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84-914: Fort Dix , the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst , is a United States Army post. It is located 16.1 miles (25.9 km) south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey . Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force Air Mobility Command . As of the 2020 U.S. census , Fort Dix census-designated place (CDP) had a total population of 7,716, of which 5,951 were in New Hanover Township , 1,765 were in Pemberton Township , and none were in Springfield Township (though portions of

168-594: A FORSCOM Power Projection Platform for the Northeastern United States under the command and control of the Army's Installation Management Command. Primary missions include training and providing regional base operations support to on-post and off-post active component and U.S. Army Reserve units, soldiers, families, and retirees. Fort Dix supported more than 1.1 million man-days of training in 1998. More than 13,500 persons, on average, live or work within

252-578: A German POW in his naturalized country. A Luftwaffe prisoner stated that while the camp was tough, compared to German standards it was like a vacation. During their incarceration in Camp Ruston, the prisoners benefited from food, medical care, and physical surroundings which were better than what their countrymen were experiencing at home. They ate the same food as their captors; perhaps even better, as several experienced cooks were among them. Prisoners were permitted to purchase snacks and personal items at

336-435: A Russian Major. These deaths resulted from previous wounds and illnesses, or, in one case, from an attack by other prisoners. A small cemetery, located at the northeast tip of the property, near what now is the eastbound lane of Interstate 20, remained until all the buried POWs were exhumed and returned to their countries. An unusual story regarding POW deaths occurred when a German POW died at the camp. The Germans requested that

420-409: A canteen, engage in athletic and craft activities, and organize an orchestra, a theater, and a library; KWKH broadcast a concert by the prisoners. Enlisted prisoners were required to work at the camp and for farms and businesses across north Louisiana. They picked cotton, felled timber, built roads, and performed other tasks to help solve the domestic labor shortage caused by the war; cotton picking

504-520: A captain and the Army a colonel). The commanders of both Fort Dix and Lakehurst serve also as deputy joint base commanders. Construction began in June 1917. Camp Dix, as it was known at the time, was a training and staging ground for units during World War I . Though the camp was an embarkation camp for the New York Port of Embarkation , it did not fall under the direct control of that command, with

588-412: A commercial flight from San Antonio, Texas, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, every few weeks was eventually realized to be not cost effective, so the school was later moved back to Camp Bullis. Fort Dix was an early casualty of the first base realignment and closure process in the early 1990s, after having lost its traditional basic-training mission, but advocates attracted Army Reserve interest in keeping

672-434: A facility for the mentally disabled. Much of the area once populated by prisoner barracks is now part of a livestock facility for Louisiana Tech University. The remaining hospital compound barracks are located next to a student housing complex administered by Grambling State University. As of 2007 only two dilapidated buildings remain, and rough outlines on the ground of others. A number of former POWs eventually returned to

756-451: A family taking the same choice: North Hanover Township School District (PK-6), Northern Burlington County Regional School District (7-12), and Pemberton Township School District (K-12). The Pemberton district operates Fort Dix Elementary School, located on-post. In prior years, Pemberton was the sole school district for Fort Dix. In 1988, 23% of the students in that district were from military families. In 1997, plans were made to shift

840-536: A few POWs remained in the US. The vast majority of POWs were shipped back to Europe and eventually back to their respective countries. A relatively small number of prisoners who were deemed important to the US and wished to stay were offered the opportunity. One story of a POW remaining in the US was that of Ensign Karl Ernst Pfaff. Pfaff was a 21-year-old ensign aboard the German U-boat 234 . The U-boat's destination

924-527: A general court-marital on serious charges. Most had their charges dropped entirely, while nine faced a special court-martial, the military equivalent of misdemeanor court. Four of those were convicted of misdemeanor participation in a riot and the other five acquitted. Of the five singled out for general courts-martial, one was acquitted completely while four were discharged with varying sentences including hard labor. In 1957, during their leisure hours, Specialist 4 Steven Goodman, assisted by PFC Stuart Scherr, made

