Postwide party: Fort Jackson’s 94th birthday set for Friday

By Cursha Pierce-LundermanJuly 14, 2011

Postwide party
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Postwide party
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FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- Dust off your party hats and dancing shoes because it is birthday time at Fort Jackson. The post will celebrate its 94th birthday with a community event 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday at the Solomon Center.

“This is only the second time that families and the whole community have been encouraged to take part in the celebration,” said Lewis Kellam, operations officer for Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. “In the past it was out on Darby Field and reserved primarily for service members.”

This year’s festivities will take place indoors and involve several children’s activities.

“We will have a cake decorating activity in honor of the birthday, along with birthday (temporary) tattoos and a big birthday card the kids can sign,” said Cindy Andre-Noel, Child, Youth and School Services outreach coordinator. “There will also be a candy buffet and large inflatables; lots of things geared around fun for the young ones.”

Family life was a missing element on the post back in 1917 when Fort Jackson, then Camp Jackson, was established. The main purpose of the post was for World War I training of Soldiers. Throughout the years, Fort Jackson has continuously trained Soldiers for combat, and the mission continues today.

Units on the post train 50 percent of all Soldiers who begin Basic Combat training each year, which translates to more than 36,000 Soldiers. Jackson is home to 3,500 active duty Soldiers and their family members who are assigned to the post; a large increase in population that has occurred on throughout the years. This growth in the community is part of the reason why the birthday celebration is more inclusive, Kellam said.

“We are working hard to make this a fun event for everyone,” Kellam said. “We’ll be cutting a birthday cake for everyone to enjoy, having door prizes and remarks from the commanding general.”

The post commander, Maj. Gen. James Milano, said this is a time for the Soldiers and families to gather and celebrate past achievements with future endeavors.

“Celebrating Fort Jackson’s birthday is a way to remember the history of this great installation, as well as honoring those Soldiers who choose to serve our country,” Milano said. “We pride ourselves on 94 years of tradition, training and transformation.”