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81-658: The present Beauregard Regional Airport has a long and colorful history, which began prior to its use as an airfield. The airport property includes most of what was once the Graybow community. In 1912 Graybow was an active community and the location of the Galloway Sawmill as well as the site of the Grabow riot . The sawmill had been built along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks with the planer mill on one side of

162-588: A Continental Army Command (CONARC) post in July 1975 and became a Forces Command (FORSCOM) member. In the spring of 1976, the Infantry Training Center at Fort Polk closed its doors and ceased operations. The final chapter of the Vietnam War ended for Fort Polk. The Combat Engineer Battalion of the 588th lived on North Fort Polk, Louisiana. With the end of the Vietnam War, Fort Polk experienced

243-767: A branch of the Lumber Workers Industrial Union (LWIU), which was affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The Brotherhood tried to recruit mill workers by giving speeches and conducting meetings at various mills. Although they had limited success in Louisiana, the LWIU became very successful from 1917 to 1924. In October 1940, Congress passed the Wages and Hours Act (later

324-540: A good man unless he drank, when a different side of him would emerge. Rill (Loftin) Grantham stated that Leather Britches saved her future husband from hanging shortly after the Grabow riot. Many just avoided him and some stories portray him less favourably. Smith was also Ben Myatt of Robertson County, Texas . Arrested for the torture and vicious murder of his wife, he was brought before Judge J.C. Scott, with Frank A. Woods as prosecutor. The judge, on his own motion, ordered

405-680: A metal light beacon tower. The World War II hangar remains in use as the main hangar and terminal of the Beauregard Regional Airport. The concrete vault of the Army Air Base Finance Office is located adjacent to the hangar. The streets as laid out during World War II are still in use and several foundations of original buildings are still intact. Beauregard Regional Airport covers an area of 4,300 acres (1,700 ha) at an elevation of 202 feet (62 m) above mean sea level . It has two runways : 14/32

486-588: A modern Post Exchange, commissary, warehouses, classrooms, athletic complexes and improved gunnery ranges. Effective 21 March 1976, the 1st Battalion 61st Infantry was reactivated and once again assigned to the 5th Division at Fort Polk. In 1993, the Joint Readiness Training Center moved from Fort Chaffee , Arkansas , to Fort Polk, and once again, the post was called on to prepare soldiers for conflict. Each year, JRTC typically conducts several rotations for units about to deploy. During

567-649: A series of events known as the Louisiana-Texas Lumber War of 1911-1912 . There had been unrest for years in western Louisiana and eastern Texas as workers tried to organize to gain better conditions in the industry. At Grabow the main factions involved were the Galloway Lumber Company and a party of striking unionized mill workers and their supporters. The union workers were known as the Brotherhood of Timber Workers (BTW),

648-493: A shootout with a deputy and three local men. The Louisiana National Guard was called out and arrived the next day but there were no further acts of violence and they withdrew shortly after. The local sheriff arrested non-union and union men soon after the shooting. The owner of the mine, Galloway, was one of those arrested and was accused of murder by a coroner's jury in DeRidder; however, no formal charges were presented and he

729-411: A span of mules. Emerson was in my wagon. "Somewhere along the way Emerson traded hats and coats with Decatur Hall. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon when we pulled up before the Grabow office and the shooting started right off. "Three men were killed in my wagon. "Kate" Hall went down first, I guess they figured he was Emerson, what with him having Emerson's hat and coat on. Then a fellow named Martin

810-519: A training ground for American troops. In the summer of 1940 and throughout 1941 the area was used for the "Louisiana Maneuvers". The Beauregard Parish Police Jury bought the previously leased 160 acres (0.65 km) plus an additional 280 acres (1.1 km) for $ 11,000. An additional 200 acres (0.81 km) was later bought to make up 1-square-mile (2.6 km). In February, 1941, the United States Army Corps of Engineers visited

891-540: A transition from an installation focused on basic and advanced individual training to that of the home of the reactivated 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Activated in September 1975, the division called Fort Polk home until it was inactivated in November 1992. The date of this inactivation, 24 November 1992, was exactly 75 years from the date of the original activation of the division on 24 November 1917. The division