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1008-657: A new mission of mobilizing, deploying and demobilizing Soldiers and providing training areas for Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers. In 1994, the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center was established as the Air Mobility Warfare Center on Dix. Source: Lakehurst history begins as a munitions-testing site for the Imperial Russian Army in 1916. It was then gained by

1092-466: A small clay model of a charging infantryman. Their tabletop model was spotted by a public-relations officer, who brought it to the attention of Deputy Post Commander Bruce Clarke, who suggested the construction of a larger statue to serve as a symbol of Fort Dix. Goodman and Scherr, who had studied industrial arts together in New York City and were classified by the Army as illustrators , undertook

1176-457: A taped segment on Camp Ruston for the LPB-TV program “Louisiana: The State We’re In.” added to the interests of Camp Ruston during that period. Several news stories of POW's visiting the site were produced by CBS news as well as international documentaries produced by South German Television and Austrian TV. Spione's visit to the former Yugoslavia, where he conducted rare interviews with former POW's

1260-684: A training and staging ground during the war and a demobilization center after the war. After victory in Europe, arrangements were made to return prisoners of war to their home countries. 154 Soviet citizens who had been captured in German uniform were brought from Camp Ruston in Louisiana to Fort Dix in preparation for their return. On 29 June 1945, having learned of the plan, they rioted, attempting to provoke their guards to shoot them. Three hanged themselves. Seven proved they were not Soviet citizens, and

1344-433: A two-star general. Presently, it serves as a joint training site for all military components and all services. In 2009, Fort Dix and the adjacent Air Force and Naval facilities were consolidated into a single secure facility, called Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The supporting component is the U.S. Air Force, and base operations are executed by the 87th Air Base Wing , which provides installation management to all of

1428-789: A veteran of the War of 1812 and the Civil War , and a former United States Senator , Secretary of the Treasury and Governor of New York . It was renamed Fort Dix in 1939. Dix has a history of mobilizing, training and demobilizing Soldiers from as early as World War I through the present day. In 1978, the first female recruits entered basic training at Fort Dix. In 1991, Dix trained Kuwaiti civilians in basic military skills so they could take part in their country's liberation. Dix ended its active Army training mission in 1988 due to Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. It began

1512-623: Is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force 's McGuire Air Force Base , the United States Army 's Fort Dix and the United States Navy 's Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst , which were merged on 1 October 2009. It was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission . The legislation ordered

1596-862: Is situated in the two largest counties in New Jersey , Burlington and Ocean , and includes portions of eight municipalities: the borough of Wrightstown and the townships of New Hanover , North Hanover , Pemberton , and Springfield , in Burlington County, and the townships of Jackson , Manchester , and Plumsted in Ocean County. The 87th Air Base Wing provides installation management support for 3,933 facilities with an approximate value of $ 9.3 billion in physical infrastructure. More than 44,000 airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, Coast Guardsmen, civilians, and their family members live and work on and around JB MDL, which has an economic impact on

1680-460: The 317 route. The U.S. Census Bureau lists "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in Burlington County as having its own school district. Students attend area school district public schools, as the Department of Defense Education Activity does not operate any schools on that base. Students on McGuire and Dix may attend one of the following in their respective grade levels, with all siblings in

1764-651: The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) does not operate any schools on the joint base. Students in Lakehurst are zoned to Lakehurst School District and Manchester Township High School (of Manchester Township School District ). Students on McGuire and Dix may attend one of the following, with all siblings in a family taking the same choice: North Hanover Township School District (Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6), Northern Burlington County Regional School District (grades 7-12), and Pemberton Township School District (K-12). Camp Ruston Camp Ruston

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1848-481: The U-505 ' s voyage can be found in the archives at Louisiana Tech University . The last entry in the log suggests that Lange actually pre-wrote the evenings' entry earlier and before the capture, as his entry stated that on the evening of the 4th everything was calm. The U-505 had been captured earlier in the day of June 4. Records indicate that one American was kept as a POW at Camp Ruston. Ludwig Staudinger, Jr.

