open to the public.
VICTORY | 53

At 9 a.m., Olin Cramer, from left, Ronald Beattie and Jim Wilson prepare to play a round at the Fort Jackson Golf Club.

TRACY GLANTZ

MY FORT STORY: JACK GOULD

Where are the tanks on Tank Hill?


It was the second week of January
1956, and this newly graduated forester
from Michigan State University wasnt
headed to a new job. He was headed to
two years in Uncle Sams Army. School
was over, and he was drafted.
I was an Illinois resident at the time,
and Chicago was to be our departure
point. It was soon revealed that we were
all going to a place called Fort Jackson
near Columbia, South Carolina.
We were placed in barracks on a location on Fort Jackson identified as Tank
Hill. This location somewhat frames
my first humorous story about basic
training at Fort Jackson. After leaving
Fort Jackson came marriage, two children, and, somehow, employment with
the South Carolina Forestry Commission in Kingstree.
54 | FORT JACKSON

Traveling within the state, I often


skirted around the edge of Fort Jackson, and I would comment to my young
children about my Army basic training
days, and the barracks on Tank Hill.
This sounded exciting to these young
kids who could visualize such military
armament, and how it fit into the training scene. So one time as we were near
the fort, I said, Lets go see Tank Hill!
The kids were so excited: They were
finally going to go to Tank Hill! When
we reached the area, I believed I spotted
the barracks where our company had
been assigned, and then exclaimed to
the kids, Well here we are, and there is
the tank.
Where? they said. We dont see
any tank.
They, of course, were looking for the

usually camouflaged military fighting


machine called a tank, and it was
nowhere to be seen. Instead, here was
this round and tall metal structure I was
pointing at enthusiastically ... a water
tank.
Well, it didnt take too long for this
disappointment to mellow out to be the
joke of the year, or maybe even of the
decade. Personally, even though the
incident occurred almost 50 years ago,
just thinking of it puts a grin on this ole
mans face.
Jack Gould
Lexington
Editors note: The water tank was installed
in March, 1941. Because of deterioration, the
tank was demolished on April 13, 2011. It was
90 feet high and 60 feet in diameter.

Members of the Thursday night bowling league practice at 6 p.m. before a tournament at Century Lanes Bowling Center at Fort Jackson.

Above: At 6 a.m.,
Denise Mashack, left,
and Lisa Edmond
prepare breakfast for
trainees. The fort contracts with a private
company to provide
food services.
Right: At 11 a.m.,
Paul Smith eats
lunch at the Popeyes
Louisiana Kitchen on
Lee Road.
PHOTOS BY
TRACY GLANTZ

At 5 a.m., Deneace Grinnell works out at Andys


Fitness Center in the Solomon Center on Strom
Thurmond Boulevard.

FORT FACT
In July 1943, soldiers from the 100th Infantry
Division known as The Century Players
presented the play The Eve of St. Mark
at the Columbia Town Theatre.
SOURCE: A HISTORY OF FORT JACKSON PUBLISHED IN 1967
VICTORY | 55

At 7 a.m., Raja
Kandanada walks
his dog Sandy.
TRACY GLANTZ

At 5 a.m., a drill sergeant arrives for work.


56 | FORT JACKSON

SEAN RAYFORD

MY FORT STORY: DR. JEFF MAGUN

Recruit thankful
for training
from sergeants
I arrived at Fort Jackson on Dec. 2, 1963,
and departed for Fort Bragg, N.C., the first
week of February 1964 for my medic training. I am from the Hartford, Conn., area,
and it was the first time I had ever been in
South Carolina. Like most people entering
basic training, I was pretty nervous. It started in what was affectionately called zero
week where we rarely got more than two or
three hours of continuous sleep for the entire
time. Then, we were sent to our permanent
company area on Tank Hill and that is where
I started my basic training. The barracks
from WWII were the ones we lived in and
during the cold weather we all had our
turn staying up all night shoveling coal into
the furnace so we could all stay warm. My
memories are not so much about the process
of basic training but the amazing cadre that
trained us.
We were two cycles behind the Cuban
commandos that were involved in the Bay of
Pigs operation. The cadre all stand out in my
mind. My first sergeant was Bert Fowler, who
had a chest full of ribbons and was tough as
nails. My platoon sergeant was Sgt. Santiago,
who could probably run 20 miles without
breaking a sweat. He would take our company on the early morning runs at about 5 a.m.
Then, there was Sgt. Pabon, who was without
question a soldiers soldier who had amazing
leadership skills. He was originally from
Puerto Rico, like Sgt. Santiago. I remember
Sgt. Fischback from Panama, who taught in
the advanced hand-to-hand combat section
and helped run the jungle warfare program
in Panama. He always carried himself with a
swagger and was a great teacher.
Sgt. Ruiz, also from Panama, was a medic
in the 101st Airborne Division and had a
really command presence.
Not until after I arrived at Fort Bragg did
I realize how Sgt. Fowlers toughness was
important to prepare us for the next level. I
turned 75 on July 26, and these memories
are still held close to my heart 53 years later.
Dr. Jeff Magun
Columbia

