Talk:Fort Johnson

Untitled
Fort Polk is also home to the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 509th Infantry. The 509th serves as the Opposing Force (OPFOR) for Rotational Training Units (RTU).

Basics
I'd like this to look more like Fort Hood's page, but lack the time as I'm going here from there quite soon. At any rate, I'm adding the ZIP code now. direbmem

Suggestion from a user "just browsing through": At some point in the article it needs to clarify when the name stopped being "Camp Polk" and became "Fort Polk." One section of the article even mentions the installation by both names within a paragraph or so, with no explanation for being called both. Thanks. SpacemanSpiff27 (talk) 23:54, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Tag & Assess 2008
Article reassessed and graded as start class. --dashiellx (talk) 13:48, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Article issues
The advertisement tag is nice with appears to be written like but under the Current events section any doubt is rendered moot because it is written as per a public relations point of view with, "As good stewards and neighbors", and "issues that transcend our post boundaries", and that is the only place I looked. This means that neutrality is not even considered because the entire article (I glanced at it) appears to make Fort Polk look like the savior of the region. I was born at Fort Polk, my father served there, and I had access to Fort Polk services as a dependent. I was a Does this mean I can not be objective?
 * Let's see: The article needs a complete rewrite. It is VERY biased towards a great promotional military publication and written as such. The Current [e]vents (the capital E is not per policy) section states "25 year strategic goals" and possibly was written 25 years ago. There is no controversy at all. We could rename the title The Rosy Picture of Fort Polk. There is no mention of the mock villages that provide real world training encounters. Real-like villages, with civilians acting in various capacities to include authentic dress, animals roaming around and dead ones (taxidermy), with scenarios the military might encounter (such as attacks, car bombing, etc...) in real world situations.

Timeline:
 * 1941: Camp Polk was formed in 1941 and the land was not uninhabited. Many people lost their homes and property to "the greater good" (Eminent domain) of the nation. Some were relocated and some were "bought out" with "fair market value" (good advertisement) but many people lost homes and land that had been in their families for generations. After WW II (1946) the post closed.
 * 1950: The post was reopened for the Korean war but closed again in 1954. Economic ramifications were severe. It reopened in 1955 for Operation (exercise) Sagebrush (A History of Army Aviation: From Its Beginnings to the War on Terror; p. 70, by James W. Williams, which was the largest military exercise since the Louisiana Maneuvers (Sagebrush: Shrevesport Times). The name was changed to Fort Polk after this. In 1959 the post closed a third time in 15 years.
 * 1960-1980's: The Berlin Crisis and the Vietnam war resulted in the post reopening in 1963. Community acceptance was slow as previous closures resulted in area economic depression. In 1974 Fort Polk was rebuilt. The vast majority of buildings were WW II built wooden structures and many were connected by enclosed walkways. Some historic buildings remain and are maintained. The 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) moved to Fort Polk in 1975. An area called Sandy Hill was an off-post residential area mostly with trailers and hiked up military rental prices, usually equaling the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). The post rebuilding included expansive post housing, bringing an end to almost all of the nearby off-post housing provided for by Sandy Hill and Main Entrance road, that included Jeane Chapel road and Jean Chapel extension road, as well as many businesses. Mock buildings were constructed for training on the post.
 * 1990's: In 1993 the 5th Infantry was re-designated as the 2nd Armored Division moved to Fort Hood, Texas. Fort Polk became JRTC (JRTC) and (JRTC news) and $300 million in post expansion started. New economic issues ensued. Trainees replaced permanent party soldiers and the area had to re-adjust. Trainees do not have the same needs and nearby businesses, as well as many of those in Leesville had to change to accommodate this. Post expansion brought employment that was needed. Complete mock villages (as many as 22), with names like Marghoz, with a blue-domed mosque, was constructed. Other fictional names include Aragon, Cortina, and Atlantican.


 * 2000-2010: In 2005 the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment left for Fort Lewis, Washington but the 10th Mountain Division took it's place. Fort Polk became important to many surrounding communities including Rosepine, DeRidder, and many others. In 2009 the military sought expansion north of Fort Polk to include 100,000 (American Press: Post expansion) acres up to and including Peason Ridge.
 * "2011- current": Fort Polk is being considered as a possible candidate for Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC (No BRAC in 2017), and this was for possible 2017 closures. With the 2013 active military population (2013 active military) at 9546 personnel the suggested 6500 cut (listening session) would certainly impact the area economy as far away as Lake Charles and Alexandria.