1932-528: The U.S. Census Bureau , Fort Dix had a total area of 10.389 square miles (26.909 km), of which 0.127 square mile (0.329 km) is covered by water (1.22%). The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification , Fort Dix has a humid subtropical climate , Cfa on climate maps. The 2010 United States census counted 7,716 people, 784 households, and 590 families in

2016-461: The U.S. Coast Guard is based at Fort Dix. As part of the Department of Homeland Security , the AST is responsible for responding to oil-pollution and hazardous-materials release incidents to protect public health and the environment. Fort Dix is also home to Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution , the largest single federal prison. It is a low-security installation for male inmates located within

2100-688: The War Department retaining direct jurisdiction. The camp became a demobilization center after the war. Between the World Wars, Camp Dix was a reception, training, and discharge center for the Civilian Conservation Corps . Camp Dix became Fort Dix on 8 March 1939, and the installation became a permanent Army post. During and after World War II, the fort served the same purpose as in the First World War, serving as

2184-499: The military stockade rioted. The prisoners called it a rebellion and cited grievances including "unsanitary conditions", overcrowding, starvation, beatings, being chained to chairs, forced confessions and participation in an unjust war. The Army initially called it a "disturbance" caused by a small number of "instigators" and "troublemakers", but soon charged 38 soldiers with riot and inciting to riot. The antiwar movement, which had been increasingly recognizing and supporting resistance to

2268-561: The 1950s, Aviation Boatswain's Mates have been trained at Lakehurst to operate catapults and arresting systems on aircraft carriers. Lakehurst conducts the unique mission of supporting and developing the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment and Support Equipment for naval aviation. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and the Advanced Arresting Gear system that will replace the existing steam catapults and

2352-514: The 31,000-acre (13,000 ha) post as a training reservation. With the reserves, and millions of dollars for improvements, Fort Dix has grown again to employ 3,000. As many as 15,000 troops train there on weekends, and the post has been a major mobilization point for reserve and National Guard troops since the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. Fort Dix has completed its realignment from an individual training center to

2436-473: The CDP are included there). Established in 1917, Fort Dix was in 2009 combined with adjoining U.S. Air Force and Navy facilities to become Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) in 2009. However, it remains commonly known as "Fort Dix", "ASA Dix", or "Dix". During 2015 to 2016, Colonel Shelley Balderson was commander, making her the first female commander of Fort Dix in the base's century-long history. Fort Dix

2520-457: The CDP. The population density was 751.9 per square mile (290.3/km). There were 898 housing units at an average density of 87.5 per square mile (33.8/km). The racial makeup was 52.57% (4,056) White , 34.47% (2,660) Black or African American , 0.67% (52) Native American , 1.91% (147) Asian , 0.30% (23) Pacific Islander , 6.07% (468) from other races , and 4.02% (310) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.47% (1,657) of

2604-577: The Camp Ruston Symposium. During their stay, they confirmed the friendships they had made in Ruston during the war. In the 1990s, increased efforts were undertaken to preserve the history of Camp Ruston by the state of Louisiana. The project was overseen and led by Vincent Spione. Spione had been working on collecting interviews and artifacts of the camp since meeting a visiting former POW in the summer of 1980. Spione also founded and acted as

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2688-592: The Camp Ruston site, conducted by Mark Scalia a Tech graduate student. The archaeological exercise proved to be valuable in its finding of several significant artifacts such as a stone castle built by the German POWs as well as pinpointing and mapping the actual remnants of the original guard towers and water tower. Additional attention in the form of symposiums, talks to regional historical organizations and to schools, appearances on local and national television, exhibits, slide presentations, and provision of material for

