Photo by Jay Paul
The Tri-Cities south of Richmond have a fourth sibling, which turns 100 this year.
That would be Fort Lee, whose population swells each day to roughly 26,000, slightly smaller than Petersburg, but outpacing Hopewell and Colonial Heights.
The primary mission of the military base is to train sustainment soldiers, the troops who get everything done that’s needed to make the Army work, including feeding and equipping personnel. It’s the third-largest training site in the U.S. Army, with more than 70,000 troops coming through its classrooms each year.
“To understand the impact Fort Lee has on the Army, you have to remember that it is the home of the sustainment,” says Command Sgt. Maj. Clarence Richardson. “We have all of our younger soldiers that are coming here to be trained, and we also have all our functional courses.”
It’s also an economic powerhouse. Sarah Gauvin, deputy director of public affairs for Fort Lee, cites a 2012 study that found the base has a $2.4 billion economic impact each year, and comprises about 13 percent of the local economy.
“When you have a large population such as the one we do, it makes a big impact on the community all around,” says Ken Finlayson, the Combined Arms Support Command historian.
Fort Lee may be a workplace, but it’s also home to hundreds of military families. As a community, it offers everything that makes a place home. It has its own municipal services, from a fire department to a dog park. For nightlife, there’s the Hideaway Lounge, or trivia night at the Sustainer’s Pub. There’s a 27-hole golf club, a bowling alley where you can get a 20-ounce milkshake for $2.25, and a theater troupe, too. It even has its own ZIP code.
And just like any community, it holds public celebrations of special events that are open to all. You can help Fort Lee celebrate its centennial at several events, starting with July Fourth festivities on post. Here’s a sampling of the fort’s history, a roundup of special centennial events, and a look at some hidden gems and activities that are open to the general public year-round.
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1919: This “living” photo of Uncle Sam is composed of 19,000 soldiers and officers at Camp Lee. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
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1940: Trainees were taught hand lettering and other graphic arts techniques at Camp Lee during WWII. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
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1942: A P-40 airplane (upper center) crashed near these musicians on the parade ground seconds after their photo was taken. Flight officer Clayton W. Huntsman lost his life when he jumped, but only after he had maneuvered his plane so that it would not hit the musicians. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress)
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1951: The Quartermaster Training Center provided instruction for support branches including photography and television studio operation. WAC Private Alice Grobe worked in the Quartermaster Technical Training Service photo lab. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
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1999: The Petroleum Training Department trains soldiers to perform operations including transporting, storing and distributing fuel. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
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2017: Soldiers go through a fire training session. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Onstage
The Post Theater, 1948 (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
Fort Lee is home to one of the few remaining Army-operated theaters, formally known as The Theatre Company (leemwr.com). Lee Farmer, who has been a producer at the theater for 22 years, says the nonprofit community troupe has been in operation since 1947.
“The theater is really a mix of military personnel and civilians and the surrounding community,” Farmer says. “It’s a melting pot.”
The theater stages shows such as “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” and “Annie the Musical.” It also offers year-round theater experiences for youth. Its annual summer camp for children ages 8 to 18 is set for June 26-30.
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A member of the 392nd Army Band playing the banjo at Fourth at the Fort (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
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Fourth at the Fort celebrations attract people from all over Central Virginia. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
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Photo courtesy U.S. Army
100 Years of Service
Camp Lee was made out of what was mostly farmland. Named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, the camp was constructed to support the training of the 80th Division, made up of soldiers from Virginia, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, according to Finlayson.
“The 80th Division is still here in its latest incarnation,” he adds, “which is the 80th Training Command in Richmond, so there’s almost an unbroken connection between that and today’s soldiers.”
But the original camp was short-lived. After World War I, all the structures but one were demolished, and the land, which had been obtained from Prince George County, was returned to the state in May 1921.
In 1940, during the run-up to World War II, the camp was rebuilt. Its mission shifted from training particular divisions to service as the Quarter-master Replacement Training Center. During this time, the camp also held the Army Services Forces Training Center, the Quartermaster (Research & Development) Board, a large contingent of Women’s Army Corps Soldiers, and, for a while, a prisoner-of-war camp and the Medical Replacement Training Center.
Camp Lee’s population surged during the war, and for a time it was the third largest population center in Virginia, after Richmond and Norfolk.
The end of World War II in 1945 did not mark the end of the camp. It continued operations and transitioned to Fort Lee in 1950.
