Camp Zama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Camp Zama
Zama and Sagamihara, Japan
Type Military Base
Built
In use
Controlled by Japan
United States

Camp Zama (キャンプ座間?) is a United States Army post located in the cities of Zama and Sagamihara, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about 40 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.

Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan / 9th Theater Army Area Command, the 17th Area Support Group, the United Nations Command (Rear), the 78th Aviation Battalion, the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, the Japan Engineer District, the 78th Signal Battalion and the 3rd Engineer Group of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

Contents

[edit] The camp

There are 4 gates where access to this installation can be obtained. Identification cards are required at all times and will be checked at each entrance point. The nearest interstates are Route 16 and Tomei Expressway. Route 16 is frequently used to visit nearby installations such as Yokota Air Force Base and Yokosuka Naval Base. Atsugi Naval Air Facility is also only a short drive away.

Camp Zama is located in the foothills of the Tankard Mountain Range. The installation resides in Zama City while both the housing areas are in the adjacent Sagamihara City. Traffic is extremely congested and will usually triple the travel time in comparison to the United States. However, public transportation (trains and subways) is accessible and reliable.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Division offers a variety of programs and activities to meet the social needs of the entire community. There is a full spectrum of extracurricular activities open to persons of all ages. Spiritual needs for a vast range of faiths are met through Camp Zama's many chapel programs. The Post Exchange (PX) and commissary offers "a little bit of home" by providing most of the same goods and services available in the individual serviceman's hometown back in the United States.

[edit] Weather

The weather is comparable to Washington, D.C. There are four distinct seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The summers are normally hot and very humid, the winters are cold but usually have little or no snow.

[edit] Education

The United States Department of Defense operates several public schools in the base.

  • Arnn Elementary School
  • Zama Middle School
  • Zama High School

[edit] Zama American High School (ZAHS)

The Zama American High School was first opened in 1959. It was opened to, and continues to serve, American dependents of U.S. Military stationed in the area and U.S. Contractor Dependents. It was built on 'General's Hill' on the north side of Camp Zama and remained there until 1967. In 1967, the school Principal, Mr. Richard A. Pemble, had the high school and Jr. High 'switched', and the high school then occupied two wooden army barracks close to the main gate. The barracks were the original Imperial Japanese Army buildings used to house Japanese troops during World War II, and subsequently house U.S. troops during the occupation.

In 1989, a new high school was built back up on the hill near the original site, and the barracks were subsequently torn down. The high school still serves the American School community for the U.S. dependents in the Camp Zama / Sagamihara / Atsugi areas.

ZAHS alumni enjoy an active alumni association and bi-yearly reunions that draw members from all over the globe.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../c/a/m/Camp_Zama_1c5e.html"
In other languages