100th ANNIVERSARY - JBMDL BASE
HISTORY PROJECT PROPOSAL
Proposal for the utilization of base
history to promote, support and revitalize JBMDL as a permanent military
installation.
July 16, 1917 - 2017 - A Century of Military Training at Fort Dix - JBMDL
From Camp Dix to JBMDL - 100 Years of Military Training
July 16, 1917 - 2017 - A Century of Military Training at Fort Dix - JBMDL
From Camp Dix to JBMDL - 100 Years of Military Training
July 2017 will mark the 100th
anniversary of JBMDL as a military base beginning with the training of
doughboys for World War I.
The idea is to utilize the base history to promote the base for the future by producing a web site, video and glossy color 1st Edition Hardbound coffee table size book, with a soft bound edition and digital Internet - DVDs, audio and documentary film versions that can tell the base story on various media platforms.
The unique and fascinating history of JBMDL should be used to educate soldiers, officers, legislators and the general public of the everlasting value of the base as a public resource dedicated to the security of the country.
Journalist and historian William Kelly, a local area resident, as the author of two similar history books - 300 Years at the Point and Birth of the Birdie - The First 100 Years of Golf at Atlantic City Country Club, is uniquely qualified to research, write and edit a history of the base. As with his other books, such a project not only makes a profit with the public sales, but serves as a convincing prospectus to legislators, defense contractors and potential partners on future missions.
The idea is to utilize the base history to promote the base for the future by producing a web site, video and glossy color 1st Edition Hardbound coffee table size book, with a soft bound edition and digital Internet - DVDs, audio and documentary film versions that can tell the base story on various media platforms.
The unique and fascinating history of JBMDL should be used to educate soldiers, officers, legislators and the general public of the everlasting value of the base as a public resource dedicated to the security of the country.
Journalist and historian William Kelly, a local area resident, as the author of two similar history books - 300 Years at the Point and Birth of the Birdie - The First 100 Years of Golf at Atlantic City Country Club, is uniquely qualified to research, write and edit a history of the base. As with his other books, such a project not only makes a profit with the public sales, but serves as a convincing prospectus to legislators, defense contractors and potential partners on future missions.
This project will also serve as a
comprehensive history of the base for future students and historians and
provide a platform for planning and implementing operations into the near and
distant future.
BASIC OUTLINE
The book and media production will be written and presented in chronological order and divided into decades, wars, individual profiles and graphics, with photos and films composing half of the bulk, with narrative text, sidebars and captions the rest.
BASIC OUTLINE
The book and media production will be written and presented in chronological order and divided into decades, wars, individual profiles and graphics, with photos and films composing half of the bulk, with narrative text, sidebars and captions the rest.
1917 - WORLD WAR I and the formation
of the Modern Army by General Pershing
A long period of peace in Europe
suddenly ended and the Continent burst into flames, sparked by the
assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne by
a fanatical Serbian nationalist in the Balkan City of Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.
The United States was drawn into the
war in April 1917 with the death of Americans in ships sunk by German U-boat
submarines in the North Atlantic, especially the Lusitania.
“The United States protested the
violation of neutral rights to both belligerents but in stronger terms to
Germany since its actions involved the destruction of life….With public opinion
aroused, Congress on 6 April 1917 declared war on Germany.”
The United States sent elements of
the American Expeditionary Force under Major General John J. Pershing to France
in June 1917.
As one Army historian put it, “The
choice of Pershing proved to be an excellent one; he was professionally
competent, a natural leader, a thorough organizer, and a strict disciplinarian.
During his career in the Army he had carried out every mission given him with
imagination and vigor.”
General Pershing advised the War
Department to prepare to send 1, 000,000 trained men to Europe within a year
and to lay plans for raising a total of 4,000,000, even though the strength of
the Army at the time was about 200,000 men, 65,000 of whom were National
Guardsmen in federal service.
“To increase the Army twentyfold and
train it was a tremendous task, one that would require considerable time even
under the most favorable conditions.”
