Carlisle Barracks

Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania is the second oldest military base in the United States of America and located in Carlisle. It is run through the Training Command and hosts the popular and well known War College.

History

The first historical mentioning of the camp dates to the Revolutionary War, when the troops tried to build a small brick fortress in 1757. Things didn’t change too much by the end of the war, except for the objective. If during the war it was supposed to defend the area, between wars it was a training site for civilians and wannabe soldiers. When the American Civil War started, the fort took a defensive position again in front of the occupying armies.

Things started to improve with World War I. The US Army took over the control of the site and turned into one of the most important hospitals in the United States. It also included a medical school training the wounded troops who were not able to get back on the field. During the war, it trained not less than 4000 afflicted soldiers.

As World War II was quickly spreading around the world, the US government decided to invest a little in Carlisle Barracks. It built six war schools that were supposed to intensively train soldiers to be sent to war. Meanwhile, the hospital and the school kept operating for the wounded troops.

In 1951, the United States Army War College was moved to the camp and hasn’t changed its location since then. The college was initially established in 1903, in Washington DC. The courses were suspended while the nation was preparing for World War II. They were not restarted until the collage was moved to Carlisle.

Other than these facts, the fort didn’t play any major roles in any of the wars in the last century, whether you consider the Cold War, the Vietnam War or the Korean War. For this reason, it was supposed to be shut down in 2005. Fortunately for the staff working there, the authorities decided to keep it open. In 2006, it was taken through a huge process of renovation, with new facilities and centers built up. All these improvements were taken due to the constant BRAC reviews, which actually decided whether Carlisle Barracks Pennsylvania will be closed or not.

Units

There are around 10 units currently inhabiting the fort. The most important ones are the Dunham Health Clinic, the Dental Care System, the Criminal Investigation Division, the US Army War College and the Network Enterprise Center.

Since their purpose is not entirely oriented towards a military action, the base is in a stand-by position.

Housing

The deployment to Carlisle Barracks automatically connects you with a sponsor and the local housing system. The sponsor will help you accommodate and tell you how things work around the place. The housing system is not always an option if you don’t care for a spot on site. You may opt to be hosted off site as well, through a privatized system.