SEAN RAY FORD

At 3 p.m., Private Hakem Stewart sorts prescriptions at Moncrief Army Health Clinic.

Editors note: Magun became an optometric


physician. Two of his patients were the son and
daughter of Sgt. Bert Fowler.
VICTORY | 57

PHOTOS BY TRACY GLANTZ

At 11 a.m., Bryan Lovejoy and his son, Erik, 16, from West Palm Beach, Fla., visit the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum. More than 50,000
people visit the museum each year; the busiest days are Wednesdays, or Family Days, when friends and relatives of those recruits about to graduate
visit the fort.

It has a medical clinic, fire department,


police department, social clubs for officers
and non-commissioned officers and two
elementary schools serving grades pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The housing
areas on post resemble any subdivision in
America, with apartments for single soldiers,
duplexes and smaller homes for young families or military retirees, and more luxurious
spreads for the higher ranks.
While many facilities like the golf
course, bowling alley and grocery store
are limited to soldiers, department of
defense personnel and card-carrying
veterans and retirees, civilian visitors can
easily enter the fort by simply registering
at the front gate for a day pass after a brief
background check.
Visitors can tour four museums, take
their kids to Palmetto Falls Water Park,
enjoy a sandwich at Burger King, sip a cup
of coffee at Starbucks, or clean up their
cars at Sgt. Suds Car Wash.
You can see fireworks on the Fourth of
July, enjoy the occasional outdoor concert, and everyone, at least once, should
go to a basic training family day or graduation ceremony, held every Wednesday
58 | FORT JACKSON

At about 11 a.m., Liam, Emery and Julia Matthews play at Palmetto Falls Water Park on Fort Jackson. Civilians are eligible to use the park, which features two water slides, a 10,000-square-foot
pool, a Lazy River stretching over 800 feet, and a snack bar.

and Thursday.
Fort officials encourage the public,
particularly those who have never been
inside the installation, to visit.
Were part of the community, Fort

Jackson spokesman Pat Jones said.


Soldiers are just members of the general
public who have raised their hands and
volunteered for the service. We want you
to join us.

Physical training is required for members of the Fort Jackson Fire Department. Station captain Alex Rivera works out at 5 p.m.

PHOTOS BY TRACY GLANTZ

FORT FACT
Evangelist Billy Graham held
a rally at Fort Jackson in
October 1958. The rally was
initially scheduled for the
State House, but was opposed by Gov. George Bell
Timmerman. Timmerman
was a strict segregationist
who wasnt fond of Grahams
integrated rallies. Timmerman claimed that holding
a rally at the State House
violated the separation of
church and state. Up to
60,000 people attended the
Fort Jackson rally, described
at the time as the largest
turnout for a non-sporting
event in state history.
At 5:56 p.m., Curtis Burnett monitors the 911 Emergency Center at Fort Jackson.

