Wikimania 2019 - Call for submissions Propose talks, workshops and posters by June 9.
Learn more
Fort Knox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
This article is about the United States Army post. For other uses, see Fort Knox (disambiguation).
Fort Knox
Kentucky
Fort Knox tank.jpg
KYMap-doton-FortKnox.PNG
Location of Fort Knox in Kentucky
Coordinates 37.92°N 85.96°WCoordinates: 37.92°N 85.96°W
Type Military base
Site information
Controlled by
1861–1865: Contested
1865–present: United States
Site history
Built 1918
In use
1861–1865: Civil War
1865–1903: Settlement
1903–1918: Training Grounds
1918–1925: Camp Knox
1925–1928: National Forest
1928–1931: Camp Knox
1932–present: Fort Knox
Garrison information
Current
commander Major General John Evans Jr.[1]
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is also adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold reserves. The 109,000 acre (170 sq mi, 441 km²) base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command. It is named in honor of Henry Knox, Chief of Artillery in the American Revolutionary War and first United States Secretary of War.
For 60 years, Fort Knox was the home of the U.S. Army Armor Center and the U.S. Army Armor School (now moved to Fort Benning), and was used by both the Army and the Marine Corps to train crews on the American tanks of the day; the last was the M1 Abrams main battle tank. The history of the U.S. Army's Cavalry and Armored forces, and of General George S. Patton's career, is located at the General George Patton Museum[2] on the grounds of Fort Knox.
Contents
1 Bullion Depository
2 Census-designated place
3 Patton Museum
4 History
4.1 Fortification
4.2 Post war
4.3 New camp
4.4 Air Corps use
4.5 Protection of America's Founding Documents
4.6 Mechanized military unit occupation
4.7 1947 Universal Military Training Experimental Unit
4.8 1993 shooting
4.9 2013 shooting
5 Human Resources Command (HRC)
6 Fort Knox High School
7 Units
7.1 Current[20]
7.2 Previous
8 Geography
8.1 Climate
9 Demographics
10 General use
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Bullion Depository
The U.S. Gold Bullion Depository
Main article: United States Bullion Depository
The United States Department of the Treasury has maintained the Bullion Depository on the post since 1937.
Census-designated place
Parts of the base in Hardin and Meade counties form a census-designated place (CDP), which had a population of 12,377 at the 2000 census and 10,124 at the 2010 census.
Patton Museum
The George S. Patton Museum and Center of Leadership at Fort Knox includes an exhibit highlighting leadership issues that arose from the attacks of 11 September 2001, which includes two firetrucks. One of them, designated Foam 161, was partially charred and melted in the attack upon the Pentagon. Fort Knox is also the location of the United States Army's Human Resources Command's Timothy Maude Center of Excellence, which was named in honor of Lieutenant General Timothy Maude, the highest-ranking member of the U.S. military to die in the attacks of 11 September 2001.[3]
In 2011, the U.S. Army Armor School was relocated to "The Maneuver Center of Excellence" at FT Benning, GA.1
History
Fortification
Fortifications were constructed near the site in 1861, during the Civil War when Fort Duffield was constructed. Fort Duffield was located on what was known as Muldraugh Hill on a strategic point overlooking the confluence of the Salt and Ohio Rivers and the Louisville and Nashville Turnpike. The area was contested by both Union and Confederate forces. Bands of organized guerrillas frequently raided the area during the war. John Hunt Morgan[4] and the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment of the Confederate Army raided the area before staging his famous raid across Indiana and Ohio.[5]
Post war
After the war, the area now occupied by the Army was home to various small communities. In October 1903, military maneuvers for the Regular Army and the National Guards of several states were held at West Point, Kentucky and the surrounding area.[6] In April 1918, field artillery units from Camp Zachary Taylor arrived at West Point for training. 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) near the village of Stithton were leased to the government and construction for a permanent training center was started in July 1918.
New camp
The new camp was named after Henry Knox, the Continental Army's chief of artillery during the Revolutionary War and the country's first Secretary of War. The camp was extended by the purchase of a further 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) in June 1918 and construction properly began in July 1918. The building program was reduced following the end of the war and reduced further following cuts to the army in 1921 after the National Defense Act of 1920. The camp was greatly reduced and became a semi-permanent training center for the 5th Corps Area for Reserve Officer training, the National Guard, and Citizen's Military Training Camps (CMTC). For a short while, from 1925 to 1928, the area was designated as "Camp Henry Knox National Forest."[7]
Air Corps use
The post contains an airfield, called Godman Army Airfield, that was used by the United States Army Air Corps, and its successor, the United States Army Air Forces as a training base during World War II. It was used by the Kentucky Air National Guard for several years after the war until they relocated to Standiford Field in Louisville. The airfield is still in use by the United States Army Aviation Branch.
