OnBase: Fort Knox
More Than Just GoldBy Julie Dawson
Winter 2005-06
Ask most people what comes to mind when they hear "Fort Knox," and the reply surely is "gold!" Anyone stationed at Fort Knox, however, knows there is much more to the story.
Most Americans' knowledge of Fort Knox begins and ends with the contents of the U.S. Bullion Depository, where the U.S. Mint holds a reserve of more than 350,000 gold bars weighing 400 ounces each. Opened in 1937, the Depository is located on federal land that is surrounded by the Army post of Fort Knox, but the Depository itself is in no way connected to the military. Many curious visitors are turned away at Fort Knox's gates when they learn that the Depository is a classified facility with no tours or visitors, though it can be seen from the outside via a nearby public road. That's assuming anyone would notice a drab concrete building with no markings or indication of its extraordinary contents.
Aside from the Depository, Fort Knox is known primarily for its Armor Center and School, and associated training programs. The 1st Armor Training Brigade and 16th Cavalry Regiment, both training units, are based at Knox. Armor Corps trainees use the M1 Abrams Tank and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, both of which have played important roles in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Armor is such an integral part of Fort Knox that the history of armor training and equipment is exhibited at the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, which the public is welcome to visit.
Fort Knox covers more than 100,000 acres of land and is permanent duty station to at least 5,700 active duty personnel (not including trainees). Knox initially was used for field artillery training in 1918, when it was 10,000 acres. It officially was designated a permanent garrison in 1932, and the land area has increased over time. By the end of 2005, Knox is scheduled to shrink by nearly 100 acres, and the land will be transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs for a cemetery. But that still leaves plenty of room for the training ranges (about 54,000 acres), training areas (47,000 acres), and the recreational and cantonment areas (including 7,600 acres of offices, barracks and housing).
Training is the primary goal of the many programs offered at Fort Knox. Army Basic Training brings thousands of recruits through Fort Knox each year, up to 5,000 at any one time. Participants in Armor Training are taught all three positions in an M1 Abrams Tank (driver, loader and gunner), then are assigned to one of those positions. Armor Officer Basic teaches Army lieutenants how to command an armor vehicle by first teaching them all the positions taught in Armor Training. The Master Gunner's Course teaches gunners an even higher level of skill, and the Captain's Career Course prepares armor officers for increasing levels of responsibility.
Participants in Scout Training learn to use Bradley Fighting Vehicles and conduct foot patrols. The Army's Primary Leadership Development Course offered at Fort Knox is a requirement for soldiers in any Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) to advance from E-4 to E-5. Students from the military forces of other allied nations also attend the courses at Fort Knox to take the specialized knowledge back to their own commands.
Also operating from Fort Knox is the University of Mounted Warfare, an online program intended to train and equip soldiers to become leaders through lifelong learning. The University offers students information and resources from partnerships in government, industry, academia, research, military, and alumni of the program.
Every soldier in the armor force has served here at least once during his term of service, whether in the permanent garrison or in the initial entry training, in one of the non-commissioned officer courses or in one of the armor officer training courses.
Fort Knox made the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list with a variety of realignments. The most dramatic BRAC-recommended change is the realignment of the Armor Center and School to Fort Benning, Ga. The BRAC report indicates that space is needed at Knox "to accommodate the activation of an Infantry Brigade Combat Team (BCT) and the relocation of engineer, military police and combat service support units from Europe and Korea." This realignment will move more than 12,000 people from Knox to Benning (including trainees). The BCT and units from overseas would bring in more than 5,000 personnel, and most would remain permanently stationed at Knox.
Fort Knox also will gain nearly 4,400 personnel when the Human Resources Command is consolidated and centralized to Knox. Smaller personnel gains will come as the Army's Accession Command and Cadet Command are scheduled to relocate to Fort Knox, as are the 84th Army Regional Reserve Training Center, and the 100th Division (IT) headquarters. A Deployable Command Post also is scheduled to be established (again, not as a result of BRAC), adding more than 250 personnel.
It remains to be seen when and how all these realignments will shake out, but big changes may be in store for Fort Knox. Though its look, purpose and population may change as a result of the BRAC recommendations, Fort Knox will remain more than just a place to store the gold.
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Julie Dawson is an editor for WordCrafters and teaches the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society's "Budget for Baby" program at the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, CA.
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Fort Knox At A Glance
Housing: On-post units typically are available with less than a month's wait. Off post, housing is affordable and available in a variety of settings. Many rural and small town locations are within 15 minutes of the base, and the city of Louisville is about 45 minutes north. The Community Homefinding, Referral and Relocation Services Office (CHRRS) has useful information for families wishing to live off post.
Climate: With four distinct seasons and beautiful outdoor scenery in which to enjoy them, the area around Fort Knox is rich with recreational opportunities. Summers typically are hot and dry, winters are cold and humid. Snowfall varies widely from year to year. Spring and fall climates are moderate, but severe thunderstorms and tornadoes can occur in spring and early summer. The recent movie "Elizabethtown," starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, contains some scenes filmed in and around its namesake, Elizabethtown, Ky., near Fort Knox.
Schools: Many high-quality programs, both public and private, are available for children from preschool through high school. On-post residents may choose to attend one of the schools in the Fort Knox Community Schools system, which offers a breadth of activities, athletics and opportunities to be involved. Special needs education also is available for students ages three through 21.
Higher education: Adult learners can attend community college or vocational school in nearby Elizabethtown, or they can take advantage of on-post courses offered by six different institutions of higher learning. For those willing to commute, the University of Louisville main campus is 45 minutes away from Fort Knox.
Entertainment: The area surrounding Fort Knox is diverse, offering the amenities of Kentucky's second-largest city, Louisville, only 45 minutes away, and the beauty and recreation of Kentucky's rural areas only minutes from post. Louisville boasts the famed Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, as well as the Kentucky Center for the Arts, Actors Theater of Louisville, Kentucky Opera, ballet performances and more. The rural areas and small towns nearby host a variety of festivals and fun events, and there are many opportunities for hiking, camping, boating, swimming, hunting and fishing.
Websites:
Fort Knox: www.knox.army.mil
Surrounding communities:
Louisville, Kentucky
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Radcliff, Kentucky
Brandenburg, Kentucky
Local news:
The News-Enterprise, Elizabethtown, KY
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY
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