2772-558: The Developmental Center to the archives at Louisiana Tech for safekeeping and future access by researchers. The records and physical artifacts related to Camp Ruston continue to grow in the archives maintained by the Special Collections Department at Louisiana Tech University. Of the remaining buildings from the camp only several from the original hospital compound and a warehouse remain, however,

2856-569: The German/Nazi flag be draped over his coffin for his funeral. There were no Nazi flags available, when one female civilian American employee, Myra Roberts of Ruston sewed a Nazi flag for the funeral. The flag was kept by Roberts for many years but was misplaced before it could be saved for the archives. It was also noted that a Russian major had died of a heart attack and was buried in the cemetery. The last prisoners left Camp Ruston on 3 February 1946 for repatriation to their native countries, and

2940-686: The Mk-7 arresting gear are being developed and tested at Lakehurst at full-scale shipboard representative test facilities here. Source: The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. The U.S. Census Bureau lists "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in Burlington County as having its own school district. Students attend area school district public schools, as

3024-487: The Russians rioted and started fires in their barracks at Camp Dix to protest. Two Russian POWs hanged themselves from the barrack rafters rather than face their inevitable fate. After leaving Camp Dix, the trail and story of the remaining Russian POWs from Camp Ruston mysteriously ends. One group of prisoners was treated differently, with not even International Red Cross inspectors allowed to see them. In late July 1944,

3108-468: The US as immigrants after their return to their native countries. Most of the prisoners had established amicable relationships with the American personnel at the camp and with the local people for whom they worked. Over the years former prisoners returned to Ruston and in 1984 a number of them join local residents in a 40th-anniversary reunion. In 1995 several former POWs returned to Ruston to participate in

3192-506: The United States Army as Camp Kendrick during World War I . The United States Navy purchased the property in 1921 for use as an airship station and renamed it Naval Air Station Lakehurst . The Navy's lighter-than-air program was conducted at Lakehurst through the 1930s. It was the site of the 1937 LZ 129 Hindenburg airship disaster . During World War II , anti-submarine patrol blimps were operated from Lakehurst. Since

3276-709: The accountant as he left Camp Ruston. The artwork was found in an old barn near Arcadia, Louisiana and donated to the Camp Ruston Foundation nearly 50 years later. In 1944, the War Department began a program to educate prisoners of war throughout the United States in academic subjects and democratic values. One source of books was the library of Louisiana Polytechnic Institute (now Louisiana Tech University). Some prisoners even took correspondence courses from major American universities. Many of

3360-602: The auspices of Goodman and the Fort Dix chapter of the Association of the United States Army , the statue was recast in bronze and its concrete base was replaced by black granite . The statue stands 25 feet tall at the entrance to Infantry Park. Its inscription reads This monument is dedicated to the only indispensable instrument of war, The American Soldier— The Ultimate Weapon "If they are not there, you don't own it." 17 August 1990 According to

3444-825: The buildings would be dismantled and was successful in convincing the committee to approve the building and site for inclusion into the NHR. In 1994, Spione worked with Louisiana Tech University and the Ruston Developmental Center to begin the Camp Ruston Documentation Project to collect historical materials concerning Camp Ruston. Funded by the Camp Ruston Foundation and Mercedes Benz, Spione traveled to Germany, Italy, and Yugoslavia where he interviewed numerous former POWs who were housed at Camp Ruston. He had also met with numerous former POWs, camp civilian and military staff as they visited

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3528-461: The camp reached a peak population of 4,315 prisoners, including 181 officers. After the three original compounds filled, a fourth for officers only was built. The prisoners were perhaps the most ethnically diverse ever seen in Louisiana; besides Germans, captured soldiers of French, Austrian, Italian, Czech, Polish, Yugoslav, Romanian nationalities, and over 100 Russian prisoners were also housed in

3612-832: The camp served first as a training center for the Women's Army Corps . In April 1943, the first 500 recruits arrived for basic training, forming the 42nd Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Regiment. Approximately 2,000 WACs trained at the camp over three and one half months. By July 1943 the WAC training center was moved in order to make room for the expected large numbers of POW's captured in the European and Northern African Theaters. The first 300 POWs, from Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's elite Afrika Korps , arrived at Camp Ruston in August 1943. By October 1943

