4thGenJim

In December of 1942, a man with a descriptive nickname from Buffalo, New York began his military career at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. 'Hooks' was probably one of thousands to march through the stone archway leading to a parade field. The arch, constructed in 1943, still stands today: Hooks earned his moniker from a hard-hit line drive off his nose in a baseball game. He was a promising professional and loved the game, but understood the grave importance of defeating the Nazis. After a short period of training at Camp Chaffee, Hooks departed for Europe in December, 1944. He served with distinction during the war, an active participant in many pitched battles. Hooks earned a Purple Heart, helped defend the last remaining bridge that spanned the Rhine River, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and even earned a battlefield commission. He separated from the Army in 1946 and re-started his civilian career. Prior to the war, Hooks was earning $80/month playing baseball for the ...

Beginning in the 1940's, iconic steeples could be seen on every garrison block at Camp Chaffee. For more than 50 years, the Chaffee Chapels served the military community. Today, WW2 era buildings are a much rarer sight. Over the past five years, more than 200 vacant Chaffee buildings have burned to the ground. Very few of the original surviving chapels have been fully restored. (It's just up the road from where we were taking DJ's holiday photos, so we had to take a quick visit!)

Fort Chaffee was originally named Camp Chaffee. Camp Chaffee was established in response to the US need for more troops for the imminent involvement in World War II. Construction on Camp Chaffee was started in September 1941, with troops arriving on the base in December 1941. In March 1956, the name of Camp Chaffee was officially changed to Fort Chaffee, to indicate and recognize the permanent nature of the base. The original buildings at Ft Chaffee are quickly disappearing. Over 100 were destroyed by fire last month. The auditorium has been slated for demolition in the near future: A nice photographic souvenir of a historic building

Chaffee Crossing August 2009 March 2011 In February, the last of the Chaffee chimneys were demolished. The chimneys were the last physical reminders of the WW2 barracks that survived the fire of  '08. Last week, while touring the UAFS Student Union, we saw a contest-winning photo of the Chaffee chimneys. We drive past Chaffee Crossing everyday, and Davis immediately was drawn to the photo. Today, the historic piece of land is an empty, barren expanse.

has a lot of interesting and fun stuff! (Ms Paige gave us a wonderful guided tour) Davis was turning 3yrs old the last time we visited: (December, 2007) -no museum back then, just a small sign on a locked door Today, the entire building has been restored and filled with memories from WW2... ...to a time that Daddy can remember: when Chaffee was the premiere training facility in the military as the Joint Readiness Training Center ...and more recently,  During the morning hours of January 29, 2008, winds gusting more than 60mph fueled the fire that burned approximately 100 acres and damaged or destroyed 150 abandoned buildings  Located upwind from the devastating fire, one particular building retained some interesting historical significance: In 1958, a certain individual decided to take a break from his popular professional career and enlist in the Army. His military in-processing was completed at Fort Chaffee. ...

By regulation, military dependents are issued an official ID card  after they turn 10 years of age.  Davis is one of the few to have been issued one by age 5. He showed some good manners when Mom was getting her ID renewed, and...presto: Davis calls it his 'Idea Card'  (replaces the homemade one from last year) (photo was taken before his lip injury)

It's Constitution Park at Chaffee Crossing. It's used to be one of our favorite parks. Now, the parking lot and entrance have been cabled-off and marked 'Off Limits'. When the park was still included in the boundaries of FtChaffee, cook-outs and fishing derbies for the Scouts used to held there.  Now, we can only look at the park from a dead-end road. The mature backdrop of fountain grass and the reflective pond, calming serenity.   Maybe something nice will be added to the park, and it will re-open some day. Hope springs eternal.

Davis enjoys going to the gym at Fort Chaffee. Basketball, volleyball, punching bags, and: an awesome rock climbing machine! Davis took to it like a gecko.

a few outtakes:

It's a necessity for all serious athletes.   Team Davis has taken-over the region's top training facility to get ready for the upcoming season.   Davis' favorite: cross-training on the heavy bag.   Then it's time for a grueling session of aerobics.   Game On.

Davis first had his picture taken with this patch of daffodils in March of 2007. Some of the noticeable changes since that time: *over 100 of the WW2 barracks in the background are now gone *our baby wears clothes from the BOY section and asks for privacy in the bathroom  

Davis went with Daddy to FtChaffee for a haircut (no haircut for Davis this time). Across the street from the barber shop is the Post Exchange (PX). Davis and Daddy have a routine of going across the street (with Davis riding in the front seat) for a snack. After the snack, Davis usually asks to go check-out the small hill. This time, the weather was perfect, the weeds had been mowed, so we ventured-off. It's about a 5 minute walk from the PX parking lot, across a field, and then a small climb up the earthen dam to get to the pond. We saw geese, bugs, and a lot of mud. And a lot of pretending. And a lot of questions. We might have to make a return trip sometime soon (before the weather gets too cold).