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972-519: A well, a mill pond, and a historical marker put there in 2003 by the descendants of the Galloway family and the Brotherhood of Timber Workers. It is still called Graybow; it is inhabited and has churches. This community is now considered the outskirts of DeRidder. A street that ran to Bon Ami from DeRidder still bears the name. Carson is located about 6.5 miles from DeRidder. This community

1053-591: Is 4,218 by 60 feet (1,286 x 18 m) with an asphalt surface; 18/36 is 5,494 by 100 feet (1,675 x 30 m) with an asphalt/ concrete surface. For the 12-month period ending September 23, 2022, the airport had 14,400 aircraft operations, an average of 39 per day: 93% general aviation and 7% military . At that time there were 20 aircraft based at this airport: 18 single- engine and 2 multi-engine. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Grabow riot The Grabow riot or Grabow massacre

1134-683: Is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish , Louisiana , about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish . Named after New York soldier William Henry Johnson , the post encompasses about 198,000 acres (309 sq mi). Some 100,000 acres (160 sq mi) are owned by the Department of the Army and 98,125 acres (153.320 sq mi) by

1215-562: Is based on each participating organization's mission essential tasks list and many of exercises are mission rehearsals for actual operations the organization is scheduled to conduct. JRTC scenarios allow complete integration of Air Force and other military services as well as host-nation and civilian role players. The exercise scenarios replicate many of the unique situations and challenges a unit may face to include host national officials and citizens, insurgents and terrorists, news media coverage and non-governmental organizations. The mission of

1296-472: Is filled with dense, jungle-like vegetation, so this, along with Louisiana's heat, humidity and precipitation (similar to southeast Asia) helped commanders acclimatize new infantry soldiers in preparation for combat in Vietnam . This training area became known as Tigerland . For the next 12 years, more soldiers were shipped to Vietnam from Fort Polk than from any other American training base. For many, Fort Polk

1377-401: Is proposed" , but in 2005 there were concerns of the post being "at risk", with a proposal to look at land expansion. In 2008 Fort Johnson began a land expansion plan. The plan calls for the acquisition of 100,000 acres for large JRTC maneuvers and live fire operations. This will be the largest land expansion since World War II, located south and southeast of Peason Ridge, and the first parcel

1458-402: Is within the city limits of DeRidder and is still known to local people as Ludington. The area known to local people and reflected on maps, situated in Vernon Parish , no longer exists. Once a thriving lumber town, the only known remnants are a mill pond about 3.5 miles north of Rosepine, Louisiana , on the east side of highway 171 , and two abandoned grave sites, one surrounded by trees near

1539-407: The 1st Armored Division in the 1950s, and became a basic training post during Vietnam War years of the 1960s and '70s. It hosted the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in the 1970s-1980s, and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in the 1990s and the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade , and the 162nd Infantry Brigade in the 2000s. Fort Johnson is now home to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC),

1620-520: The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division , 115th Combat Support Hospital , U.S. Army Garrison and Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital. The land that is now Fort Johnson is part of a region of cultural resources, including archaeological sites, historic houses and structures, and other sites of historical value. The U.S. Army has spent considerable time, effort, and money to find and inventory thousands of archaeological sites on Fort Johnson and

1701-610: The Afrika Korps , Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's troops who fought in North Africa. They were housed in a large fenced-in compound in the area now encompassing Honor Field, Fort Polk's parade ground. Finding themselves captured, transported across the ocean, and imprisoned in the middle of summer was made to hurt their spirits. In his book Up Front , author Bill Mauldin noted that it was more practical to ship prisoners to camps in

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1782-608: The Beaumont Sunday Enterprise-Journal , Section C, September 15, 1974. It details the recollections of Seab Rogers about the Grabow riot of July 7, 1912. Rogers was 79 years old at the time of the article. The International Workers of the World ;[ sic ] was organizing sawmill workers and every non-union mill was (a) target. A.L. Emerson was the organizer making the sawmill rounds and speaking on this particular Sunday. Rogers picks up

1863-824: The Fair Labor Standards Act ); this was upheld by the United States Supreme Court on February 3, 1941. Wanting better working conditions and pay, workers at the little sawmill town of Grabow, Louisiana, had organized and joined the Brotherhood of Timber Workers. This was part of what is considered the 1911–1912 timber war fought between timber companies and workers in the Piney Woods of west Louisiana and east Texas . The companies had organized to cooperate in setting conditions such as wages, and most employed private police or militias to suppress union activities and labor unrest. Given

