Schofield Barracks (Honolulu, Wahiawa District, Hawaii)

Honolulu, Wahiawa District · Hawaii · World War II, Korea, Vietnam, War on Terrorism

Quick BriefEstablished in 1908 to provide mobile defense of Pearl Harbor and the entire island of Oʻahu, Schofield Barracks became the largest Army post in Hawaii and has served as home to the 25th Infantry Division ("Tropic Lightning") since 1941. The installation was not a primary target during the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, yet it sustained collateral damage from operations targeting nearby Wheeler Army Airfield, and subsequently evolved into a vital training hub for Pacific operations.

Coastal defenseActive base today

History & Significance

The post was named in April 1909 after General John M. Schofield, the former commanding general of the U.S. Army, who had originally called attention to Hawaii's strategic value. Schofield Barracks was established on December 4, 1908, with the arrival of Captain Joseph C. Castner and his construction of a temporary cantonment, first with tents and then temporary wooden barracks.

The site was selected as the base for Oahu's mobile defense troops because of its strategic central location on the Leilehua Plain between the Waianae Mountains and the Koolau range. By 1914, the post housed the 5th Cavalry, 1st Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry, and 25th Infantry regiments, with a population of about 6,000 men.

Significant historical dates include the formation of the Hawaiian Division at Schofield in 1921 and the December 7, 1941 attack on Oahu. On November 1, 1942, the 25th Infantry Division was relieved of its defense mission and prepared for combat in the Pacific, with the first elements departing for Guadalcanal on November 25, 1942.

The installation played a primary role in training troops for the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. When the 25th Infantry Division returned in September 1954, it increased Hawaii's overall population by 5 percent.