Volume XIV THE STATE October 5
Number 19 A Weekly Survey of North Carolina 1946
Entered
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*rcond-cl»« matter. June 1. 1633. at the Ptolofflce at Ralei*h. North Carolina, under the Act of March 3.
137».
What’s Doing at Fort Bragg
At one time there were as many as 100.000
men stationed there. The present number
is around .‘10.000. Considerable change has
taken place in other respects.
NOW that the war has been
over more than a year. I
wonder what’s going on
down at Fort Bragg? Have they
shut up shop, or are they still as
busy as ever down there?”
A rather pertinent question.
Probably a lot of other folks in
North Carolina have been doing a
little wondering along the same
line. So a week or so ago we got in
touch with Captain Ralph B.
Reeves, Jr., public relations officer
at the fort, and asked him whether
we could come down and go over
the place.
He said to come on.
Before we tell you of the pres¬
ent status of Fort Bragg, however,
suppose we give you a little back¬
ground information concerning its
origin and operation.
While many people have heard
that Fort Bragg is one of the larg¬
est military reservations in the
country, relatively few compre¬
hend the almost unbelievable size
of the post. Few know that in area
it is more than three times as large
as the District of Columbia, and
that it usually is considered the
third largest city in North Carolina.
Fort Bragg is a complete city with¬
in itself. As a matter of fact, it has
even more facilities than are found
in hundreds of thriving cities
throughout the United States.
Extensive Acreage
As you undoubtedly know, it is
located fifty miles south of Raleigh
and ten miles west of Fayetteville,
in the sandhills of Cumberland and
Hoke counties. Covering an egg-
shaped area of 127,664 acres, it is
28 Vi miles long and 14V2 miles
wide at its broadest point. It con-
tttf CARL GOERCII
tains approximately 200 square
miles of terrain.
One-tenth of the entire reserva¬
tion is used for buildings, barracks,
developed areas and other installa¬
tions. The remainder provides a
range wherein there is room to fire
with safety any weapon from a
Springfield rifle to the great 240-
mm. howitzer.
In 1918 the Chief of Field Artil¬
lery, General William J. Snow,
seeking an area having suitable ter¬
rain, adequate water, rail facilities
and a climate which would moke
possible year-round training, de¬
cided that the area which is now
known as Fort Bragg possessed the
desired characteristics, and conse¬
quently “Camp" Bragg came into
existence on September 4. 1918. It
was named in honor of a native
North Carolinian, General Braxton
Bragg, who served in the Seminole
War. the War With Mexico, and in
the Civil War. And there's no need
for you to ask on which side he
fought during the course of the last-
named conflict.
So much for the background of
Fort Bragg.
We used to go down there fre¬
quently before the last war. For
years there used to be a sentry-box
at the entrance, with a guard in¬
side. As you drove up, he’d pop
out of the box. give you the once¬
over. make a note of your license
number, and then wave you on.
War-time Restrictions
Then came the war, and imme¬
diately restrictions were tightened.
In order to get into the fort, you
had to wade through a lot of red
tape which sometimes took hours
to unravel. You had to sign innu¬
merable pieces of paper, telling the
age of your Uncle William, how
many children your Aunt Lucy had,
whether you drank coffee for
breakfast and how much four aces
counted in pinochle. All of which
undoubtedly was perfectly prop¬
er. because it wouldn't have done
to allow folks to wander aimlessly
about the reservation.
When we drove down there last
week, we were all prepared to sign
a few papers again. Maybe not as
many as during the war, but some,
anyway.
We came to the traffic circle and
swung into the main entrance to
the fort. We looked for the sentry
box. but couldn’t see any signs of
it. We looked for guards, but the
only men in uniform we could see
were two privates trying to hitch¬
hike to Fayetteville, or some place
in that direction.
So we proceeded to drive in and
proceed to headquarters, and no¬
body said a word.
"How come?" we asked Captain
Reeves.
"Well, there had to be so many
restrictions during the war," he
said, "that it was decided to ease up
a bit. Anybody can now drive into
the fort when and as often ns they
please. They arc permitted to view
all of the main buildings, the bar¬
racks and other structures. They
can watch the men drill, if they
want to. There are only one or two
places where they are not allowed
to go. and these restrictions apply
also to personnel on the post. No-
( Continued on page 20)
THE STATE. OCTOBER 5. 1946
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