1944-624: The NATO Reforger 78 and 84 Exercise in Europe and the 1989 Invasion of Panama, known as Operation Just Cause . From June to August 1987 the 95th Division (Tng) conducted basic training exercises of approximately 600 recruits. During the stay of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Polk experienced a major building program that included new barracks, motor pools, 1000 family housing units, chapels, and dental clinics. The Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, named after Stanhope Bayne-Jones ,

2025-631: The U.S. Forest Service , mostly in the Kisatchie National Forest . In 2013, there were 10,877 troops stationed at Fort Johnson, which generated an annual payroll of $ 980 million. Louisiana officials lobbied the Army and the United States Congress to keep troop strength at full capacity despite looming defense cuts. Fort Johnson began as a base for the Louisiana Maneuvers in the 1940s. It served

2106-688: The United States Army Air Force for a military airfield to be built on the site. An immediate construction program began to convert the civilian airport into a military airfield and support complex. Construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and

2187-442: The 115th Combat Support Hospital include: general surgery, orthopaedics, podiatry, and physical therapy. Additional support for clinical operations is provided through a pharmacy, X-ray services, clinical laboratories, anaesthesia, and operative services. The 115th Combat Support Hospital is also staffed to provide medical command management and administrative support through an organic medical headquarters. During peacetime operations

2268-463: The 115th Field Hospital trains at the JRTC and Fort Johnson. As a deployable medical systems hospital with the most modern equipment available, the unit is capable of being deployed in an area of operations during a contingency, war or national emergency. U.S. Army Garrison provides installation support for all tenant units as well as JRTC rotational units. The Fort Johnson medical facility comprises

2349-486: The 1990s, Fort Polk based soldiers deployed to Haiti , Southwest Asia , Suriname , Panama , Bosnia , and other locations. Weather support for the exercise is completed by the units participating in the exercise in conjunction with the 26th Operational Weather Squadron . The 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrived at Fort Polk in 1993 as the armored cavalry regiment of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Elements of

2430-461: The 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment would be transformed into an Infantry-based Stryker Brigade and move to Fort Lewis, Washington. The transfer of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Polk to Fort Lewis was completed in 2006. The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment was later moved to Vilseck , Germany. The Joint Readiness Training Center is focused on improving unit readiness by providing highly realistic, stressful, joint and combined arms training across

2511-584: The 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning. Upon completion of Operation Sagebrush, Polk was declared a permanent installation and the 1st Armored Division was reassigned from Fort Hood to the newly renamed Fort Polk to continue to test mobility and combat strategies for the nuclear age. The 1st Armored Division, with its modern M-48 Patton Tanks and new helicopters, remained at Fort Polk until June 1959, before returning to Fort Hood. In 1962, Fort Polk began converting to both basic training and an advanced individual training (AIT) center. A small portion of Fort Polk

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2592-678: The Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, the Wellness and Readiness Center, the Department of Behavioral Health and the United States Army Air Ambulance Detachment. The hospital is named in honour of Brigadier General Stanhope Bayne-Jones, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. A bacteriologist and preventive medicine specialist, he achieved worldwide acclaim as the individual responsible for the control of typhus in Europe at

2673-763: The Hudson River Lumber Company, the Long-Bell Lumber Company 's subsidiary in DeRidder, was not part of the Southern Lumber Operators Association. It honored the Brotherhood of Timber Workers (BTW) and paid cash rather than scrip to workers. On July 7, 1912, the union workers held a series of rallies at several different company towns including Bon Ami and Carson, Louisiana . The day started out with over 800 workers, women, and children at DeRidder. Covington Hall and Arthur L. Emerson , two of

2754-530: The IWW, sprung into action to help fire several well-known defense attorneys. Fundraising rallies occurred in several cities, one in New Orleans just two days later. Bill Haywood , one of the founders of the IWW used his considerable might at these rallies and it became the cause célèbre of the union world. Union papers also wrote articles and tried to influence their version of the events. Arrests continued, with

2835-553: The Korean War. During the Korean War the 45th Infantry Division suffered 4,004 casualties; 834 killed in action and 3,170 wounded in action The division was awarded four campaign streamers and one Presidential Unit Citation. Most of the units who rotated through Camp Polk during 1952-54 were trained for combat by the 37th Infantry Division of the Ohio Army National Guard . Although the 37th Division itself