SOURCE: THE STATE NEWSPAPER


ARCHIVES
VICTORY | 59

At 8 a.m.,
David Lauten
bicycles up
Dixie Road on
Fort Jackson.
TRACY GLANTZ

MY FORT STORY: FRANK GAUSE

A cold shower with no roof in January


In about October of 1965, I had been
married for 10 months and was living in
Asheville, N.C., enjoying a new job and
having a great time. One day my new
wife called me at work and in a somewhat
hysterical fashion told me to come home
immediately because I had received a
piece of mail from Uncle Sam. That piece
of mail turned out to be a request from
dear Uncle Sam to go to Charlotte, N.C.,
for a physical exam. I was considered well
enough and smart enough to become a
member of the United States Army.
I arrived at Fort Jackson sometime in
the first week of January 1966. I was still
in somewhat of a shock and my condition
was not helped by the fact it was very cold
and rainy. The first week or so is spent
in what is interestingly referred to as the
reception station. Thats where you get
assigned to a barrack, get your first haircut, your free clothes, an introduction
to standing in straight lines, walking in
step with a bunch of other people who are
equally inept at doing all that stuff.
There were no barracks! We were told
not to worry our hairless little heads
because suitable accommodations
60 | FORT JACKSON

were available. We marched over to a


separate area and were introduced to
tent city. Now these were not little
two-man pup tents, but
nice tents with 3-foothigh walls and a dirt floor
that would accommodate
15 or so complaining
recruits who were to
sleep on fold-up cots.
Each tent was heated by a
coal-burning heater. We
As a soldier
were all grateful that the
coal was supplied. Well
grumble, grumble, and
lets go see the latrine.
We were ushered out and
introduced to a cinder
block structure on a concrete slab. I believe it was
about 15 by 15 feet square Gause
and had shower nozzles
mounted on the wall and one handle for
water. I emphasize one handle because
if you have only cold water, you dont
need two handles. Alas, there was no
roof. The shower facility was a cinder
block structure on a concrete slab with

no roof and only cold water. Have I


mentioned it was the first of January
and cold and rainy? I do not remember
what facilities were provided for other
latrine functions.
I do remember we were required to
shave, but other niceties were overlooked.
You could tell tent dwellers by the soot
in the corner of their eyes, nostrils and
ears. If I remember correctly, we were
in those tents a week or two. Then one
day we packed our stuff and went to our
permanent basic training barracks. These
buildings were numbered and each number was preceded by the letter T. These
were temporary barracks built for the
WWII troop buildup. But you know what?
We didnt care. They were clean, warm
and had hot water in a real latrine with a
roof. Life was good.
Those first weeks as well as the three
years in the United States Army were
some of the most important and formative years of my life. I am grateful for
having been drafted.
Frank Gause
Lexington

At 2:30 p.m., military technician Brandon Mosley works on an engine at the 81st Regional Support Command shop.

SEAN RAYFORD

SEAN RAYFORD

TRACY GLANTZ

Left: Shortly before 9 a.m., a soldier leads the 282nd Army Band during graduation day ceremonies at Fort Jackson army base. Right: At 11 a.m., Eric
Johnson shops for bargains at the Post Exchange at Fort Jackson.
VICTORY | 61

Fort Jackson houses the U.S. Armys only


Drill Sergeant Academy. Here, drill sergeant
candidates line up to receive their hats during a
graduation ceremony in August 2014.
GERRY MELENDEZ

62 | FORT JACKSON

BEYOND
THE BASICS
OTHER MISSIONS AT THE FORT

BY JEFF WILKINSON

jwilkinson@thestate.com

ort Jackson has many missions, not just one.


The post is best known as the nations largest and busiest basic
training installation.
That mission consists of the U.S. Army Training Center and its
10 battalions of about 1,200 recruits each. The battalions are in constant 10-week training cycles, churning out up to 50,000 new soldiers
each year. The post is scheduled to get an 11th battalion soon.

VICTORY | 63

Above: The sun


rises as another
day at the U.S.
Army Drill Sergeant Academy
begins. The Army
introduced the
drill sergeant
concept during
pilot courses
at Fort Jackson
in 1963. Before
that, noncommissioned
officers led basic
training.
Right: Drill
Sergeant Leaders
Tawayna Alvarez,
left, Jeremy Bell
and Jorge Perez,
middle, welcome
the new class
of drill sergeant
candidates.
PHOTOS BY GERRY
MELENDEZ

64 | FORT JACKSON

GERRY MELENDEZ

Sgt. Jeaunnesse Caceres, of Puerto Rico, gives her best drill sergeant face to Drill Sergeant Leader Elizabeth
Weaver. In 2015, 1,223 soldiers graduated from the Drill Sergeant Academy.