Some of this information is also in the article but I didn't have time (atm) to cross-reference.
 * General history reference: Fort Polk history
 * There is also an issue concerning the 100,000 acre expansion and the addition of National Forest land for military use. Many factions were against the military being allowed to use a Kisatchie National Forest for exercises.(Help End Militarization on Our National Forests!), (Little Rock news story). Camp Claiborne was a Louisiana military camp during WW II, and was used in the 400,000 personnel training exercise of the Louisiana Maneuvers, then turned over to Kisatchie. (Camp Clairborne; Lake Charles American Press) As late as 2010 Unexploded ordnance have been found and many cleanup options have been explored. (Camp Claiborne cleanup) This calls into question the current use of National lands by the military. Wild and free-roaming horses have also been the subject of debates on Kisatchie land.(Kisatchie horse issue) --- Otr500 (talk) 21:56, 7 March 2015 (UTC)

1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is one of two U.S. Army active duty Maneuver Enhancement Brigades (the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, MO). The 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is tasked to improve the movement capabilities and rear area security for commanders at division level or higher. The 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is a tailored combined arms force. Aside from its headquarters element and the organic communications and logistics elements that form the basis for commanding, controlling, and supporting the brigade, the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is a mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, and civil considerations-dependent organization.

The 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade leverages emerging modular principles and the “plug-and-play” nature of developing forces to apply the right force for the mission. Typically, but not exclusively, the MEB is composed of engineer, military police, and other units that routinely function together during protection, stability, and support operations. The 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade has deployed units for combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and for humanitarian assistance in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

162nd Infantry Brigade
162nd Infantry Brigade, Foreign Security Forces-Transition Team, is an Infantry Training Unit consisting of Soldiers handpicked for their skills, knowledge, and performance history.

The brigade is responsible for training transition teams to deploying to Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. U.S. forces are trained to prepare foreign civilian and military security forces within Afghanistan and Iraq for the transfer of security responsibilities back to the host nations. The Foreign Security Force Transition Team Training Brigade provides rotational units with the capability to provide training, coaching, and mentoring to the Afghanistan National Army and other Afghan Security forces in Afghanistan, and the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq.

Major subordinate commands of the brigade are the 1st Battalion, 353rd Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 353rd Regiment; 3rd Battalion, 353rd Regiment; 4th Battalion, 353rd Regiment; 5th Battalion, 353rd Regiment; and 6th Battalion, 353rd Regiment.

However the brigade is currently De-activating and will be disbanded by the end of fiscal year 2014.

Saved these two sections for incorporation into brigade articles. Mikeofv (talk) 16:50, 19 August 2015 (UTC)

Operatioin Sagebrush near Fort Polk LA in 1955
I simply wish to add that the 3d Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga. also participated in Operation Sagebrush. We convoyed from Columbus Ga. to Jackson ,MIssippis and remained in Louisiana for about 40 days, returning to Georgia at the end of the maneuvers As a mere enlisted man I had little knowledge of what was happening during that period but I  know that we were there much longer than the 15 days sited in the current Wicki write-up. My own auto biographical sketch follows. You may use any part of it that might be useful.