2916-552: The Mississippi River. The maneuvers gave Army leadership the chance to test a new doctrine that stressed the need for both mass and mobility. Sixteen armored divisions sprang up during World War II after the lessons learned during the Louisiana Maneuvers were considered. These divisions specialized in moving huge combined-arms mechanized units long distances in combat. On the defensive front, U.S. doctrine

2997-532: The North African, European and Pacific fronts. Soldiers at Polk participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers , which were designed to test U.S. troops preparing for World War II. Until 1939, the Army had mostly been an infantry force with supporting artillery, engineer, and cavalry units. Few units had been motorized or mechanized. As U.S. involvement in World War II became more likely, the Army recognized

3078-601: The Opposing Force is handled by the 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (1-509th IR) . It is the job of the 1-509th IR to conduct combat operations as a dedicated, capabilities-based Opposing Force (OPFOR) to provide realistic, stressful, and challenging combat conditions for JRTC rotational units. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division was officially activated at Fort Polk in February 2014 as 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division , utilizing

3159-514: The U.S. in fall 2011. From 2016 to 2019, the "Patriot Brigade", as they are known, became part of the 36th Infantry Division ( Army National Guard ) as part of the Army's Associated Unit Pilot. The "Patriot Brigade" was the only Regular Army unit assigned to the 36th ID but returned to the 10th Mountain Division when the Army's Associated Unit Pilot ended. The 115th Combat Support Hospital traces its origin to Evacuation Hospital #15, originally organized at Fort Riley, Kansas on 21 March 1918. At

3240-463: The U.S. on otherwise empty troop ships returning from the ETO, housing and feeding them in the U.S. where escape was far less likely, rather than further burdening outbound cargo ships with provisions for prisoners in camps based in Europe. He added that American GIs resented the fact that German POWs were allowed to breathe the air in the U.S. while GIs were on the battlegrounds of a devastated Europe through

3321-548: The United States aboard the "S.S. America" and was demobilized at Camp Lewis, Washington on 28 June 1919. Evacuation Hospital #15 was reconstituted as the 15th Evacuation Hospital in 1936, after having been organized as an inactive unit of the Regular Army on 1 October 1933. 115th Combat Support Hospital is a deployable medical unit that provides medical specialities to the battlefield. Medical specialties provided by

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3402-538: The WPA. This project in a stump littered field provided employment for about 400 men, who worked to clear what had once been a densely wooded region. They constructed two earthen runways on 160 acres (0.65 km) of land leased from the owner. The field was used very little. Barnstorming pilots would occasionally visit and offer rides for $ 2.00. Interest in the military utilization of the airfield increased significantly in 1939 when war began in Europe. The United States needed

3483-427: The additional union men who had come with him. Shots were fired, resulting in 4 deaths and 50 wounded in a shoot-out of around 15 minutes and an estimated 300 shots. There is considerable debate on who fired first. While there were some unorganized single shots, the first organized firing came from the mill office, where four men, including the owner John Galloway, had been waiting for the march. This group had spent

3564-524: The aircraft they trained on were: on 31 March 1944, the II Tactical Air Division of III Tactical Air Command was assigned to DeRidder and conducted replacement training. Training ceased in February 1945 and the airfield was placed in reserve status. DeRidder Army Air Base was declared surplus on October 2, 1946 and transferred to War Assets Administration on April 30, 1947. The Beauregard Parish Police Jury assumed responsibility for

3645-440: The airport includes over 4,200 acres (17 km) and is financially self-supporting. The airport continues to host military exercises which include parachute jumps by Fort Johnson personnel. Today it operates as the largest general aviation facility that is located in the state of Louisiana. The hangar area is essentially unchanged today except that the 75-foot (23 m) control tower has long since been removed and replaced by

3726-592: The airport that year. On December 23, 1948 the government deeded the base to the Police Jury under the terms of the Surplus Property Act. A requirement of the deed was that the property had to remain a public airport and all benefits of the property must be used to benefit the airport. In this case the federal government not only gave the parish an airport but also gave a means by which the airport could provide for its own financial self-support. Today