The Selective Service Act of 1917
It was clear from the start that the
volunteer system could not provide all the men needed and conscription was
required even though conscription was not popular. Many Americans believed that
“compulsory service was unbefitting a free people.” N
Newton D. Baker, the Secretary of
War, hoped to overcome this opposition by placing the draft machinery in the
hands of civilian boards and Congress passed the Selective Service Act on 19
May 1917, establishing a National Army and requiring all males between the ages
of twenty-one and thirty to register for service, but the law also permitted
volunteering for the Regular Army, National Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.
“It specifically prohibited the twin
evils of the Civil War period, the hiring of substitutes and the payment of
bounties to induce enlistments.”
In 18 months 2, 810, 296 men were
drafted and many of them were sent to Camp Dix.
Reorganization of the Army
General Pershing increased the
strength of the infantry division to 28,000 men – and the division was reorganized
into 2 infantry brigades of 2 regiments each, a field artillery brigade, a
regiment of combat engineers, 3 machine gun battalions, and supporting service
troops.
“These changes made the American
infantry division roughly twice the size of the British, French, and German
infantry divisions at the time. The enlarged division, though unwieldy and
difficult to control, had tremendous striking power and staying power; the
characteristics that experience proved were most needed to crash through enemy defenses
on the Western Front. The war Department organized 62 divisions during
World War I. At the close of the war 43 of these had been sent to France and 19
others were in various stages of organization and training.”
Establishing a New System of Logistics.
“Probably the most difficult
organizational problem that the Army had to deal with in World War I was the
establishment of a smooth-functioning logistical system for both the Zone of
Interior and the theatre of operations. To support it the resources of the
nation were mobilized as never before.”
“Most of 1917 was devoted to
retooling and expansion of industrial plants, to the construction of barracks
and facilities to house troops, and to estimating requirements and letting
contracts. New weapons were slow in rolling from the factories and many of the
first drafted were trained with dummy or obsolete weapons.”
“Pershing Reorganizes the AEF. The
size and complexity of the AEF convinced General Pershing that success in
battle would be impossible without efficient staff work. This required a large
number of trained officers using a common system under uniform methods. After
studying British and French staffs, Pershing adopted an organization largely
patterned after that of the French. For Pershing’s headquarters (GHQ) and army
headquarters there were five sections: G-1, Administration; G-2, Intelligence;
G-3 Operations; G-4 Coordination (Supply, Replacements); and G-5, Training.”
Camp Dix was given responsibility
for much of the training, not only for World War I but served as a major point
of exit and reentry for many soldiers, sailors and airmen and women over the
next century.
Just as General Pershing was the
right man at the right place at right time, Irwin & Leighton was the right
company needed to build a military base from scratch.
It’s not quite clear exactly how
they got the contract, from competitive bidding or they just knew someone, but
either way, Irwin & Leighton was a fortunate choice.
Although a young company established
eight years earlier, it had a solid reputation and a solid leadership corps,
beginning with the owners Alexander Dickson Irwin, Jr. and Archibald Ogilvie
Leighton, both better known as “A.D.” and “A.O.”.
A.O. Leighton was born in
Ballycarry, near Belfast in North Ireland, the son of a solicitor (lawyer) born
in Scotland. Leighton was a contactor involved in the construction of the Sligo
Post Office in Yeat's country Ireland, when news of the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake inspired him to come to America to help rebuild the city. Leighton
got as far as Philadelphia where he found work constructing the Germantown
Junction train station.
There he met A.D. Irwin, the son of
the owner of a major mill in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, and
together they formed Irwin & Leighton in 1909, drawing straws to see whose
name would go first on the company logo. Their first offices were at 126 North
12th Street in center city.
They successfully completed a number
of major construction jobs before 1917 but getting the $13 Million dollar
government contract for the “Cantonment” - temporary lodging to house troops at
Camp Dix.
Situated in the Pine Barons of
Central New Jersey, the location was selected because of its unique situation
between Philadelphia and New York, and remoteness from the population centers.
