įrom August 1950 to February 1953, Camp Cooke served as a training installation for units slated for combat in Korea, and as a summer training base for many other reserve units. The vast majority of the camp was then leased for agriculture and grazing purposes. When Camp Cooke closed in June 1946, personnel at the disciplinary barracks received the additional duty as installation caretakers. Confined to the facility were military prisoners from throughout the Army.
Ī maximum security army disciplinary barracks was constructed on post property in 1946. To help relieve the severe labor shortage in the commercial market created by wartime exigencies, the Germans also worked in local communities – mostly in agricultural jobs. Both groups were kept separate from each other in accordance with the 1929 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, and worked on the post at various jobs including mechanical and civil engineering services, clerical positions, food service, and the main laundry. Īs the war progressed, German and Italian prisoners of war (the latter organized into Italian Service Units) were quartered at Camp Cooke. Over 400 separate and distinct outfits passed through Camp Cooke. Also trained at Cooke were an assortment of anti-aircraft artillery, combat engineer, ordnance, and hospital units. īesides the 5th Division, the 6th, 11th, 13th, and 20th Armored Divisions as well as the 86th and 97th Infantry Divisions, and the 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment were all stationed at Cooke at varying times during the war. From then until the end of the war, other armored and infantry divisions kept up the din before they too left for overseas duty. The 5th Armored Division rolled into camp in February and March 1942.
Īlthough the construction of Camp Cooke continued well into 1942, troop training did not wait. The route led by Colonel Cooke in 1847 opened the first wagon route to California, and today the railroad follows much of the early wagon trails. Perhaps his most enduring achievement came when as a colonel during the Mexican War, he led a battalion of Mormons from Missouri to California.
A native of Virginia, General Cooke remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War. He participated in the Mexican War, the Indian Wars, and the Civil War. General Cooke was a cavalry officer whose military career spanned almost half a century, beginning with his graduation from West Point in 1827 to his retirement in 1873. Although its completion was still months away, the Army activated the camp on 5 October 1941, and named it Camp Cooke in honor of Major General Phillip St. Ĭonstruction of the Army camp began in September 1941. With its flat plateau, surrounding hills, numerous canyons, and relative remoteness from populated areas, the Army was convinced it had found the ideal training location.
Smaller parcels were obtained either by lease, license, or as easements. In March 1941, the Army acquired approximately 35,000 ha (86,000 acres) of open ranch lands along the Central Coast of California between Lompoc and Santa Maria. These areas needed to be of a varied nature to ensure relevant training. In 1941, the United States Army embarked on an initiative to acquire lands in the United States to be used to train its infantry and armored forces. Not to be confused with Camp Cooke (Montana). History United States Army Camp Cooke (1941–1953)
0 kommentar(er)