Protection of America's Founding Documents
A tank driver at Fort Knox in 1942
For protection after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Gettysburg Address were all moved for safekeeping to the United States Bullion Depository until Major W. C. Hatfield ordered its release after the D-Day Landings on 19 September 1944.[8]
Mechanized military unit occupation
In 1931 a small force of the mechanized cavalry was assigned to Camp Knox to use it as a training site. The camp was turned into a permanent garrison in January 1932 and renamed Fort Knox. The 1st Cavalry Regiment arrived later in the month to become the 1st Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized).
In 1936 the 1st was joined by the 13th to become the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized). The site quickly became the center for mechanization tactics and doctrine. The success of the German mechanized units at the start of World War II was a major impetus to operations at the fort. A new Armored Force was established in July 1940 with its headquarters at Fort Knox with the 7th Cavalry Brigade becoming the 1st Armored Division. The Armored Force School and the Armored Force Replacement Center were also sited at Fort Knox in October 1940, and their successors remained there until 2010, when the Armor School moved to Fort Benning, Georgia. The site was expanded to cope with its new role. By 1943, there were 3,820 buildings on 106,861 acres (43,245 ha). A third of the post has been torn down within the last ten years,[when?] with another third slated by 2010.
1947 Universal Military Training Experimental Unit
In 1947, Fort Knox hosted the Universal Military Training Experimental Unit, a six-month project that aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of providing new 18-20 year-old Army recruits with basic military training that emphasized physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This project was undertaken with the aim of persuading the public to support President Harry S. Truman's proposal to require all eligible American men to undergo universal military training. [9][10]
and Stripes (1981) have been filmed using the exterior of Fort Knox but have not shown the inside of the facility for security reasons.[11]
1993 shooting
On 18 October 1993, Arthur Hill went on a shooting rampage, killing three and wounding two before attempting suicide, shooting and severely wounding himself. The shooting occurred at Fort Knox's Training Support Center. Prior to the incident, Hill's coworkers claimed they were afraid of a mentally unstable person who was at work. Hill died on 21 October [14]
2013 shooting
On 3 April 2013, a civilian employee was shot and killed in a parking lot on post. The victim was an employee of the United States Army Human Resources Command and was transported to the Ireland Army Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. This shooting caused a temporary lock-down that was lifted around 7 p.m. on the same day.[15][16] U.S. Army Sgt. Marquinta E. Jacobs, a soldier stationed at Fort Knox, was charged on 4 April with the shooting.[17] He pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated murder and aggravated assault, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on 10 January 2014.[18]
Human Resources Command (HRC)
Main article: United States Army Human Resources Command
The Army Human Resources Command Center re-located to Fort Knox from the Washington D.C./Virginia area beginning in 2009. New facilities are under construction throughout Fort Knox, such as the new Army Human Resource Center, the largest construction project in the history of Fort Knox. It is a $185 million, three-story, 880,000-square-foot (82,000 m2) complex of six interconnected buildings, sitting on 104 acres (42 ha).
In May 2010, The Human Resource Center of Excellence, the largest office building in the state, opened at Fort Knox. The new center employs nearly 4,300 soldiers and civilians.[19]
Fort Knox High School
Main article: Fort Knox High School
Fort Knox is one of only four Army posts (the others being Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Meade, Maryland, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas) that still has a high school located on-post.[citation needed] Fort Knox High School, serving grades 9–12, was built in 1958 and has undergone only a handful of renovations since then, including a new building which was completed in 2007.