3696-595: The camp was closed in June 1946. Most of the POW's, however, were not immediately repatriated to their native countries for fear of "dumping" all these trained soldiers back into their defeated countries. Many were kept up to two additional years in camps in England, Belgium, and France before being repatriated. Interviews indicated that for many those two years at the hands of their European holders were much worse than their experiences at Camp Ruston. Contrary to some beliefs, only

3780-585: The camp. One report describes several German soldiers with "Mongol features" and that they required special diets in keeping with their Islamic faith. It was later learned that these "Muhammadans" were from Chechnya. Declassified memos from the Russian POWs to the camp commander indicated that while the Russians were prisoners they volunteered to fight against the Japanese for the Americans. Their request

3864-529: The captured surviving 56 officers and crew of U-505 were sent to the camp and kept in isolation in a restricted area in the NE corner of the camp in order to prevent them from communicating to the enemy that secret German naval codes had fallen into Allied hands. Numerous declassified secret National Archive documents regarding these U-boat POWs are housed in the archives. A copy of Captain Harold Lange's log of

3948-527: The center. A major donation by Mark Scalia of all the National Archive records pertaining to Camp Ruston proved invaluable for researchers. In 2000 all of the collected artifacts were transferred to Louisiana Tech University archives for their safekeeping by the Camp Ruston Foundation and Ruston Developmental Center. During 1994–95, several events and activities were held which brought attention to Camp Ruston. These included an archaeological survey of

4032-469: The consolidation of the three facilities which were adjoining, but separate military installations, into a single joint base , one of 12 formed in the United States as a result of the law. The installation commander is Air Force Colonel Anthony L. Smith. The 42,000-contiguous acres of JB MDL are home to more than 80 mission partners and 40 mission commanders providing a wide range of combat capability. The base spans more than 20 miles, from east to west. It

4116-678: The end of the war and carried out their mustering out and discharges. Dix has a history of mobilizing, training, and demobilizing soldiers from as early as World War I through April 2015, when Fort Bliss and Fort Hood in Texas assumed full responsibility for that mission. In 1978, the first female recruits entered basic training at Fort Dix. In 1991, Dix trained Kuwaiti civilians in basic military skills so they could take part in their country's liberation . Dix ended its active U.S. Army training mission in 1991 due to Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations, which ended its command by

4200-429: The far eastern compound of Camp Ruston. Spione shared these declassified documents with the curator of the museum's U-505 exhibit. When the museum updated the exhibit they made the appropriate changes that now reflect the updated and more accurate information regarding the 505 crew and their internment at Camp Ruston. In September 2000, the Camp Ruston Foundation transferred all the remaining documents and artifacts from

4284-411: The far northwestern part of the camp was designated for POW officers. The officer's compound's barracks were constructed to house a lesser number of POWs affording more privacy and room for the officers. The enlisted men's barracks were designed to house a maximum of 50 POWs in two rows of bunks that ran along each side. POW latrines were separate buildings located at the end of each compound. Camp Ruston

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4368-566: The former site from 1977 until he left Ruston in 2000. His interviews and well as numerous artifacts given to him by the POW's now reside in the Louisiana Tech University archives for safekeeping and to be used by future scholars. Beginning in the late '70s until 2000, Spione continued to manage the project for the Developmental Center. Over those years numerous documents, photographs, paintings, carvings, letters, oral histories, and many other artifacts were collected and kept at

4452-756: The garrison and its tenant organizations. Devens Reserve Force Training Area in Massachusetts is a subinstallation of the ASA. In 2005, the US Department of Defense announced that Fort Dix would be affected by a base realignment and closure. For base operations support, it became part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst , N.J. It was the first base of its kind in the United States and is the Department of Defense's only three-service joint base. ASA, Fort Dix occupies and supports all training across 31,000 of