“In the eyes of the Army, you’re temporary if you’re a camp,” Finlayson says. “When you become a permanent Army facility, you become a fort.”
Fort Lee’s mission expanded after Congress passed Base Realignment and Closure legislation in 2005. Fort Lee had been receiving long-term physical improvements since its designation of permanent status, but the legislation allowed it to expand further. They established a Sustainment Center of Excellence and brought on both the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School and the headquarters of the U.S. Army Transportation Center and School.
Centennial Celebration
Fort Lee’s founding was on July 10, 1917, and the big centennial celebration will fall on that anniversary. The event will begin with the Black Daggers, the Army’s Special Operations parachute demonstration team, dropping into Williams Stadium Field, and will include a performance from the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Festivities begin at 11 a.m.
A 100-mile community run will begin on July 9, with teams of soldiers running 16.9-mile segments through the surrounding communities and counties. The final mile will be run on July 10, with runners finishing the race at the centennial celebration.
A documentary on the fort’s history is in the works and will premiere July 10, to be shown on a one-hour loop throughout the day at the Lee Theater, according to Gauvin. The documentary includes interviews with historians, museum personnel, Army leaders and others. There’s also a commemorative print available from historical artist Larry Selman. They are slated to be available for purchase online by June 1 at leemwr.com.
And on Sept. 15-16, World War I reenactors will show what trench warfare was like. Times and details to be announced.
Fort Lee already stages many events throughout the year that are open to the public, and most of them are being branded as centennial events this year. Centennial Fourth at the Fort will be the theme for Fort Lee’s annual Independence Day celebration at the stadium. It is set to include a concert by country-music duo Maddie & Tae, as well as the usual fireworks, games, food and performances from the 392nd Army Band. The event begins at 5 p.m., with the concert at 8 p.m.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum is on base and is installing a new gallery on World War I that opens July 12. That exhibit will include a rolling kitchen, which was used to get hot food to troops in the trenches, and Woodrow Wilson’s presidential flag, according to Paul Murando, museum director. The museum (www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil) is open year-round and has permanent exhibits that tell the story of the Quartermaster Corps, and also includes a history of Fort Lee.
Also on base is the U.S. Army Women’s Museum (www.awm.lee.army.mil), which will commemorate women’s service in the Great War with an art exhibit in the fall, “The Many Ways to Serve: Women in World War I,” and a special one-hour program to be broadcast on demand for groups at the museum in fall 2018 called “Over There: The Women Who Answered the Call.”
Getting on Base
The T-12 "earthquake" bomb is a permanent display item at Fort Lee. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Visitors to Fort Lee need a federal government-issued identification card. If you don’t have one, you need identification such as a state-issued driver license and will be subject to a background check before entering. You may have a background check processed at the Duke Welcome Center at the Lee Gate off Virginia Highway 36. See www.lee.army.mil/pmo/dukes.welcome.center.aspx for details.
Fort Lee Timeline
PHASE ONE
1917: In June, the first construction of Camp Lee begins. More than 60,000 doughboys train here prior to their departure for the Western Front.
[World War I]
1921: The camp closes after the end of WWI.
1940: In October, the War Department issues orders for the rebuilding of Camp Lee.
1941: In October, the Quartermaster School moves from Philadelphia to Camp Lee to begin training officers and noncommissioned officers in the art of military supply and service.
[World War II]
1948: From 1948 to 1954, the Women’s Army Corps has its premier training center at Camp Lee.
PHASE TWO
1950: April 15, the War Department decides to keep Camp Lee as a permanent facility, renaming it Fort Lee. In June, war breaks out in Korea, spurring almost nonstop modernization efforts.
[Korean Conflict]
[Vietnam War]
1963: The Quartermaster Museum opens. The museum receives more than 70,000 visitors a year.
2001: In May, the Army Women’s Museum also opens.
[War in Afghanistan]
[Iraq War]
2003: After the terrorist assault of September 11, 2001, a fence is built to enclose the fort.
PHASE THREE
2005: Congress passes BRAC legislation, which allows Fort Lee to expand programs and facilities.
2009: Army Logistics University opens, with more than 200 courses and trains upwards of 2,300 military and civilian students daily.
2011: BRAC construction projects end. 70,000 troops now train at Fort Lee each year.
For additional information on centennial events, call 804-734-7451, or see www.lee.army.mil.
