Camp Gordon Johnston
| Camp Gordon Johnston | |
|---|---|
| Big Bend, Florida | |
|
Soldiers lined up for lunch at Camp Gordon Johnston | |
| Type | Military training base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | September 1941 |
| In use | September 1941 – 1946 |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Brig. General Frank Keating |
Camp Gordon Johnson was a World War II United States Army training center located in Carrabelle, Florida, United States. The site's history is featured at the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum.
History
Camp Johnson opened in September 1941 as Camp Carrabelle and was later named after Colonel Gordon Johnston, a well decorated soldier who served in the Spanish–American War in Cuba with the Rough Riders, in the Philippine–American War, and in World War I.[1][2]
The camp at 165,000 acres (670 km2) served as an amphibious training base housing around 10,000 troops at one time and rotating between 24,000 and 30,000 soldiers from 1941 through 1946. The nearby islands of Dog Island and St. George Island were used as landing points for exercises.
Units
Units stationed at Camp Gordon Johnston:
- Hq. & Hq. Company, 3rd ESB
- HQ Medical Detachment
- 1061st Port Construction and Repair Group
- 1463rd Engineer Maintenance
- 563rd Engineer Boat Maintenance
- 375 Transportation Corps Harbor Craft
- 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division
- 105th Harbor Craft Training Reg. & Coast Guard Detachment
- 332nd, 339th, 352nd, 353rd, 356th, 376th, 377th Harbor Craft
- 534th, 544th, 593rd, 584th EB & SR
- Engineer Special Brigade
- 534th Scouts
- 351st 5th Platoon[3]
In 1946, many buildings, facilities and the land was sold as war surplus. Officers quarters later became the retirement community of Lanark Village. 165,000 acres (670 km2)
References
- ↑ "Col. Johnston Dies of Injury at Polo" (PDF, fee required). The New York Times. March 9, 1934. p. 19. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ↑ U.S. Army: Johnson, Gordon
- ↑ Camp Gordon Johnston.com
- Kilroy Was Here: Camp Gordon Johnson
- "Camp Johnston is Remembered" by Mays Leroy Gray writing in the Wakulla News, February 27, 1997