4536-567: The group's Greenwich Village , New York City, townhouse, killing three members of the group. On 8 May 2007, six individuals, mostly ethnic Albanian Muslims, were arrested for plotting an attack against Fort Dix and the soldiers within. The men are believed to be Islamic radicals who may have been inspired by the ideologies of al-Qaeda . The men allegedly planned to storm the base with automatic weapons in an attempt to kill as many soldiers as possible. The men faced charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. soldiers. On 5 June 1969, 250 men imprisoned in

4620-420: The internment of enemy aliens that may have also included internees of German and Italian ancestries never developed and the need for additional enemy alien internment camps were abandoned. It soon became evident that Camp Ruston's usage plan would change due to the unexpected number of POWs being housed in Europe needing to be transferred. Because few German prisoners of war in the United States as yet existed,

4704-554: The joint base while both the Navy and Army retain command and control of their missions, personnel, equipment, and component-specific services. Neither the Navy nor the Army base is subordinate to the Joint Base; each is simply supported by the joint base in base operations such as utilities, child-care centers, gyms, and other services, but each one reports through its own service-specific command chain and has its own commander (the Navy

4788-548: The joint base's 42,000 acres. In 1970, the Weather Underground planned to detonate a nail bomb at a noncommissioned officers' dance at the base to "bring the war home" and "give the United States and the rest of the world a sense that this country was going to be completely unlivable if the United States continued in Vietnam ." The plot failed the morning of the dance, when a bomb under construction exploded at

4872-481: The military installation. As of 19 November 2009, it housed 4,310 inmates, and a minimum-security satellite camp housed an additional 426. Knowing that Fort Dix was on a base closure list, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) attempted to save the U.S. Army post during 1987. The USAF moved the Security Police (SP) Air Base Ground Defense school from Camp Bullis , Texas, to Dix in fall 1987. Putting 50–100 SP trainees on

4956-526: The newly reorganized Air Mobility Command. The 305th Air Mobility Wing served as the host wing from October 1994 to March 2009, when the newly activated 87th Air Base Wing assumed installation command. The 305th, along with the 108th Air Wing (ANG), 621st Contingency Response Wing , and the 514th Air Mobility Wing (AFRES), has supported every major type of air mobility mission over the past 15 years. Source: The facility originated in 1917 as Camp Dix , named in honor of Major General John Adams Dix ,

5040-486: The owners, the state of Louisiana, have done little to preserve or protect them and recent photographs indicate that they are in very poor condition. All the original POW barracks and compound buildings were demolished not long after the POWs left. Many of the soldiers interned at Camp Ruston had occupations prior to the war such as doctors, engineers, professors, artist and famous writers. Among those to achieve notoriety after

5124-596: The population were under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 50.2% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 2.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 522.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 757.5 males. New Jersey Route 68 links Fort Dix to U.S. Route 206 near the latter's interchanges with the New Jersey Turnpike , U.S. Route 130 , and Interstate 295 . New Jersey Transit provides service to and from Philadelphia on

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5208-413: The population. Of the 784 households, 59.1% had children under the age of 18; 63.8% were married couples living together; 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.7% were non-families. Of all households, 15.1% were made up of individuals and 0.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.56. 12.1% of

5292-488: The president of the non-profit Camp Ruston Foundation. On December 13, 1991, the camp's remaining buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places , by the state of Louisiana. The four remaining buildings, as well as the site, did not meet the initial requirements for approval due to the site being under the 50-year-old mark. Spione petitioned the committee to waive this requirement for fear that

5376-422: The prisoners cite this instruction as the beginning of Democracy in post-war Germany. Contrary to several poorly researched books and videos made about Camp Ruston, the POW's did not wear their military uniforms during their internment. There were several occasions where POWs were photographed posing in their national uniform for Christmas cards and funerals, but these occasions were very rare at Camp Ruston. Each POW