3807-710: The assets of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division , which was inactivated. As part of the Army's transformation initiative, this organization was designed to create a highly mobile, lethal, and flexible combat unit to support the rapid buildup of combat power wherever needed across the globe. The structure of the brigade is modular and provides for organic infantry, cavalry, field artillery, maintenance, logistic and support capabilities. While stilled flagged as 4th Brigade, it deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2006 to 2007 then again for Operation Iraqi Freedom from December 2007 to January 2009. The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in fall 2010 and returned to

3888-420: The conclusion of World War II. The Louisiana Army National Guard maintains a maintenance facility on Fort Johnson which services its major units such as the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 225th Engineer Brigade . There have been several times when Fort Johnson was at risk of closing. In 2002 the Army stated a position of "No acquisition of land through purchase or withdrawal of public domain lands

3969-402: The day drinking. Some of the union men did have weapons and returned fire. One of the participates who was with the union was notorious gunman Charles ("Leather Britches") Smith. He boasted of killing over six men, but it's clear that this story was a work-of-fiction. His boosts caused much resentment amongst the lumber company men. He was killed a few months later on September 25, 1912, from

4050-486: The duration of the war, but they understood the logic of keeping the POWs in the U.S. rather than in Europe. The POWs picked cotton, cut rice, and cut lumber. They also helped sandbag the raging Red River in the summer of 1944. Prisoners were not forced to work, and some refused. Those who worked earned scrip for their labor, with which they could buy such necessities as toothpaste or snacks at their own Post Exchange. From

4131-633: The end of World War II until the early 1960s, the post was closed and reopened numerous times. During much of this time, it was open only in the summers to support reserve component training. Soldiers were stationed there temporarily during the Korean War and the Berlin Crisis . In August 1950, the 45th Infantry Division of the Oklahoma Army National Guard became the first unit to train at Fort Polk in preparation for

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4212-660: The first troops arrived at the DeRidder Army Air Base . It housed anywhere from 3000 to 5000 troops at a time. The airfield was assigned to Third Air Force as a training airfield. Initial training was performed by the III Reconnaissance Command , for reconnaissance and observation units. Units assigned to the airfield were: In late 1942, the airfield was reassigned to III Tactical Air Command which performed medium and light bomber tactical bomber training. Units assigned to DeRidder and

4293-733: The fort was renamed to honor William Henry Johnson , a World War I veteran from the New York National Guard unit known as the " Harlem Hellfighters ". It was previously named for Leonidas Polk , a Confederate general. Johnson was one of the first Americans to receive the French " Croix de Guerre ". He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Medal of Honor. It

4374-607: The full spectrum of conflict. The JRTC is one of the Army's three "Dirt" Combat Training Centers resourced to train infantry brigade task forces and their subordinate elements in the Joint Contemporary Operational Environment. With great emphasis on realism, the JRTC Operations Group provides rotational units with the opportunity to conduct joint operations which emphasize contingency force missions. The JRTC training scenario

4455-503: The leaders of the strike, gave speeches. The group, with twelve wagons, marched the six miles to Carson for more speeches and to attempt to sway the non-union workers to join the BTW. The rally had no trouble in Carson before deciding to head back to Bon Ami. On their way, the group was warned by their scouts that gunmen were waiting to attack the march on the road back. Some choose to continue on

4536-630: The need to modernize the service. It also needed large-scale maneuvers to test a fast-growing, inexperienced force. That is where Fort Polk and the Louisiana Maneuvers came in. The maneuvers involved half a million soldiers in 19 Army divisions, and took place over 3,400 square miles (8,800 km ) in August and September 1941. The troops were divided into equal armies of two notional countries: Kotmk (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kentucky) and Almat (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee). These countries were fighting over navigation rights in

4617-496: The occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper. During the war years, the base had what was needed for the welfare of the men: a post exchange, library, chapel, finance building, orderly rooms, headquarters sub-depot, officers and enlisted men's clubs, hospital, theater, swimming pool, shooting range, bowling and billiards. Just before Christmas 1941,

4698-494: The old Neame mill pond and the other on the west side of highway 171 in the middle of a field. The latter is located on property south of and adjacent to a saw mill bearing the name Neame. There are some headstones dating to the early 1900s. Most of the graves are decaying, and many have already disappeared. Fort Johnson 31°04′21″N 93°04′50″W  /  31.072638°N 93.080635°W  / 31.072638; -93.080635 Fort Johnson , formerly Fort Polk ,