As they best utilized their talents,
Irwin was the chief administrator in the office and handled the contracts and
paperwork while Leighton went out in to the field and directed the construction
operations. Some seventeen secretaries accompanied Leighton to then sleepy
Wrightstown to set up a makeshift office to process the hundreds of workers who
applied for the jobs - carpenters, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers and
livery stable hands, as horses are to do much of the heavy work.
Many of the professional tradesmen
arrived daily by train or car, dressed in suits and ties and changed into their
work clothes to get down and dirty, then changed back into their suits and ties
before returning home for dinner with their families.
Once they got into a good routine
they are building a new barracks a day, and were under pressure to complete the
job on time and on budget, which they did.
Having successfully completed Camp
Dix in time for the thousands of doughboys to arrive for basic training, Irwin
& Leighton got other government contracts to build military bases in
Gettysburg, ten other states and Canada. Their expertise eventually led to the
construction of dozens of major buildings that changed the skyline of
Philadelphia and other cities.
In 1956 Irwin and Leighton sold the
company to their employees who continued following their mission statement, and
the company’s success. In 2009 the company commissioned a history that
chronicles some of the work they did at Camp Dix.
Irwin & Leighton Inc.
Construction company 1030 Continental Dr # 1, King of Prussia, PA
Irwin & Leighton’s celebrated
its 100th Anniversary in 2009. As part of our celebration, we published a
special commemorative book entitled Our First 100 Years. The book highlights
a selection of the many pioneering projects Irwin & Leighton is proud to
have partnered in since it’s founding in 1909. Links to PDFs of the various
chapters of the book are below. If you would like a copy of Our First 100
Years, please contact us.
Cantonment at Camp Dix
The United States Army Cantonment at
Camp Dix
The Camp Dix project, although one
of Irwin & Leighton’s earliest, stands event today as one of its most
meaningful because of its significance and importance of the project to the
World War I effort, and the speed in which it was built.
Irwin & Leighton was chosen to
build the Cantonment at Camp Dix when the site’s installment began in 1917. The
initial project was required to be completed under a very aggressive time
schedule to meet the impending demands of World War I. To do this, Irwin &
Leighton directly employed and/or coordinated the efforts of hundreds of
workers who, in accordance with the custom of the day, arrived at work in shirt
and tie, changed into work clothes and changed again to go home. Irwin and
Leighton established an onsite Employment Office where seventeen clerks
screened applicants who arrived by train and motor car. A fleet of autos was
required to make the weekly commutes to the Philadelphia National Bank for the
workers’ payroll.
The project started in July 1917, in
farm fields. The scope involved ten sections of multiple barracks and support
buildings as well as extensive infrastructure work. In less than sixty days,
the entire project was substantially complete. In that time, Irwin &
Leighton used forty million board feet of lumber, which was brought to the site
by rail and erected in production fashion.
When the company hit stride, it was
completing one barrack per day. Irwin & Leighton’s onsite superintendent
was E. M. Campbell. The company further organized the project with “Heads of
Departments” for survey, concrete, carpentry, sheet metal, plumbing,
electrical, road construction, water and sewers, a pumping station, etc.
The 3,000 acre complex is located
inside the Pineland National Reserve in Central New Jersey, and was named for
Major General John Adams Dix, a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Civil War.
Used as a staging ground and
training area for units during World War I, it was made a permanent Army post
in 1939 and was renamed Fort Dix
Lakehurst, New Jersey – Bureau of
Yards and Docks
In 1921, the Navy established
Lakehurst Naval Air Station to serve as its headquarters for lighter-than-air
flight after the pioneering use of zeppelins by the German forces in World War
I. In order to house large helium-filled dirigibles, the Navy hired Irwin &
Leighton to build Lakehurst’s Hanger No. 1, a massive structure measuring 961
feet long, 350 feet wide and 200 feet high. The great span and clear height
were achieved through state-of-the-art design. Inside it, naval engineers
assembled the first American-built airship, the Shenandoah. Lakehurst was also
the location of the now-infamous Hindenburg disaster. The crash of the
Hindenburg dirigible on May 6, 1937 over Lakehurst was the 20th century’s first
transportation disaster widely captured by newsreel, audio recordings and still
photos.
