Fort Wolters

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to honor every word. Now, you want to talk about a place that couldn't seem to make up its mind what it wanted to be when it grew up, well, pull up a chair, because Fort Wolters has changed its name and its mission so many times it'd make your head spin. But it all starts simple enough, out there in the counties of Palo Pinto and Parker, back in 1925.

That's when what folks called 'Old' Camp Wolters first took shape: a National Guard training area, created under the guidance of General Jacob F. Wolters. Just a modest beginning.

A place to train. Nobody was thinking about German prisoners or a thousand helicopters humming over the Texas hill country just yet. Then comes October 13, 1940.

The U.S. Army activates Camp Wolters as an infantry replacement center, and the community of Mineral Wells doesn't just welcome the idea; its leaders actively support it. Local residents start buying up land and donating it to the army, expanding the camp to over seven thousand five hundred acres.

And here's where the story picks up speed: in less than four months, more than one hundred buildings go up. Less than four months. That is not a typo.

At its peak, Camp Wolters is home to more than thirty thousand soldiers per training cycle. Thirty thousand. Among the men who passed through those grounds were Lieutenant Jack Knight and Audie Murphy, both of whom were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Let that settle a moment. Two Medal of Honor recipients, trained on the same patch of Texas dirt. Now, while American soldiers were shipping out from Camp Wolters, something else was shipping in.

The original buildings of 'Old' Camp Wolters (the ones from 1925) were converted into a prisoner of war camp for German prisoners from North Africa. The old training ground became a holding ground. The prison camp closed on August 15, 1946, when the last of those prisoners were returned to their homeland.

After World War II, the army deactivated the facility as a training base. But this place was not done. Not even close.

It came back in 1951; this time as Wolters Air Force Base. Then in 1956 it shifted again, designated Camp Wolters Army Base, now devoted to helicopter flight training. More than a thousand helicopters.

Three different heliports. And the base expanded (dramatically) to cover nearly seven hundred and twenty-two thousand acres of land for flight training purposes. Seven hundred and twenty-two thousand acres.

That's not a base, that's practically a territory. In 1963 it was designated Fort Wolters. It also became the site of a Nike missile installation somewhere along the way.

And then, after the Vietnam War, it reverted once again to the National Guard, right back to where the whole story began. On February 1, 1973, Fort Wolters was officially closed for military service. From a National Guard training ground to an infantry center, a P.O.W. camp, an Air Force base, an Army base, a helicopter school, a missile site, and back to the Guard, all on the same stretch of Parker and Palo Pinto County land.

Some places just have more history than they know what to do with.

What the marker says

Located in the counties of Palo Pinto and Parker, Fort Wolters' history dates back to the days of "Old" Camp Wolters, created in 1925 as a National Guard training area under the guidance of General Jacob F. Wolters. On October 13, 1940, the U. S. Army activated Camp Wolters as an infantry replacement center, with the support of Mineral Wells community leaders. Additional lands were bought or donated to the army by local residents to expand the camp to over 7,500 acres. In less than four months, more than 100 buildings were constructed. The original buildings of "Old" Camp Wolters were converted into a P.O.W. camp for German prisoners from North Africa. The prison camp was closed on August 15, 1946, as the last prisoners were returned to their homeland. At its peak, Camp Wolters was home to more than 30,000 soldiers per training cycle. Among the notable war heroes that passed through the camp were Lt. Jack Knight and Audie Murphy, both of whom were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. After World War II Fort Wolters was deactivated as an army training facility and reactivated in 1951 as Wolters Air Force Base. In 1956, it was designated Camp Wolters Army Base, and was used for helicopter flight training with more than 1,000 helicopters stationed at three different heliports. The base was expanded to cover nearly 722,000 acres of land for flight training purposes. In 1963 it was designated Fort Wolters. The fort also became the site of a Nike missile installation until it reverted once again to the National Guard after the Vietnam War. Fort Wolters was officially closed for military service on February 1, 1973. (1999)