About a year after I was drafted into the U.S. Army, the Third Infantry Division was designated as one of two divisions to take part in Operation Sagebrush. This was a 45-day training exercise to be held in the Natrchitoches National Forest in Louisiana from mid October to late November. As I understand it, the two divisions were both assigned to the same "side” in order to test their ability to work together against a common "enemy" represented by elements from the 82d Airborne.Division.	 By then I had been assigned as the driver and radio operator for Colonel Case, head of the Support Command Headquarters of the Third Infantry Division, roughly the equivalent of a battalion commander in a conventional military organization.  The Third Division had recently returned from duty in Korea and was now involved in testing and training variations in military organization intended to be more effective during atomic warfare.   Among other innovations, this meant greater reliance on radio communication to coordinate among units that were now more widely dispersed geographically in order to lessen the impact of a single atomic blast.   	We left Columbus, Georgia in a military convoy for the planned three-day trip to Louisiana. I was to drive my jeep with one of our captains as my passenger in charge of keeping the various parts of the Support Command Unit together as we crossed Alabama, Mississippi, and into Louisiana. We carried and operated two radios in the jeep. The first was an FM radio similar to those carried by every battalion in the divisions. These FM radios were good for communication among nearby units but had no long distance capability. The second radio was a very new and very large and powerful AM radio called the Angry 19 (ANGRC 19). My jeep was equipped with an extra generator and battery just for this radio and it included a 9-foot whip antenna that had to be tied down alongside the jeep if it was moving. If touched during a transmission it delivered a dangerous shock or burn. There were only a half-dozen or so of these radios scattered throughout the division. An AM radio can cover substantial distances, especially at night, allowing communication among more distant parts of the division and the rest of world. During dull evenings I could listen to Bud Guest broadcasting from Detroit over WJR. As driver and radio operator, I was expected to keep both radios in operation and in contact with other units while also driving the jeep, which is now called multi-tasking. The Support Command Unit included most of the non-combatant parts of the division, i.e., our Headquarters and Headquarters Company, the band, military police and medical companies, the automotive and tank maintenance battalion, and a supply and transport unit. The trip took us three days with two overnight stopovers, the first somewhere in Alabama and the second in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. I think most personnel slept in tents erected on the spot but most Jeep and truck drivers slept in the baggage trailers we pulled behind. Noon meals during the trip came from left over World War II K rations that included a bar of stale chocolate and five very stale Camel cigarettes. On the third day, we pulled into a large wooded site in the Natchitoches National Forest, fairly near Shreveport, LA. Our first stop was just an overnight halt and the next morning we moved into a more permanent location where we stayed for about half the time spent on maneuvers, shifting our location a few times when under "enemy fire." Bathroom and laundry facilities were minimal, and I was lucky enough to get in one shower during the 45 days. Several of us grew mustaches, but beards were not allowed. By the third week, my mustache smelled so foul that I shaved it off, and I have avoided growing one ever since. Most of our activities seemed to be meaningless shifts around the various campsites with a bit of night reconnaissance that meant nothing to me. During one of our division “retreats “or “advances” (we never knew which they were) I was reassigned to drive a 3/4-ton truck with another Angry 19 radio in the back for me to operate During that trip, we were ”captured” by a platoon of “enemy” paratroopers from the 82d Airborne and they were fairly forceful in demanding to know our radio frequencies, call signs etc. Fortunately for me, they thought I was just the driver and the Warrant Officer with us was the radio operator. He had no information to give them even if he wanted to. After the umpires noted our capture and scored that against our division we were released to rejoin our outfit, if we could find them. The only other notable event I recall was eating a specially prepared Thanksgiving dinner in a cold, wet rain. We eventually returned to Fort Benning tired, bedraggled and incredibly dirty. I suppose military brass learned something from the experience but for most of us, all we learned was the true meaning of a term often used in describing military battles, the "fog of war." Allan G. Feldt Prof. Emeritus, The University of Michigan US 55501348 agfeldt@gmail.com t 2601:401:0:A7D3:55E4:68E4:5A61:3413 (talk) 01:57, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

Requested move 8 June 2023

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

Moot. There was opposition to re-naming the article before the re-naming of the installation actually happened. Since this has now taken place, the name of the article can be changed through the editorial process.  Sandstein  10:14, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