But Fort Jackson, like other military installations, also


hosts many other tenants.
Think of it as a large military
office park.
Among the 18 other tenants at the fort, for instance,
is the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center, where all of
the nations chaplains in all
service branches are trained.
The combined facility
opened on Fort Jackson in
2010.
Also, all of the Armys drill
sergeants are trained at Fort
Jackson, at the Drill Sergeant
Academy, which opened in
2011.
Other missions include
the Soldier Support Institute, which trains all of the
Armys finance and human
resources professionals,
and the National Center
for Credibility Assessment,
where soldiers learn how to
conduct polygraph tests.
VICTORY | 65

PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

Staff Sgt. Ceasar Cortez, top, and Sgt. In Chul Park, both drill sergeant candidates, work on hand-to-hand combat techniques as they go through
combatives training. Park is from South Korea.

FORT FACT
David Brinkley was
briefly stationed at Fort
Jackson
in the
1940s.
Brinkley
became
AP

a television

journalist, co-hosting
The Huntley-Brinkley
Report on NBC and
also appearing on NBC
Nightly News.

Drill sergeant candidates test their masks inside the NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical) chamber.

66 | FORT JACKSON

MY FORT STORY:
JOHN L. DERHAMMER

In the 1950s,
barracks
were WWII
holdovers
PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

Sgt. Robert Miller and Staff Sgt. Erick Martinez, middle, get fitted for their drill sergeant hats
as graduation from the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy approaches. The design of the drill
sergeant hat is based on the Armys 1883 campaign hat.

Staff Sgt. Michael Turner leaves with his daughter Veronica after taking part in his graduation
ceremony from Drill Sergeant Academy.

From July 1953 to July 1955, I was


a trainee and then an instructor of
trainees at Fort Jackson.
As a trainee, I was assigned to A
Battery, 28th Field Artillery Battalion
for a 16-week infantry
heavy weapons training
program on what was
known as Tank Hill.
The 28th FA Battalion
was part of the 8th
Infantry Divisions Artillery Regiment. After
Derhammer
completion of the training program, I attended
a leadership training program of eight
weeks duration where I was the honor
graduate and, as such, was promoted to
corporal.
At some time in my service at Fort
Jackson, the 8th Infantry Division
was replaced by the 101st Airborne
Infantry Division, and for my last six
months of active duty, I was assigned
as an instructor of basic trainees in the
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
where I taught a variety of courses
ranging from military courtesy, dismounted drill, supply economy, map
reading, field sanitation, etc.
In those days basic trainees did not
have drill sergeants. Their company
officers and enlisted personnel simply
shepherded them to classrooms
and field exercises where they were
trained by people like me in the various military subjects.
Fort Jackson, in those days, had no
permanent buildings every structure
was wooden and there were no quarters on post for officers or enlisted
personnel. Barracks were holdovers
from World War II and were twostory wooden structures heated by
coal-burning furnaces.
John L. Derhammer
Knoxville, Tenn.
VICTORY | 67

Sgt. 1st Class Baden Meyer, right, rehearses graduation ceremonies with soldiers at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center at Fort Jackson. The center
trains all of the Armys chaplains and chaplain assistants. In 2015, 1,137 soldiers graduated from the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at the fort.

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: 2nd Lts. Driant Hoti, of the Kosovo military, and Miguel Chapa
prepare for a graduation ceremony at the chaplaincy center in September. Right: Soon to be Chaplain Assistant Dylan Mize shouts with fellow
soldiers during a graduation rehearsal.

68 | FORT JACKSON

Soon to be Chaplain Assistant Dylan Mize, center, sings with fellow soldiers during a graduation rehearsal.

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

FORT FACT

Fort Jackson has trained


more than people. In 1944,
the 281st Signal Pigeon
Co. trained pigeons to fly
messages in combat during
World War II.
Capt. Carlos Whitley participates in a career course class discussion at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy
Center on Fort Jackson.

SOURCE: A HISTORY OF FORT JACKSON


PUBLISHED IN 1967

VICTORY | 69

Navy sailors learn convoy procedures and are trained to assist injured citizens during Task Force Marshall training.