5460-399: The project under the management of Sergeant Major Bill Wright. Operating on a limited budget, and using old railroad track, Bondo , and other available items, they created a 12-foot figure of a charging infantryman in full battle dress, representing no particular race or ethnicity. By 1988, years of weather had taken a toll on the statue, and a restoration campaign raised over $ 100,000. Under

5544-657: The rest were shipped out on 31 August. On 15 July 1947, Fort Dix became a basic-training center and the home of the 9th Infantry Division . In 1954, the 9th moved out and the 69th Infantry Division made the fort home until it was deactivated on 16 March 1956. During the Vietnam War , rapid expansion took place. A mock Vietnamese village was constructed, and soldiers received Vietnam-specific training before being deployed. Since Vietnam, Fort Dix has sent soldiers to Operation Desert Shield , Desert Storm , Bosnia , Afghanistan , and Iraq . The Atlantic Strike Team (AST) of

5628-563: The state of New Jersey. The base originated in 1941 as Fort Dix Army Air Force Base . Closed briefly after World War II , it reopened in 1948 as McGuire Air Force Base . The base was named after Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. , Medal of Honor recipient, and the second leading ace in American history. McGuire grew famous as the Air Force's "Gateway to the East", when its core mission became global mobility in 1945. In 1992, it became part of

5712-585: The students, numbering around 700, to North Hanover schools. Pemberton school officials were against that move. Fort Dix is the home base setting in Cinemaware 's 1988 C64 and Nintendo video game Rocket Ranger ; the game is based on an alternate World War II scenario, wherein the Nazis discover lunarium, which could allow them to win the war unless a young American scientist stops them. Joint Base McGuire%E2%80%93Dix%E2%80%93Lakehurst The facility

5796-623: The war were: Playing with the Enemy , published by Savas Beatie, is the story of Gene Moore, a young baseball prodigy drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers. His career is interrupted by World War II and he is assigned to a U.S. Navy baseball team playing exhibition games to entertain the troops in North Africa. After D-Day, his team is sent to Virginia where the U-505 crew has arrived from Bermuda. The Navy baseball team secretly escorts

5880-457: The war within the military, quickly moved to defend the rebels/rioters and those the Army singled out for punishment. Soon the slogan "Free the Fort Dix 38 " was heard in antiwar speeches, written about in underground newspapers and leaflets, and demonstrations were planned. Due to public backlash against the military's treatment of the prisoners, only five of the original 38 were brought before

5964-594: Was Japan and was under direct orders from Hitler not to surrender. However, on May 14, 1945, 7 days after the German surrender, the U-234 chose to surrender to the US Navy. The U-234 was a treasure trove of information for the US. Loaded on the sub were detailed plans for rockets, a jet plane in a crate as well as over 500 Kilos of Uranium Oxide. Additionally, two high ranking Japanese military officers were on board. They committed suicide rather than being captured. Pfaff, who

6048-538: Was a trained engineer and spoke English, was able to help the Americans locate the Uranium which was hidden in a false wall surrounding the conning tower of the sub. According to interviews conducted by Vincent Spione, Pfaff was allowed to stay in the US, gain citizenship and flourished in business until he died in the early 2000s. He had been removed from the rest of the U-234 crew who were sent to Papago Park AZ while Pfaff

6132-568: Was already known that the crew was kept incommunicado at Camp Ruston but The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, where the U-505 is displayed had no records of this. The museum had indicated that their information had the crew being kept as POW's in Bermuda. This is true as the captured mariners were initially taken to Bermuda but for only a brief time when they were secretly moved and kept in

6216-581: Was born in Germany in 1921. His family left Germany and immigrated to the west coast of the US near Yakima, Washington. As the war in Europe began, the young German American's allegiance to his mother country drew him into joining the German army prior to America's entry into the war. He left Yakima and fought in the early years of the war. Staudinger was captured by the English and eventually, this naturalized American, fighting for his mother country found himself