4779-538: The onset of hostilities during World War I, the unit sailed aboard the "S.S. Mataika", departing the United States on 22 August 1918, and arriving in France 3 September 1918. Evacuation Hospital #15 earned a battle streamer for its participation in the Meuse-Argonne Forest offensive from 26 September 1918 through 11 November 1918. The hospital, having served honorably and proud during World War I, returned to

4860-573: The penetration. Tank destroyers employed aggressive, high-speed hit-and-run tactics. The conclusion drawn was that tank destroyer battalions should be raised. Immediately after the war, the battalions were disbanded and the anti-tank role was taken over by the Infantry, Engineer, and Armor branches. While primarily a training facility, Camp Polk also served as a military prison for Germans captured during World War II. The first prisoners of war (POWs), who began arriving in Louisiana in July 1943, were from

4941-496: The property owned by the U.S. Forest Service where the Army trains. Originally named after Confederate general Leonidas Polk , Fort Polk became Fort Johnson during a re-designation ceremony on June 13, 2023 in honor of Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a World War I Medal of Honor recipient from North Carolina who served in the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment. Construction of Camp Polk began in 1941. Thousands of wooden barracks sprang up quickly to support an Army preparing to do battle on

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5022-457: The regiment deployed to Haiti in 1995 in support of Operation Uphold Democracy and to Bosnia in 1996 in support of Operation Joint Endeavor . The 2nd ACR deployed to Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Djibouti in 2002 to in support of Operation Enduring Freedom , and then deployed in Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (now known as Operation New Dawn). The Army announced on 14 May 2004, that

5103-406: The road and they saw no trouble. Another group decided to take a longer way through Grabow. At Grabow, the remaining group, which number around 200, decided to break for lunch. Grabow had a number of non-union workers and it was quickly decided to hold a rally with speeches. This instantaneous decision soon led to a violent confrontation. Emerson spoke on top of a wagon to roughly 25 non-union men plus

5184-536: The site urging that a proposed development be filed as a National Defense Project. The Police Jury and the City of DeRidder agreed to furnish the additional 200 acres (0.81 km), plus sewage and water facilities, and to remove obstructions to air navigation. The cost to be $ 475,518.85 excluding labor. On 1 July 1941, a contract for Lease was signed between the Beauregard Parish Police Jury and

5265-596: The small local jail of holding fifty-five men by the end of July, leading to the Louisiana State Board of Health ordering the prisoners moved to the basement of the courthouse. The Burns Detective Agency were hired to collect evidence for the prosecution. On October 7, after several delays, the trial started in Lake Charles, Louisiana . One of the prosecutors was current Congressman Arsène Pujo . The trial lasted until November 8. The jury returned

5346-458: The state of arms and control, violent confrontations were frequent over labor issues in Beauregard Parish during this period. The BTW had announced its intention to strike against the major mills in DeRidder, Louisiana , and the surrounding area, and the mill owners and operators were determined to shut down the mills, and lock out and blacklist union workers before acceding to their demands. But

5427-400: The story as an eyewitness: "We had been to Merryville, Singer, Newlin and Carson and were headed for Bon Ami. Before we could get there someone came up and warned that Bon Ami was filled with gunmen and that we'd certainly be killed if we went there. "There was 15 wagon-loads of us. Most of the men were armed. We headed for Grabow instead. I was driving the lead wagon, a brand new one pulled by

5508-627: The tracks and the big mill, commissary, and office on the other side of the tracks. Two decades later the nation was experiencing the effects of the Great Depression . To counteract the unemployment caused by the depression, work projects were activated across the country. One such project was begun in 1934, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of DeRidder under the Auspices of the Emergency Relief Authority which later became

5589-604: The trial moved to Falls County , in Marlin, Texas . Tom Connally was the prosecutor, together with Woods. Evidence was also provided that Myatt had shot and killed a neighbor named John Cook and left him lying in a field. After he was convicted of murdering his wife in 1910 and sentenced to hang, he was transferred to Navarro County jail in Corsicana, Texas , to be tried for Cook's murder, but he escaped to Louisiana before his trial. All that remains of Graybow are some bricks,

