The War Department formally established Camp McClellan on July 18, 1917. The camp was named in honor of Major General George B. McClellan, General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army from 1861 to 1862. Camp McClellan was a mobilization camp used to quickly train men for WWI. Camp McClellan was redesignated Fort McClellan, a permanent post, on July 1, 1929. New construction began immediately, and the post grew rapidly and was used extensively to train soldiers for WWII. Nearly 500,000 men were trained at Fort McClellan during WWII, including a company of Japanese-Americans who helped familiarize American troops with methods used by Japanese soldiers. Many individuals and units trained here received the highest military honors and decorations during the war. Through the many years of service Fort McClellan has been home to many distinguished units and organizations including the U.S. Army Chemical Center and School, the U.S. Army Military Police School and the Women’s Army Corps Center. To meet the requirement for the Vietnam War, an Advanced Individual Training Infantry Brigade was activated in 1966, and trained more than 30,000 men. In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission voted to permanently close Fort McClellan. The official closing ceremony ending Fort McClellan’s illustrious past was held on May 20, 1999. At the time of closure, Fort McClellan was home to the U.S. Army Chemical School, the U.S. Army Military Police School, the Training Brigade, and the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute. Fort McClellan was in continuous service as an active military installation from 1917 through 1999. During this period, it played an important role in shaping the history of the Alabama Army National Guard. Between the years of 1920 and 1922, the entire Alabama National Guard completed field training at Fort McClellan. In 1949, a Maintenance Training Site was established here followed by the establishment of the Alabama Military Academy in 1957. In 1965, the Alabama Guard opened a Training Site on McClellan utilizing a few of the World War II training facilities that remained. Through the years the Training Site continued to grow and in 1999, with the BRAC closure of Fort McClellan as an active component base, the Guard Training Site transitioned to a stand-alone military installation. In addition to the National Guard and Army Reserve, the Fort McClellan Army National Guard Training Center currently supports all branches of the Department of Defense. What began with approximately forty acres of land and a few World War II facilities has now grown to more than 22,000 acres and approximately one million square feet of facility space.