On the eastern edge of the post is Camp McCrady. It is a training facility owned and operated by
the South Carolina Army National Guard.
But in addition to training Guard members,
Camp McCrady is used to train U.S. Navy sailors,
mostly medical personnel and military police,
who are going into combat zones in the Middle
East and Afghanistan. The sailors, who augment
Army troops on the ground, are taught basics such
as firing an automatic weapon and manning a
convoy.
While not all of the missions at Fort Jackson
involve training the headquarters for all of the
Army Reserve troops in the Southeast is housed
there, for example its no coincidence that most
of the missions have a focus on training.
Everything has to be somewhere, Fort
Jackson spokesman Pat Jones said. Army leaders
try to find places that are a good fit for whatever
entity they want to find a home for. Fort Jackson is
a cost-effective area, there is space for other missions and its in a training environment.
70 | FORT JACKSON

PHOTOS BY TIM DOMINICK

Task Force Marshall trains thousands of Navy shore patrols and others on keeping
the peace on land as police officers. The sailors come from bases all over the world to
train.

Navy sailors learn the proper way to handle and fire M240 machine guns at Fort Jackson during training at Camp McCrady.

TIM DOMINICK

MISSIONS AT FORT JACKSON


U.S. Army Training Center
(2 basic training brigades,
165th Infantry Brigade,
193rd Infantry Brigade)
Basic Combat Training
(10 battalions)
McCrady Army National Guard
Training Center
Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic School
Task Force Marshall
(Navy sailors training
for ground combat)

U.S. Army Student Detachment


Soldier Support Institute
Adjutant General School
Financial Management School
Non-Commissioned Officer Academy

National Center for Credibility


Assessment (polygraph institute)
Drill Sergeant Academy
Leader Training Brigade
(master fitness training, master resiliency
training, pre-command course)

Training support battalion

81st Regional Support Command


(Army reserve)

369th Adjutant General Battalion

Naval Reserve Center

Inter-Service Postal Training

Military Entrance Processing Station

Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center

Columbia Recruiting Battalion


VICTORY | 71

A tour group
goes through a
set of simulated
combat scenarios
as they check out
Fort Jacksons
engagement
skills trainer. The
simulation trains
soldiers on how
to respond to
encounters with
the enemy and
with friendly
citizens.
PHOTOS BY GERRY
MELENDEZ

72 | FORT JACKSON

MY FORT STORY: RAY ALLEN

Recruit is not
swayed by the
Columbia Queens
PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: George Becker leads members of the Richland County Sheriffs Department SWAT team through an office building in a training exercise at Fort
Jackson. Below: Bob Landrum, left, and Rick Ellis played the roles of active
shooters in a training exercise with the Richland County Sheriffs Department
SWAT team at the 81st Regional Support Command at Fort Jackson. The
scenario involved dozens of people killed or injured. Bottom: Participants
prepare for the training.

I had graduated from Florida State in June 1962


and was engaged to be married the following
December. I was a member of the Florida Army
National Guard, so had signed up for the 6-month
active duty plan that was available then. I was at Fort
Jackson for Active Duty between June
and November 1962.
Lots of my college friends had told
me to dread Basic Training, and of
course, I imagined a monster Drill
Sergeant, bad food, and everything
else recruits hear about. Even then, I
was amazed. Almost everything was
the opposite.
1962
One day, our master sergeant
Sergeant Aker announced that the photographers from Columbia would be coming to take our
pictures. We were to put on our khaki uniforms, with
the big round hat, and report to the Mess Hall at a
certain hour. He also made a speech about it all that
went something like this:
Now, men, I want to warn you. Youre goin
to go in there all spiffed up in your nice uniform,
and youre gonna see the first girl youve seen in
quite a while. These girls are what I call Columbia Queens. Theyre not all that pretty, but they
are nice, and they want you to buy lots of pictures.
Thats their job. But just keep in mind you dont
need lots and lots of pictures. Dont go in there and
spend all your pay.
Well, when the time came, we were all ready, and
filed into the Mess Hall. We waited in a long line,
and as they called us, sat down across from one of
the girls. The one I met was very nice, and took my
small order for a few photos.
After I was done, another guy and I stood at the
back of the Mess Hall and watched. Several of the
girls were actually reaching under their tables and
rubbing the boys legs. We both remembered Sgt.
Akers warning, and walked back to the barracks.
Later, I heard it all with comments like, Yeah, I
got six 8x10s..in color, and 10 wallet size. Many
of them had spent over $100, and our pay was less
than half that per month, as I recall. As I expected,
Sgt. Akers warning was based on experience. Like
all the leaders I served under for my six months at
Ft. Jackson, he was a pro who demanded our respect,
but was always fair and kind a fine example for
us all. In his simple firm ways, he made us proud of
ourselves and our country.
Ray Allen
Blue Ridge, Ga.
VICTORY | 73

