Fort Greely (2)

Fort Greely (2) (1942-Present) - A U.S. Army post first established in 1942 during World War II by 1st Lt. William L. Brame, 138th U.S. Infantry, near present day Delta Junction, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. Initially an Army Airfield named Station 17 renamed Fort Greely 6 Aug 1955 in honor of Major General Adolphus Washington Greely, arctic explorer, founder of the Alaska Communications System and Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient in 1935. Active military installation. File:Interceptor Missile.jpg The first ground-based interceptor is lowered into its silo at the missile defense complex at Fort Greely, Alaska, 22 Jul 2004. The interceptor is designed to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles before they reach U.S. airspace. World War II (1941-1945) Established on 30 Jun 1942 during World War II by 1st Lt. William L. Brame, and a 15 man detail of 138th U.S. Infantry troops. Initially established as a U.S. Army Airfield known as Station 17 to refuel lend-lease aircraft headed for Russia. The airfield was deactivated in 1945. Cold War (1947-1996) In 1947 the post was reactivated for cold weather maneuvers and on 1 May 1948 it was designated an army post. It became the Arctic Training Center on 1 Jul 1949 and the Army Arctic Center 1 Sep 1952. The Army started a major construction program in 1954 that included a post headquarters, engineer facilities, support and recreation facilities, 96 sets of quarters, and three 200-man barracks. On 6 August 1955 the post was renamed Fort Greely. In the 1960s and 1970s additional facilities were added In 1995 under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) post activity was reduced but in 2001 it was reactivated to support a missile defense mission. The post was reduced to 7,200 acres and became a part of the Nation’s Ballistic Mission Defense System (BMDS) as a mid-course missile defense. Current Status Active military installation near Delta Junction, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2512469 {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Near Delta Junction, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. Maps & Images Lat: 63.9724773 Long: -145.7176352 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1673' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 22 Links: Wikipedia - Fort Greely Official Site Visited: No Fort Greely (2) Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!