Fort Hood, Texas
A 340 square mile installation (217,337 acres), Fort Hood is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two Armored Divisions.
The rolling, semiarid terrain is ideal for multifaceted training and testing of military units and individuals. Fort Hood is "The Army's Premier Installation to train and deploy heavy forces."
In addition to the 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood is also residence for Headquarters Command III Corps, 3d Air Support Operations Group, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), 13th Finance Group, 21st CAV Brigade (Air Combat), 89th Military Police Brigade, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB), the Dental Activity (DENTAC), the Medical Support Activity (MEDDAC), U.S. Army Operational Test Command (USAOTC), and various other units and tenant organizations.
Fort Hood was named for the famous Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, an outstanding leader who gained recognition during the Civil War as the commander of Hood's Texas Brigade.
The original site was selected in 1941, and construction of South Camp Hood began in 1942. North Camp Hood, located 17 miles to the north, was established shortly after the first land acquisition and the founding of the cantonment area.
South Camp Hood was designated as Fort Hood, a permanent installation, in 1951.
North Camp Hood became North Fort Hood and what is now West Fort Hood was formerly a U.S. Air Force Base. Both the airfield and the base were run by the U.S. Air Force from 1947 to 1952. From 1952 to 1969, the facilities were run by the U.S. Army under the Defense Atomic Support Agency. It became part of Fort Hood in 1969.
Fort Hood occupies 335 square miles of Bell and Coryell Counties, 60 miles north of Austin and 50 miles south of Waco. Seven surrounding cities with a regional population of 335,000 are partnered with and provide substantial quality of life support to Fort Hood. The installation‟s principal cantonment area and the adjacent West Fort Hood are bisected by US Highway 190, a four lane controlled access road that flows directly into US Interstate Highway 35, the main North-South route through Texas and Mid-America.
To strengthen the strategic projection capability of military forces to and through Gulf Coast seaports, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) has embarked on a $161.7 million dollar initiative to widen SH 195 from Fort Hood to Georgetown, Texas. Scheduled for completion by 2012, this expansion will provide an uninterrupted four lane, interstate quality highway from Fort Hood to IH-35 and on to our state's Gulf Coast ports. Also, in 2005, the State of Texas committed to a $20.5 million dollars in local highway infrastructure construction, dramatically improving regional mobility by facilitating traffic flow on and off-post.
Central Texas' outstanding climate supports all forms of year round air and ground training. Potable water for Fort Hood and surrounding communities is supplied by surface water from Lake Belton, an Army Corps of Engineers lake created in the 1950s. Fort Hood has water rights to 12,000 acre feet per year and contracts with the Bell County Water Control Improvement District Nr. 1 (WCID#1) for water and wastewater treatment. With Lake Belton, Fort Hood is postured to meet all of its water needs for the next 50 years.
III Corps' colorful history dates from 1918 when the Corps served in World War I, winning battle streamers for the Aisne-Marne, Lorraine and the Meuse-Argone campaigns.
Inactivated in 1919, the Corps was reactivated in 1940 to train combat divisions. During World War II the Corps was deployed to The European Theater of Operations and earned the name "Phantom Corps" by hitting the enemy when and least expected. It won campaign streamers in Northern and Central Europe and established the Remagen Bridgehead, enabling the Allies to secure a foothold in Germany.
Inactivated in 1946, III Corps was reactivated in 1951 and served on active duty until 1959. Inactivated that year, it quickly returned to duty at Fort Hood during the Berlin Crisis in 1961. In 1962 III Corps was designated as part of the U.S. Army Strategic Army Corps.
During the Vietnam conflict, III Corps trained and deployed two field force headquarters and many combat and combat service support units totaling more than 100,000 Soldiers.
In recent years, III Corps forces have fought in and supported operations worldwide, to include Grenada , Panama , Honduras , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , and Iraq. It has also provided humanitarian support for Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. III Corps elements provided support for Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.
For many years, the primary focus of III Corps was the reinforcement of NATO. As the world and the U.S. Army have changed, III Corps has also changed and broadened it's focus to be ready to deploy anywhere, anytime and win.
III Corps major units comprise the 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division; as well as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd Armored Corps Artillery and the 13th Corps Support Command.