Above: The Fort


Jackson National
Cemetery was
dedicated Oct. 26,
2008. The 585-acre
cemetery is expected
to serve veterans
needs well into the
next century.
Right: Annie Simmons,
receives the American
flag that was draped
over her husbands
casket from Corey
Reeves, a member
of the Fort Jackson
Honor Platoon, during
a burial service for the
Rev. Daniel Simmons
at Fort Jackson
National Cemetery on
July 2, 2015.
PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

74 | FORT JACKSON

PHOTOS BY GERRY MELENDEZ

Above: Jayden Davis, 4, helps Master Sgt. Helen Davis plant flags to
honor those buried at Fort Jackson National Cemetery in May 2015.
Left: Members of the Fort Jackson Honor Platoon carry the casket of
the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. during a burial at Fort Jackson National
Cemetery on July 2, 2015.

VICTORY | 75

Nearly 2,000 people


attended an event at
Shandon Baptist Church
in February 2015 to
support Fort Jackson.
Katy Cannady joins in
the singing of Proud to
be an American during
the event.
GERRY MELENDEZ
76 | FORT JACKSON

FORT JACKSON &

COLUMBIA

BY JEFF WILKINSON

jwilkinson@thestate.com

hundred years ago, civic and business leaders in


Columbia convinced the U.S. Army to establish a base
in Richland County to train soldiers for World War I.
That close relationship between the Army, the city
and the business community is still strong.
Fort Jackson creates jobs, sends soldiers to volunteer in the
community, brings positive publicity, attracts thousands of
visitors annually and beckons military retirees to move to
the Midlands after their active-duty days are over.
In return, people here strive to make Columbia the most
military friendly city in the country.

VICTORY | 77

TRACY GLANTZ

Soldiers from Fort Jackson and members of the Richland County Sheriffs Department drive through neighborhoods doing walfare checks after
widespread flooding in the Columbia area in October 2015.

FORT FACTS
Singer and songwriter Jim
Croce, who went through basic
training at Fort Jackson, said
a sergeant at the fort helped
inspire his song, Bad, bad
Leroy Brown. His song Operator was said to be inspired
by listening to another soldier
trying to make a phone call to
his estranged girlfriend.
SOURCE: I GOT A NAME: THE JIM CROCE STORY
BY INGRID CROCE AND JIMMY ROCK

The movie Renaissance Man


was filmed over seven weeks at
Fort Jackson in 1993. The movie
was directed by Penny Marshall
and starred Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines and Mark Walhberg.
78 | FORT JACKSON

TIM DOMINICK

Fort Jackson tested its ability to respond to multiple incidents in April 2016 with a comprehensive exercise
that included security personnel and emergency responders from Fort Jackson and the local community.

PHOTOS BY SEAN RAYFORD

Above: Every year, Fort Jackson celebrates our nations independence with
Torchlight Tattoo. Besides a massive fireworks display, the event honors every
U.S. state and territory with a cannon salute. The event draws thousands of
local residents each year. Below: Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Welch warms up to
perform with the 282nd Army Band during the Torchlight Tattoo.

THE STATE FILE PHOTO

The Lugoff-Elgin Colonial Color Guard participates in a


swearing-in ceremony for Fort Jacksons new commanding
general in August 2013.

MY FORT STORY: C. ROBERT JONES JR.

