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Fort Jackson is a general training camp located in Columbia, South Carolina. It is run by the US Army and is among the most important bases spread throughout the country. Its name comes after the 7-th president of the United States of America – Andrew Jackson, who also led some of the armies. Although it may not be seen as a very popular base, Fort Jackson deals with more than 60% of the women joining the army. At the same time, it controls over 50% of the BCT (Basic Combat Training) load of the army. With these percentages, the fort can brag about 36000 regular soldiers going out every year, not to mention about the 8000 professional troops. Other than that, it is a huge post, covering 52000 acres. It has over 100 training ranges, as well as about 1160 buildings. Besides, it hosts 3500 active troops and 12000 civilians as their families. However, only 33% of these people live inside the fort. The others had to find off site housing opportunities. With all these numbers, why is this fort considered to be less important that others? Well, mostly because it doesn’t support multiple objectives and its equipments are not among the most advanced ones in the world. But, with so many troops ready to fight every year, it is definitely one of the most ferocious US military bases.
History
Fort Jackson had a constant flow throughout the history. It never impressed the world with any notable events and news-worth happenings. It only concentrated on its purpose – training troops – and this is exactly what it did. It was built in 1917 as Camp Jackson, when the United States of America were joining World War I. Soon after the war ended, it was deactivated in 1921 and completely abandoned by 1922. The beginning of World War II gave this fort a little attention and the authorities decided to bring it back to life. Although it performed well during the war, it was shut down again after it ended. The outbreak of the Korean War saw a third return of the fort. That war finally made the authorities reevaluate the future of the camp. From that moment on, it was never shut down again. This isn’t quite good news, since it also didn’t benefit from any notable improvements or upgrades. These days, it is the largest training “unit” of the US Army.
Units
Aside from the BCT schools, Fort Jackson also hosts the main center and school of Credibility Assessment, the Soldier Support Institute and the center for Army Chaplaincy. It is the home of thousands of civilians working here too, not to mention about the services provided to more than 45000 retired troops.
Housing
While trying to get a home in Fort Jackson, things will be very harsh. You need to apply for one and the process may take months or more than a year. The place is overcrowded and two thirds of the workers are located off site.
