Fort Bragg, North Carolina
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- The article is about the US Army post in North Carolina. For the City in California with the same name, see Fort Bragg, California
| Fort Bragg | |
|---|---|
| Near Fayetteville, North Carolina | |
           Shoulder sleeve insignia of units stationed at Fort Bragg |
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| Type | Military Base |
| Built | 1918 |
| In use | 1918-Present |
| Controlled by | United States |
| Garrison | XVIII Airborne Corps 82nd Airborne Division 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School |
| Fort Bragg, North Carolina | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Cumberland |
| Area | |
| - Total | 19.0 sq mi (49.2 km²) |
| - Land | 18.9 sq mi (49.1 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 29,183 |
| - Density | 1,540.0/sq mi (594.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 28307, 28310 |
| Area code(s) | 910 |
| FIPS code | 37-24260[1] |
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.
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[edit] History
Camp Bragg was established on September 4th, 1918, as an artillery training ground. It was named for a native North Carolinian, Gen. Braxton Bragg, who fought in the Civil War. In early 1921, two field artillery units, the 13th and 17th Field Artillery Brigades, began training at Camp Bragg.
Camp Bragg was renamed Fort Bragg, to signify becoming a permanent Army post, on September 30th, 1922. The Field Artillery Board was transferred to Fort Bragg on February 1st, 1922. From 1923 to 1924, permanent structures were constructed on Fort Bragg, including four brick barracks, which still stand. [2]
[edit] World War II
By 1940, the population of Fort Bragg had reached 5,400, but in the following year, that number ballooned to 67,000. Various units trained at Fort Bragg during World War II, including the 9th Infantry Division, 2nd Armored Division, 82nd Airborne Division, 100th Infantry Division, and various field artillery groups. The population reached a peak of 159,000 during the war years. [3]
[edit] Post War
Following World War II, the 82nd Airborne Division was permanently stationed at Fort Bragg, the only large unit there for some time. In July of 1951, the XVIII Airborne Corps was reactivated at Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg became a center for unconventional warfare, with the creation of the Psychological Warfare Center in April of 1952, followed by the 10th Special Forces Group. [4]
[edit] Vietnam, The Second Indochina War
In 1961, the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) & The 29th Artillery was activated at Fort Bragg, with the mission of training counter-insurgency forces in Southeast Asia. Also in 1961, the "Iron Mike" statue, a tribute to all Airborne soldiers, past, present and future, was dedicated.[5] In June of 1972, the 1st Corps Support Command arrived at Fort Bragg.[6]
[edit] 1980s
The 1980s saw a series of deployments of tenant units to the Caribbean, first to Grenada in 1983, Honduras in 1988, and the Panama in 1989. The 5th Special Forces Group departed Fort Bragg in the late 1980s. [7]
[edit] 1990s
In 1990, the XVIII Airborne Corps along with 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Storm. The mid and late 90s saw increased modernization of the facilities on Fort Bragg. The World War II wooden barracks were largely removed, a new main post exchange was built, and the Devers Elementary School was opened, along with several other projects. [8]
[edit] 21st century
Following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the units on Fort Bragg have seen a sizeable increase to their OPTEMPO, with units conducting two, three, or even four or more deployments to combat zones. The Korean War-era barracks that house the 82nd Airborne Division are currently (as of time of writing: January 2007) being torn down and replaced. FORSCOM is scheduled to relocate to Fort Bragg by 2011.
[edit] Tenant units
Several airborne units of the U.S. Army are stationed at Fort Bragg, notably the XVIII Airborne Corps HQ, the 82d Airborne Division, and the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). In addition to these and other tenant units, Pope Air Force Base is also adjacent to Fort Bragg.
Other units stationed at Fort Bragg include the:
- 1st Sustainment Command (Theater)
- 1st SFOD-D
- 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
- 4th Psychological Operations Group
- 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne)
- 18th Aviation Brigade (inactivated in 2006)
- 18th Field Artillery Brigade
- 20th Engineer Brigade (Airborne)
- 35th Signal Brigade (inactivated and colors moved to Fort Gordon, GA, as a non-Airborne unit)
- 44th Medical Command
- 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne)
- 101st Chemical Company
- 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion (Airborne)
- B Company, 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power)
- 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade
- 722nd Ordnance Company (EOD)
- 108th ADA Brigade
- John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
- Joint Communications Unit
- U.S. Army Parachute Team
- Womack Army Medical Center
[edit] Geography
Fort Bragg is at 35°8'21" North, 78°59'57" West (35.139064, -78.999143)[9].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 19.0 square miles (49.2 km²), of which, 19.0 square miles (49.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.32% water.
According to the Army Officer's Guide by LTC(R) Keith E. Bonn, Fort Bragg occupies 148,609 acres (232.2 sq mi). The main gate is located 10 miles northwest of Fayetteville, adjacent to Highway 24.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there are 29,183 people, 4,315 households, and 4,215 families residing on the base. The population density is 1,540.0 people per square mile (594.6/km²). There are 4,420 housing units at an average density of 233.3/sq mi (90.1/km²).
[edit] Racial makeup
The racial makeup of the base is 58.05% white, 25.25% African-American, 1.15% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.87% Pacific Islander, 8.29% from other races, and 4.55% from two or more races. 15.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
[edit] Households
There are 4,315 households out of which 85.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 88.9% are married couples living together, 7.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 2.3% are non-families. 2.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 0.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.72 and the average family size is 3.74.
[edit] Ages
The age distribution is 25.8% under the age of 18, 40.9% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 1.1% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 22 years. For every 100 females there are 217.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 293.5 males. All of these statistics are typical for military bases.
[edit] Income
The median income for a household on the base is $30,106, and the median income for a family is $29,836. 10.0% of the population and 9.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.4% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Events of note
- In 1967, Manuel Noriega, who would later go on to become the dictator of Panama, received Psyops training at this location.
- On February 17th, 1970, the pregnant wife and two daughters of Jeffrey R. MacDonald were murdered. The events surrounding the murders were retold in the book Fatal Vision, itself made into a television miniseries of the same name.
- On October 27th, 1995, William Kreutzer Jr. opened fire at Fort Bragg, killing an officer and wounding 18 other soldiers.
- On June 28, 2005, President George W. Bush gave a speech at Fort Bragg, on the occasion of the dedication of the new Iron Mike statue.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg, 1919-1939. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg, 1940s. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg, 1950s. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg, 1960s. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg, 1970s. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ History of Fort Bragg, 1990s. http://www.bragg.army.mil/ Fort Bragg’s online website. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina is at coordinates Coordinates:
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