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Fort Sam Houston
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Clock tower built in 1870 inside the Quadrangle on Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
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| Location: | San Antonio, Texas |
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| Built: | 1876 |
| Governing body: | United States Army |
| NRHP Reference#: | 75001950 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | May 15, 1975[1] |
| Designated NHLD: | May 15, 1975[2] |
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.[3] Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston.
The installation's missions include serving as the command headquarters for the United States Army North (formerly the Fifth United States Army), United States Army South, the Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) headquarters, the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Center and School, the Fifth Recruiting Brigade, Navy Regional Recruiting, the San Antonio Military Entrance and Processing Station, and the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC). On October 1, 2010, Fort Sam Houston joined Lackland and Randolph Air Force Bases to create Joint Base San Antonio, under Air Force administration.
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U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) Elements
Fort Sam Houston is known as the "Home of Army Medicine" and "Home of the Combat Medic." At the end of World War II, the Army decided to make Fort Sam Houston the principal medical training facility.[4] In conjunction with this decision came the determination to develop Brooke General Hospital into one of the Army's premier medical centers.[4] This combined the capabilities of Wilford Hall Medical Center located at nearby Lackland Air Force Base to create the largest medical treatment facility and teaching hospital in the Department of Defense. Construction associated with this transition increased the square footage of the hospital by 50%, including a much larger, variable capacity emergency department, additional surgical suites and recovery facilities, as well as teaching facilities and bed space. Despite the installation transitioning to Air Force control, the command and control of the facilty will remain with the Army. The command and other key positions will rotate between the Army and Air Force. Staffing consist of members of both services, as well as a large number of civilians.[5]
As of 2011, Fort Sam Houston is the largest and most important military medical training facility in the world.[3][4][6] Military Medical Training is provided by numerous elements, including METC, AMEDD Center and School, Brooke Army Medical Center, US Army Institute of Surgical Research, The Center for Battlefield Health and Trauma, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, as well as many smaller organizations.
Known as the brain trust for the Army Medical Department, the Army Medical Department Center and School annually trains more than 25,000 students attending 170 officer, NCO and enlisted courses in 14 medical specialties. The command maintains several academic affiliations for bachelor and masters degree programs with major universities such as Baylor University, University of Texas Health Science Centers at Houston and San Antonio, and University of Nebraska.
As a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) 2005 recommendations, all military medical training will be consolidated at Fort Sam Houston. This consolidation will conclude in the opening of the Military Education and Training Campus (METC) in 2011. The Navy will move its medical training from San Diego, CA, Great Lakes, IL, and Portsmouth, VA. The Air Force will move from Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita Falls, TX. This will increase the average student load to more than 9,000 and will require an additional 4,000 in support staff. This will result in significant changes in the training footprint on post, requiring construction approaching one billion dollars.[7]
Construction at Fort Sam Houston began in the middle 1870s under the supervision of the military commander of the Department of Texas, Major General Edward Ord, a West Point-trained army engineer. Today, as one of the Army's oldest installations, and with more than 900 buildings in its historic districts, Fort Sam Houston boasts one of the largest collection of historic military post structures. The significant contributions of Fort Sam Houston to the United States were recognized in 1975 when the post was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
The Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle, built by George Henry Griebel, is the oldest structure at Fort Sam Houston. It was originally a supply depot, and during that time, it also housed Geronimo and those Apaches captured with him while the Federal government decided whether they were prisoners of war or common criminals. Legend has it that the deer in the Quadrangle were there because Geronimo refused to eat food he did not hunt. In truth, the deer pre-date Geronimo in the Quadrangle, he ate the same rations as the soldiers, and no one really knows why the deer are there. The Quadrangle is now an office complex housing the commanding general and staff of U.S. Army North.
Even more consequential than the number of buildings is the historical integrity of the post's different sections, which represent different eras of construction, and reflect Army concepts in planning and design. Careful preservation of these areas allows the post to live with its history, surrounded by the traditions established when the first soldier arrived here in 1845.
Several famous figures have served at the fort. Maj. Gen. John Wilson Ruckman, Commander of the Southern Department, was based at Fort Sam just after the infamous Houston Riot of 1917. Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was posted there after being demoted to Colonel for disobeying orders. Dwight D. Eisenhower was posted to Fort Sam Houston twice during his career. During Eisenhower's first post, from 1915 to 1917, he met and married Mamie Dowd, and was again posted at the fort when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred in 1941. Their first home is one of the buildings preserved as historic monuments.
Throughout its existence, a close and harmonious relationship has prevailed between Fort Sam Houston and the City of San Antonio. The two have grown and matured together. The city often has been called the "mother-in-law of the Army" because so many soldiers including Dwight D. Eisenhower, met their future spouses there.
More than 27,000 military and civilian personnel work at the post, with an annual payroll and operating budget of $1.9 billion. Local purchases made by installation activities total almost $105 million annually. Funding for construction projects on post average $30 million annually. Fort Sam Houston has also initiated public–private partnerships to renovate and adaptively reuse significant historic buildings.
In June 2006, the San Antonio Express-News reported that Fort Sam Houston received utility disconnection notices due to budget constraints.[8]
Fort Sam Houston is one of three military facilities in Texas (all in the San Antonio area) to have its own school district, the Fort Sam Houston Independent School District.
The United States Postal Service operates the Fort Sam Houston Post Office at 1804 Stanley Road.[9]
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