Recruit stayed despite the summer heat


As a soldier

Jones

I was at Fort Jackson on three


occasions. The first was when I received a letter from then-President
Harry Truman in 1950 inviting me
to join the Army. It was an invitation
I could not refuse. I was living in
Florida at the time. I was processed
through Fort Jackson and then
assigned to a National Guard unit
at Fort Rucker in Alabama. I came
back to Fort Jackson for infantry
leadership school and then was
shipped to officer candidate school

at Fort Bliss, Texas. After short


tours at Fort Sam Houston, Texas,
and Camp Pickett, Va., my next assignment was with the 2nd Infantry
Division in Korea. Fortunately for
me, the hostilities ended on July 27,
1953, and I was able to rotate home.
This brought me to my third visit
to Fort Jackson. This was my most
pleasant visit as I was being discharged from active duty. I would
not say that I enjoyed my stay in the
Army but it was probably the best

thing for me as it matured me faster


than any other experience.
And when I was running the obstacle course in the hot Columbia
weather in July and August 1952, if
you had told me I would be living
in Columbia, I would have said,
no way. But we have lived here
since 1962 and couldnt have been
happier.
C. Robert Jones Jr.
Columbia

VICTORY | 79

Fort Jackson soldiers salute from the stands at Spirit Communications Park as the Columbia Fireflies honored Fort Jacksons Centennial in August.
Columbia bills itself as the nations most military-friendly community.

PHOTOS BY TRACY GLANTZ

Above: Omar Bahamundi, from left, Dustin Barnett and Ian Bowen enjoy their first ice cream
in 10 weeks while watching the Fireflies play at Spirit Communications Park. The privates, who
had just completed basic training, were awaiting graduation. Left: Fort Jacksons commanding general, Maj. Gen. John Pete Johnson, throws out the first pitch before the Columbia
Fireflies minor league baseball game in August. Johnson is Fort Jacksons 49th commanding
general.

80 | FORT JACKSON

Columbia and the Midlands boast very


strong veterans organizations, support
the military and military families, and
lobby the Pentagon and Congress tirelessly to protect missions and personnel
at Fort Jackson and other nearby military
installations.
Its commonplace to see small gestures
of kindness and support for soldiers as
well. A lunch or dinner check that never
arrives. A casual handshake or pat on
the back. Genuine thanks for military service. The support is heartfelt: The South
in general and South Carolina in particular are very supportive of the military
a tradition going back to the days of the
Revolutionary War.
But there is also a huge financial
incentive for the community to keep
soldiers happy and installations safe from
cutbacks.
A study released in 2015 by the University of South Carolina showed the fort has a
total economic impact of $2.2 billion in the
Midlands. That includes about $1 billion in
direct labor income from salaries paid by
the Army and from private jobs generated
by the fort throughout the region.
The impact is felt all across the economy, from farms, utility companies and

Above: The
Saluda River
Academy for the
Arts Choral Group
performs a song
in support of Fort
Jackson during an
Army Community
listening session
in February 2015
at Shandon Baptist Church.
Left: Christina
Bickley, right,
signs a poster of
support for Fort
Jackson.
PHOTOS BY GERRY
MELENDEZ

health care facilities to restaurants, retail


stores, hotels, taxis and real estate companies.
Each year, about 40,000 to 50,000
recruits are trained at the fort. Although
they are confined to the base during their
10 weeks here, an estimated 200,000 of
their relatives and friends visit Columbia
each year for weekly basic training graduation. They buy food, rent hotel rooms,

shop in local stores and visit local tourist


attractions.
The energy flows both ways, said Carl
Blackstone, president and CEO of the Columbia Chamber. We bring out the best
in each other. The folks in Columbia see
what a soldier is from the very beginning,
and those soldiers see a community that
cares about them and gives back.
It works.
VICTORY | 81

VICTORY
Fort Jackson celebrates 100 years of preparing soldiers for

Proudly Sponsored By

82 | FORT JACKSON

VICTORY | 83

THE SOLDIERS
CREED
I am an American Soldier.
I am a warrior
and a member of a team.
I serve the people
of the United States,
and live the Army Values.
I will always place
the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave
a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined,
physically and mentally
tough, trained and
proficient in my warrior
tasks and drills.
I always maintain
my arms, my equipment
and myself.
I am an expert
and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy,
engage, and destroy,
the enemies of the
United States of America
in close combat.
I am a guardian
of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

THE ARMY VALUES


Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless service
Honor
Integrity
Personal courage

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