1798 – John Adams Dix born in
Boscawen, New Hampshire
1812 – Dix serves in War of 1812
1861 – Dix named chairman of the
Union Defense Committee in New York and made Major General in US Army.
1872 – Dix elected Governor of New
York
21 April 1879 – Dix dies in New York
City
1909 – A.D. Irwin and A.O. Leighton
form Philadelphia construction company
6 April 1917 – US enters World War I
– Congress authorizes the construction of 16 Army Camps to be built
19 May 1917 Selective Service Act
June 1917 – Irwin & Leighton
given $13 million contract to convert New Jersey corn fields into army
mobilization and training camp.
June 1917 – First American troops
arrive in France
28 June 1914 – Construction begins
on 1,655 buildings.
16 July, 1917
1917 – Harker family house sold to
government and converted to the residence of the base commander.
September 1917 – First 17,000 troops
arrive at Camp Dix. Eventually 35,000 troops in training, filling all barracks
and tents used to house the rest, including 87th and 34th Infantry Divisions,
349th and 350th Field Artillery Battalions of the 92nd Division, and 15th
Infantry of New York (369th). 311th Ambulance Company. 153rd Depot Brigade.
British, French and Scottish solders at Camp Dix to advise US soldiers on the
role of tanks and trench warfare.
October 1917 – Camp Dix Fire Company
organized by soldiers, and the library opens with volunteers from the American
Library Association. Howard L. Hughes, Harold F. Brigham librarians.
22 October 1917 – Camp Dix base
hospital opens with 61 buildings with 1,000 bed capacity, located east of the
Wrightstown Circle.
May 1918 – 78th Infantry Division,
under Maj. Gen. Chase Kennedy leaves Dix and sails to Europe.
May 1918 – YMCA, Red Cross and Knights
of Columbus begin providing programs and services to entertain the soldiers.
September - October 1918 – 7,970
cases of influenza and pneumonia reported, 774 deaths.
11 November 1918 – War ends.
3 December - Camp Dix demobilization
center opens that processes over 300,000 soldiers.
8 March 1919 – Camp Dix becomes Fort
Dix – named permanent Army post.
1 August 1920 – Thomas Buchanan
McGuire, Jr. born in Ridgewood, N.J.
10-11 1920 – 1st Infantry Division
observes first anniversary of end of WWI at ceremony presided over by Gen. John
J. Pershing.
1920 – Camp Dix used as a training
center for Army Reserves, National Guard and the Citizens Training Camp.
1921 – Navy establishes Lakehurst
Naval Air Station
1921 - Animal Transportation School
operating.
1930 – Federal Bureau of Prisons
establishes prison on site.
1930s – Citizens Military Training
Camp (CMTC) offers signal, infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineering
training. After 4, 30 day courses qualify for commission in Army Reserve.
31 March 1933 – President Franklin
D. Roosevelt signs bill creating CCC that continued until 1942 – Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) planted trees, controlled soil erosion, constructed
roads, dams, bridges and fire towers, operates reception, training and
discharge center with two forestry companies, a physical conditioning company
and cook and baker’s school. The CCC built the first airplane runway at Camp
Dix.
1936 – Telephone switchboard
installed.
6 May 1937 – Hindenburg dirigible
disaster at Lakehurst
1938 – Works Progress Administration
and Public Works Administration funds construction of new buildings – Building
5416 – housed field grade officers.
8 March 1939 – Camp Dix named a
permanent installation and renamed Fort Dix
1940 – Federal government purchases
17,000 additional acres of adjacent land and constructs new runways.
8 September 1940 – President
Roosevelt declares limited national emergency and approved the first peacetime
draft.
16 September 1940 – Peacetime draft
inductees begin arriving at Fort Dix reception, training and deployment center.
