Fort Eisenhower History

Name

Originally known as Camp Gordon, Fort Eisenhower was created in July 1941 as a World War II training camp for the 4th and 26th Infantry Divisions and the 10th Armored Division. It was named for LTG John Brown Gordon, a native Georgian, soldier, legislator, and businessman. Following World War II, the camp was designated a U.S. Army Personnel and Separation Center.

From October 1943 to January 1945, Camp Gordon served as an internment camp for foreign prisoners of war. From May 1945 until April 1946, the U.S. Army Personnel and Separation Center processed nearly 86,000 personnel for discharge from the Army.

U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks for Convicted Criminals

From early 1946 to June 1947, the U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks for Convicted Criminals was located at Camp Gordon, and the installation was scheduled for deactivation. Two major schools were then brought to Camp Gordon in 1948: The Military Police School and the Signal Corps Training Center.

Re-Designated as Fort Gordon

On March 21, 1956, Camp Gordon was re-designated as Fort Gordon, making it a permanent part of the Army's readiness posture. On January 3, 1958, a non-commissioned Officer Academy was established at Fort Gordon. By the 1990s, it was the Army's largest NCO Academy. In the 1950s, the Korean War led to a major expansion of the Signal Corps Training Center, making it the largest single source of Army communications specialists. The Civil Affairs and Military Government School was established at Camp Gordon in October 1955 where it remained until its move to Fort Bragg in 1971.

Training Location

During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Fort Gordon served as a basic-training facility. It also provided advanced individual training for troops. Between 1966 and 1968, approximately 2,200 Signal Officers were trained at Fort Gordon's Signal Officer Candidate School (OCS), before all U.S. Army branch OCSs were merged with the Infantry OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia.

During the Vietnam War, Fort Gordon was also a training location for Military Police Corps in the Brems Barracks region of the fort, which was also later used in the 1980s for training radioteletype operators.

The Military Police School remained at Fort Gordon until 1975.

U.S. Signal Corps

Since June 1985, Fort Gordon has housed the U.S. Signal Corps, the branch of the U.S. Army responsible for providing and maintaining information systems and communication networks. The Signal Corps training center's primary purpose is to conduct specialized instruction for all Signal Corps military and civilian personnel.

Re-Designated as Fort Eisenhower

In fall of 2023, Fort Gordon was re-designated once again as Fort Eisenhower. Continuing to serve our nation with dedication and readiness, Fort Eisenhower remains a large part of Grovetown's identity.