Camp Shelby
| Company type | Military installation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Military training |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Headquarters | Hattiesburg , United States |
Area served | United States (primarily Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee) |
| Products | Military training facilities and services |
| Owner | Mississippi National Guard |
Number of employees | Up to 100,000 personnel annually (trainees) |
| Parent | United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) |
| Website | www |
Camp Shelby is a U.S. Army installation positioned on the southern edge of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, adjacent to U.S. Highway 49. Founded during World War I, it is managed by the Mississippi National Guard and stands as the largest training facility owned by a state in the United States. The Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center (CSJFTC) spans more than 134,000 acres of combined state, Department of Defense, and U.S. Forest Service territory within the DeSoto National Forest, located in Perry and Forrest Counties of southern Mississippi. Its extensive area enables battalion-level operations, mechanized infantry live-fire drills, field artillery firing exercises, and a wide array of support functions.
Primarily, Camp Shelby acts as the annual training ground for National Guard and Reserve units hailing from Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. The Mississippi National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery, conducts its gunnery training at this location and stores most combat gear at the camp’s Mobilization and Annual Training Equipment Site (MATES). Besides reserve forces, active-duty personnel from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force across the nation also utilize Camp Shelby for various training missions, accommodating up to 100,000 individuals each year. The facility supports training with equipment such as the M1 Abrams tank and M109 howitzer and hosts the 3rd Brigade of the 87th Division (Training Support). In times of conflict, Camp Shelby operates as a key independent mobilization hub under the authority of United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM).
History
Established in 1917, Camp Shelby was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War figure and Kentucky’s first governor, by the initial troops trained there—the 38th Division. In 1934, Mississippi acquired ownership for use as a summer training site for its National Guard. The camp’s favorable climate and diverse terrain, including sections of the Ragland Hills, led to federal acquisition and expansion beginning in 1940. Before and during World War II, numerous divisions trained at Camp Shelby, including the 31st, 37th, 38th, 43rd, 63rd, 65th, 69th, 85th, 94th, and 99th Infantry Divisions.
Significantly, the Japanese-American units—the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Battalion—conducted their training here prior to engaging in World War II combat; their story inspired films such as Go For Broke! and Only the Brave. Women’s Army Corps units also received training at Camp Shelby. The installation housed a large convalescent hospital and served as a detention site for German Afrika Korps prisoners of war. Today it is home to the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, which preserves and presents the camp’s rich history. Following World War II, Camp Shelby was temporarily closed.
During the Korean War era, Camp Shelby functioned as an emergency railhead facility. By 1954, non-divisional National Guard units were conducting training there; two years later in 1956, it was officially designated a permanent training center by Continental Army Command (now FORSCOM). Notably, the 199th Infantry Brigade trained at Camp Shelby late in 1966 before deploying to Vietnam—the sole combat unit to do so from this location during that conflict.
More than 5,000 service members processed through Camp Shelby during Operation Desert Storm. On June 6, 2004, it was federalized as a FORSCOM Mobilization Center. Since then, various Regimental or Brigade Combat Teams have mobilized at Camp Shelby from states including Tennessee, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Louisiana, Idaho, New York, and Georgia.
U.S. Navy Seabee detachments from the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport utilize Camp Shelby for Field Training Exercises. Additionally, the camp hosts the Youth Challenge Academy—a military-structured educational program initiated in 1994 aimed at supporting Mississippi high school dropouts aged 16–18 in obtaining GEDs or high school diplomas.
In mid-2007, the Air National Guard inaugurated a new combat training runway named Shelby Auxiliary Field One covering approximately 1,500 acres. It is among only two facilities worldwide specifically designed for short-field landing practice by C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
Contingency Operating Location 3 at Camp Shelby provides support for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps field exercises.
Furthermore, Camp Shelby serves as the annual training venue for the Mississippi State Guard and accommodates its 310th Battalion (MSSG) along with the 315th Military Police Company.
Mobilization support
- The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment was activated twice for service in Iraq: initially from June to September 2004 during OIF 3, with demobilization occurring in October 2005. During this period, the entire 386th Engineer Battalion from the Texas Army National Guard was attached. The unit was again mobilized from December 2009 until February 2010, with demobilization completed in August 2010.
- Between August 2005 and June 2006, battalions from the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the 121st Field Artillery Regiment (United States) of the Wisconsin Army National Guard were deployed to Iraq and Kuwait.
- The Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team was mobilized for operations in Iraq during the period from August to November 2008.
- In 2009, the 168th Engineer Brigade was dispatched to Afghanistan, departing from Camp Shelby.
- The 136th Military Police Battalion (IR), stationed in Tyler, Texas and part of the Texas Army National Guard, was mobilized for Afghanistan in April 2009 and completed demobilization in 2010.
- The Louisiana Army National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade was activated for deployment to Iraq from January through March 2010, with demobilization finalized in December 2011.
- Deployment of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oklahoma Army National Guard to Afghanistan occurred between April and May 2011, followed by demobilization in 2012.
- From January to April 2012, the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team along with the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment of the South Carolina Army National Guard were mobilized for duty in Afghanistan and Kuwait, completing demobilization in 2013.
See also
- The Camp Shelby burrowing crayfish derives its name from this military installation
External links
- Camp Shelby Official Website
- Mississippi Armed Forces Museum
- Camp Shelby History Collection, housed within Special Collections at the University of Southern Mississippi (Historical Manuscripts)
- Camp Shelby
- Buildings and structures in Forrest County, Mississippi
- Buildings and structures in Perry County, Mississippi
- Military installations in Mississippi
- United States Army posts
- World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States
- 1917 establishments in Mississippi
- Military installations established in 1917