44th Infantry Division assigned to Fort Dix for training. Ten other divisions
trained at Fort Dix before being deployed overseas.
1941 – Pointville cemetery and town
acquired by government for base expansion.
1941 – McGuire leaves Georgia Tech
to join US Army Air Corps, Randolph Field
May 1942 – Women’s Army Auxiliary
Corps established
April 1943 – Dodgers and Giants play
a baseball game at Fort Dix baseball field.
July 1943 – Auxiliary Corps renamed
Women’s Army Corps (WACS), working as administrative clerks, truck drivers,
photographers and mechanics.
18-19 August 1943 – McGuire with 431st
Fighter Squadron Wewak, New Guinea, shoots down five Japanese Ki-43 and Ki-61
fighters, eventually scoring 38 aerial victories, second only to Maj. Richard
I. Bong, US AF all time ace (40)
25-26 December 1943 – McGuire downs
seven Japanese fighter aircraft over Luzon, Philippines, and earns Medal of
Honor for action on these days.
7 Jan 1945 – McGuire killed when his
P-38 crashes over Fabrica aerodrome, Negros Island.
1945 – At war’s end Fort Dix becomes
demobilization center processing 1.2 million soldiers back to civilian life.
1947 – United States Air Force
established and air base transferred to Air Force
15 July 1947 – Fort Dix becomes a
Basic Training Center and home of 9th Infantry Division.
1949 – McGuire’s remains recovered
and returned to the United States
17 September 1949 – USAF base at
Fort Dix renamed McGuire Air Force Base
17 May 1950 – McGuire buried with
full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery
25 June 1950 – Korean War begins,
basic training reduced from 14 to 8 weeks.
1954 – 9th Infantry Division
assigned to Europe and 69th Infantry Division moves in
1956 – Chubby Checker entertains the
troops
16 March 1956 – 69th deactivated and
Fort Dix renamed U.S. Army Training Center, Infantry
20 March 1959 – The Ultimate Weapon
statute unveiled – designed and constructed at Fort Dix by soldiers Steven
Goodman and Stuart Scheer.
1960 – BOMARC missile catches fire
and two nuclear warheads melt in Broken Arrow event
3 September 1964 – Fort Dix chapel
dedicated
1973 – New brick reception center
opened.
1978 – First female recruits enter
basic training.
1982 – 10 Stained glass windows
installed in the Fort Dix chapel honoring WW I soldiers.
20 May 1982 – Last train to Fort Dix
ends rail service that began in 1917.
1985 – Fort Dix Headquarters renamed
Sharp Hall in honor of Gen. Richard Sharp
1987 – USAF Security Police Air Base
Ground Defense School moved from Camp Bullis Texas
1988 – Base Realignment and Closure
Commission recommends ending basic and advanced individual training at Fort
Dix.
17 August 1990 – New The Ultimate
Weapons statute constructed of bronze replaces original
1990 – Around the clock operations
begin mobilizing and deploying troops for Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
1991 – Kuwaiti civilians trained in
basic military skills
1991 – Active Army training mission
ends.
1992 – Fort Dix begins mobilizing,
deploying and demobilizing soldiers and providing training areas for Army
Reserve and National Guard soldiers
1992 – Reception center that opened
in 1973 transferred to Air Force as Air Mobility Warfare Center.
1992 – Department of Defense Police
replace military police
1992 – US Department of Justice –
Bureau of Prisons opens a federal prison
1993 – Somalia
1995 – Bosnia
1995 – Telephone switchboard,
installed in 1936 replaced with fiber optic system.
1999 – Albanian, Kosovo refugees
resettled.
August 2000 – Range 65 tank training
area opens. Bryant Range named after Larry Bryant
2005 – Joint Base
McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst – JBMDL Established
2007 – A memorial to McGuire placed
at his fatal crash site on Negros Island by former fighter pilot David Mason
2010 – Census 7,716 people living in
784 households with 590 families residing in CDP
July - 2016 – 100th Anniversary of
Camp Dix-JBMDL