5670-431: The verdict of not guilty for all of the union men. The evidence that the company men had been drinking all day and were likely to be the first ones to fire seems to have swayed the jury. All of those arrested were set free. There is a historical marker at the site of the riot, on what is now the property of DeRidder Airport , Louisiana. Below is an excerpt from the newspaper article "A Year of Death", which appeared in

5751-453: Was a violent confrontation that took place between private police hired by management and labor factions in the timber industry near Grabow (Graybow), Louisiana , on July 7, 1912. The clash left three union workers and a company security employee dead, including union leader Asbury Decatur ("Kate") Hall, and an estimated fifty wounded. It was a crucial event in attempts to organize locals and unionize sawmill workers in Louisiana and east Texas in

5832-402: Was based on two needs: the ability to defeat Blitzkrieg tactics; and how to deal with large numbers of German tanks attacking relatively narrow areas. As such, the maneuvers also tested the concept of the tank destroyer . In this concept, highly mobile guns were held in reserve until friendly forces were attacked by enemy tanks. Then the tank destroyers would be rapidly deployed to the flanks of

5913-429: Was built around the 1st Armored Division and an opposing force was built around the 82nd Airborne Division . U.S. Air Force bombers and fighter planes also participated in this exercise with powerful aircraft operating in the sky, stirring great interest among the citizens of the region. Also participating as part of the provisional army was the 15th Infantry Regiment (actually designated as 15th Infantry Combat Command) of

5994-467: Was not sent to Korea as a unit, nearly every soldier was sent as an individual replacement. In 1955, the U.S. military conducted another large training exercise that covered a substantial portion of Louisiana. Named Operation Sagebrush, the focus of this exercise was to evaluate the effectiveness of military operations in a nuclear environment. The exercise lasted for 15 days with 85,000 troops participating. A provisional army, meant to represent U.S. forces,

6075-618: Was one of the U.S. Army installations named for Confederate soldiers recommended for renaming by the Congressional Naming Commission . On January 5, 2023, William A. LaPlante, the US under-secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment ( USD (A&S) ), directed the full implementation of the recommendations of the Naming Commission, DoD-wide. An area covering 105,545 acres (42,713 ha) within

6156-705: Was organized with two active duty brigades and a brigade from the Louisiana National Guard. From 1972 until 1987, Fort Polk hosted the 1st Battalion, 40th Armor Regiment. During that time 1/40th Armor participated in training exercises with the Louisiana Army National Guard and 5th Infantry Division units. It was part of the Rapid Deployment Force for the operations in Grenada, but was not deployed, instead it

6237-444: Was purchased in 2012. Eminent domain is an option if needed. Fort Johnson issued a press release on 5 May 2014, that 32,500 acres of the targeted 47,500, out of the 100,000 approved, has been acquired. Fifty-four landowners are involved, twenty-nine residences, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers being the Army's real estate agent. On 12 November 2014, a grand opening for a new Fort Polk Commissary took place. On 13 June 2023,

6318-649: Was reassigned to the hills nol (German Defense Plan). In 1983, the 1/40 Armor took part in the Reforger 1984 exercises in Bavaria and two deployments to the National Training Center in 1984 and 1985. The 1/40 Armor was deactivated at Fort Polk in 1987. It was reactivated as the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry at Fort Richardson in Alaska in 2005. While at Fort Polk, the 5th Infantry Division participated in

6399-409: Was released, along with six of the arrested company men. Over thirty of the union men, including Emerson, who were at Grabow were arrested in the next few days. Judge Winston Overton started a grand jury investigation. Overton was considered hostile to the union. Subsequently, 65 of the timber workers' group were brought up on charges ranging from inciting a riot to murder. The BTW, along with

6480-468: Was shot and another whose name I don't recall right off went down with him." Charles Smith, nicknamed "Leather Britches", wore a pistol on each hip and carried a rifle everywhere he went. He was reportedly brought in as a hired gun by Arthur L. Emerson, then president of the Timber Workers. Some considered him a hero and benefactor of the timber workers. The legend varies. Some thought him to be

6561-408: Was the only stateside Army post they saw before assignment overseas. Many soldiers reported to basic training at Fort Polk and stayed on post for infantry training at Tigerland before being assigned to infantry line companies in Vietnam . In October 1974, Fort Polk became the new home of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), and basic training and AIT started being phased out. Fort Polk changed from

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