Fort Chaffee (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
Fort Smith · Arkansas · World War II, Cold War
History & Significance
Fort Chaffee was established on September 20, 1941, as the U.S. War Department prepared to expand the Army in response to World War II. The government acquired 15,163 acres from 712 property owners for $1.35 million.
Construction was completed in sixteen months, and the first soldiers arrived on December 7, 1941, with formal activation on March 27, 1942. From 1942 to 1946, the Sixth, Fourteenth, and Sixteenth Armored Divisions trained there; the facility also housed 3,000 German prisoners of war.
The Fifth Armored Division was stationed there from 1948 to 1957. On March 21, 1956, Camp Chaffee was redesignated Fort Chaffee to reflect its permanent status.
During the Vietnam War, the fort tested tactical defoliants including Agent Orange. From 1975 to 1976, it processed 50,809 Southeast Asian refugees from the Vietnam War.
In 1980, Fort Chaffee became a Cuban refugee resettlement center, briefly becoming the eleventh-largest city in Arkansas. Following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, 66,000 acres were transferred to the Arkansas National Guard for training, while 7,192 acres were declared surplus.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fort-chaffee-2263/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chaffee_Maneuver_Training_Center
- https://talkbusiness.net/2023/09/fort-chaffee-upgraded-to-level-1-training-site-one-of-just-five-nationwide/