Fort Polk → Fort Johnson – Redesignation day is 13 June 2023. --Ancheta Wis   (talk  &#124; contribs) 08:04, 8 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Wait for post-rename sources per WP:NAMECHANGES.  O.N.R.  (talk) 23:04, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose and please WP:SNOWBALL close this. It's not the name of the base. They could easily still decide to postpone or cancel the change. Wait a week. Red   Slash  21:59, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * It's not quite wp:snowball, because 6 of the 9 planned redesignations have already taken place from 24 March 2023 to 2 June 2023, so this wp:mr will start to accumulate post-redesignation citations beginning in 4 days when the 7th redesignation occurs 13 June. But this move request has a close window beginning 15 June. So there are two days left, from 13th to 15th June, for controversy to preclude an uncontroversial move. The 8th and 9th Army post redesignation dates are 25 August and 27 October 2023.
 * -- Ancheta Wis   (talk  &#124; contribs) 08:35, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
 * They will not cancel the renaming, there is no possibility of that. However, I agree, Wikipedia can wait until the name has been changed. It is inappropriate until it is official. 2603:7000:1F00:EE:65AC:9814:E85:E497 (talk) 13:54, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
 * At 10 AM, 13 June 2023 the redesignation ceremony was held for Fort Johnson. The Joint Readiness Training Center's commanding general David Gardner, New York National Guard CSM (retired) Louis Wilson who accepted Henry Johnson's Medal of Honor in his behalf, and New York National Guard general Isabel Rivera Smith will attend the ceremony. Here is a photo of a bust of Johnson in Albany NY. -- Ancheta Wis    (talk  &#124; contribs) 12:51, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Comment (will weigh in move or not a day or two after the rename is done). It may make sense, Ancheta Wis, to file future base rename move requests the day of the official rename. That may be enough to discourage undiscussed moves, at least two of then had MR's to move back to the previous name after such a move (Fort Liberty and Fort Cavazos: both were closed as not moved, so staying on new name). But, a pre-emptive MR before the move is official seems to not fit in great with current expectations of reviewers. Thanks for trying to find a way to make his work better for the future ones, however! Skynxnex (talk) 18:28, 11 June 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Fort Johnson
In order to be open and honest, I work for the Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office. I am requesting help from the Wiki Volunteers with updating this article. Since I work for the installation, my edits may be considered a COI. That's why I'll request them here. Thank you in advance for the help.

Redesignation is complete. The complete "appropriate" name is JRTC and Fort Johnson.

The official website is: home.army.mil/johnson

The emblem is of U.S. Garrison Fort Johnson, not the Operations group.

Any historical reference of this installation dated before today should be Fort or Camp Polk. Any reference to it in general should be Fort Johnson or JRTC and Fort Johnson.

We made a video on how SGT Johnson's heroism earned him the title of "The Black Death." I guess we can't link to You Tube. But, there is a video of both that and the redesignation ceremony on our @jrtcandfortjohnson page.

Once again, thank you for your help. All work and products of the U.S. military is always free and copyright released and available at DVIDShub.net.

If anybody finds any problem with what I've offered and asked, please let me know. :D Jefe89 (talk) 01:31, 14 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Thanks for posting here. I'm slightly surprised that the title hasn't been moved by somebody yet, following the precedents of other renames. I suspect the discussion above has put people off a bold action, but I see no issue with it at this point, nor with implementing most of your recommendations. However, since WP:COMMONNAME is a guideline, the article name would almost certainly not be JRTC Fort Johnson, we would probably avoid DoD-speak and just call it Fort Johnson. Since I'm an administrator, I'm not going to shortcut things - people get touchy about perceived supervotes by administrators - but I see no reason that one of the other editors can't follow the precedents of other articles and make the move.  Acroterion   (talk)   01:42, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Fort Johnson already exists as a redirect to another fort, so ordinary users can't perform the move - it's been suggested at Requested_moves though. Algebraist 10:59, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
 * How abut Fort Johnson (Fort Polk)? Jefe89 (talk) 12:00, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Oh NO! The title of Fort Johnson is perfect!!!  I was just referencing "Fort Johnson and JRTC" as opposed to "JRTC and Fort Polk."  The JRTC comes first.
 * Thanks for letting me be a part of any updates. :) Jefe89 (talk) 01:48, 14 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I've deleted the redirect and moved the article. I don't have time this morning to make a disambiguation page, I'd appreciate it if someone could do that.  Acroterion   (talk)   12:06, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
 * The dab page already existed from a previous process. --Ancheta Wis   (talk  &#124; contribs) 13:29, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I just somewhat updated the disambiguation page to link to this page, Fort Johnson, as the primary disambiguation target, somewhat updated it, and added a hatnote to the disambiguation page here as well. Skynxnex (talk) 13:32, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

Leonidas Polk
The article now omits the fact this base was originally named for Leonidas Polk. Any reason why? I know it's now Ft. Johnson, but since there is no separate Ft. Polk article.....it doesn't make sense to me not to mention that here. Rja13ww33 (talk) 21:34, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Same. Added a link in the first reference to Fort Polk. 2601:188:C502:7F50:C4BB:9ADD:4462:45CF (talk) 03:46, 15 June 2023 (UTC)