6300-410: Was built by the local T.L. James Company under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on 770 acres (3.1 km ) about seven miles (11 km) west of Ruston, Louisiana in 1942. The land was purchased for $ 24,200, and construction cost $ 2.5 million. Camp Ruston was originally designated as an "Enemy Alien Internment Camp", a detention facility for internees of Japanese ancestry. Plans for

6384-582: Was denied by the Americans and the fate of these Russian POW's became one of the most unusual stories of Camp Ruston. During the meeting at Yalta, Stalin specifically mentioned these Russian POWs held at Camp Ruston and requested their return to Russia. The US agreed to send these POWs back to Russia and eventually transferred them from Camp Ruston to Camp Dix in NJ for their trip home. The Russian POWs, who fought against Russia as German soldiers, knew their fate if they were to return. Records and news accounts indicate that

6468-472: Was documented by the Slovenian newspapers in an extensive story outlining the POW experience as conscripted Yugoslavian soldiers in the German army. A copy of the news story is housed in the archives. In 2007, a second story was produced by LPB on Camp Ruston. In 1998 Spione reviewed declassified National Archives records that listed the capture and internment records of the crew of the captured U-505 . It

6552-589: Was established on 16 July 1917, as Camp Dix, named in honor of Major General John Adams Dix , a veteran of the War of 1812 and the American Civil War , and a former U.S. Senator , U.S. Secretary of the Treasury , and Governor of New York . Camp Dix was home to the 153rd Depot Brigade. The role of World War I depot brigades was to receive recruits and draftees, then organize them and provide them with uniforms, equipment, and initial military training. Depot brigades also received soldiers returning home at

6636-569: Was involved in a serious truck accident where he spent several months recuperating from his injuries. He eventually hopped a ship back to Germany. According to one of his American guards, King was a pleasant prisoner whom the American guards liked and respected. Based on a Spione interview, the guard remembered that Charly had told him that he needed to return to Germany in order to take care of his mother, whom he feared would fall into Russian hands. The F.B.I. continued to search for him for many years. At least nine prisoners died at Camp Ruston, including

6720-442: Was issued US surplus khaki uniforms with the letters "PW" painted on the back of each shirt and coats as well as the front pant legs of their trousers. This fact was corroborated during interviews of American guards as well as numerous former POWs. A POW issued uniform was donated by a former POW to the Camp Ruston Foundation and is now located in the archives. Only 34 prisoners escaped and remained free for over 24 hours, and only one

6804-441: Was never recaptured. The most famous escape was performed by a German soldier named Charly King. Born on Christmas Day in 1921, King, then 24 years old, spoke perfect German, English as well as Spanish and was said to be well educated, possibly an engineer or an architect. He managed to escape from one of Camp Ruston's branch camp at Bastrop La. and eventually made his way to neutral Mexico where he spent several months. In Mexico, King

6888-529: Was one of the largest prisoner-of-war camps in the United States during World War II , with 4,315 prisoners at its peak in October 1943. Camp Ruston served as the "base camp" and had 8 smaller work branch camps associated to it. Camp Ruston included three large, separated compounds for POWs, a full, modern hospital compound, and a compound for the American personnel. One of the POW compounds, located in

6972-430: Was perhaps the most difficult. They were paid in scrip which they could use in the camp canteen. There are numerous accounts of POWs and locals meeting and becoming "friends" during their stay. Officers were not required to work but could if they desired. One such case involved Hans Stollenwerk, an Afrika Corp lieutenant, who worked as an assistant to one of the camp's civilian accountants. Stollenwork's art had been given to

7056-409: Was sent to Camp Ruston. After securing a job with a major US manufacturing firm, Pfaff recalls visiting the site of his former POW experience on several occasions. Mark Scalia later recounts the capture of the U-234 in his book, Germany's Last Mission to Japan . From 1947 to 1958, the site of the camp served as a state tuberculosis sanatorium, and in 1959, it became the Ruston Developmental Center,

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