Units
Current[20]
First Army Division East[21]
4th Cavalry Brigade[22]
United States Army Human Resources Command
U.S. Army Marketing and Engagement Brigade[23]
19th Engineer Battalion[24]
1st Sustainment Command (Theater)[25]
902nd Military Intelligence Group (United States)[26]
U.S. Army Cadet Command[27] (responsible for Reserve Officers' Training Corps, senior mission command and installation commander)
Ireland Army Community Hospital MEDDAC
United States Army Recruiting Command[28]
3rd Recruiting Brigade
U S Army Medical Recruiting Brigade
100th Infantry Division (United States)[29]
Army Reserve Aviation Command[30]
84th Division (United States)[31]
83rd U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Center[32]
Previous
1st Armor Training Brigade
3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (inactivated 2014)
16th Cavalry Regiment
1st Squadron
2nd Squadron
3rd Squadron
194th Armored Brigade
1st Cavalry Regiment
7th Squadron (Air)
Troops A, B, C, D, & HHT
235th Aviation Co. (Attack Helicopter)
81st Armored Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
15th Cavalry Regiment
5th Squadron
6th Squadron
46th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
34th Military Police Detachment
46th Adjutant General Battalion
100th Army Band
95th Infantry Division (United States) (moved to Fort Sill)
3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) (moved to Fort Bragg)
113th Band
Source:[33]
Geography
Fort Knox is located at 37°54'09.96" North, 85°57'09.11" West, along the Ohio River. The depository itself is located at 37°52'59.59" North, 85°57'55.31" West.
According to the Census Bureau, the base CDP has a total area of 20.94 square miles (54.23 km2), of which 20.92 sq mi (54.18 km2) is land and 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)—0.14%—is water.[34] Communities near Fort Knox include Brandenburg, Elizabethtown, Hodgenville, Louisville, Radcliff, Shepherdsville, and Vine Grove, Kentucky.[35] The Meade County city of Muldraugh is completely surrounded by Fort Knox.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fort Knox has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[36]
Demographics
As of the census[37] of 2000, there were 12,377 people, 2,748 households, and 2,596 families residing on base. The population density was 591.7 inhabitants per square mile (228.5/km2). There were 3,015 housing units at an average density of 144.1/sq mi (55.6/km2). The racial makeup of the base was 66.3% White, 23.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 4.3% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.4% of the population.
There were 2,748 households out of which 77.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 86.0% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.5% were non-families. 4.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.49 and the average family size was 3.60.
The age distribution was 34.9% under the age of 18, 25.5% from 18 to 24, 37.2% from 25 to 44, 2.3% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 155.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 190.3 males. These statistics are generally typical for military bases.
The median income for a household on the base was US$34,020, and the median income for a family was $33,588. Males had a median income of $26,011 versus $21,048 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,410. About 5.8% of the population and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under the age of 18 and 100.0% of those 65 and older.
General use
In American English, the term "Fort Knox" is used in general discussion as a synonym for a secure location.
Fort Knox area booming
Patton Museum, (at Fort Knox)
Ireland Army Community Hospital, (at Fort Knox)
Official Base information from the DOD Military Installations website[dead link]
Fort Knox Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
vte
Municipalities and communities of Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States
County seat: Shepherdsville
Cities
Fox Chase Hebron Estates Hillview Hunters Hollow Lebanon Junction Mount Washington Pioneer Village Shepherdsville
CDP
Brooks
Unincorporated
communities
Bardstown Junction Barrallton Beech Grove Belmont Brownington Cedar Grove Clermont Cupio Gap in Knob Hobbs Katharyn Lotus Salt River Scuffletown Smithville Solitude Stites Whitfield Zoneton
vte
Municipalities and communities of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States
County seat: Elizabethtown
Cities
Elizabethtown Muldraugh‡ Radcliff Sonora Upton‡ Vine Grove West Point
CDPs
Cecilia Fort Knox‡ Rineyville
Other
unincorporated
communities
Big Spring‡ Eastview Glendale Hardin Springs Howe Valley Limp Nolin Old Stephensburg Saint John Star Mills Stephensburg White Mills
Footnotes
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
vte
Municipalities and communities of Meade County, Kentucky, United States
County seat: Brandenburg
Cities
Brandenburg Ekron Muldraugh‡
CDPs
Doe Valley Fort Knox‡
Unincorporated
communities
Battletown Big Spring‡ Concordia Flaherty Garrett Guston Midway Payneville Rhodelia Rock Haven
Footnotes
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
Sub-commands
Capabilities Integration Center Cadet Command Combined Arms Center Fires Center of Excellence Initial Military Training Maneuver Center of Excellence Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Accessions Command Center for Army Lessons Learned Recruiting Command Sustainment Center of Excellence
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
Installations
Aberdeen Proving Ground Carlisle Barracks Fort Belvoir Fort Benning Fort Eustis Fort Gordon Fort Huachuca Fort Jackson Fort Knox Fort Leavenworth Fort Lee Fort Leonard Wood Fort Rucker Fort Sill Presidio of Monterey Redstone Arsenal
Schools
Air Assault School Air Defense Artillery School Airborne School Armor School Aviation School Basic Training CBRN School Sniper School Combatives School Command and General Staff College Defense Language Institute Engineer School Field Artillery School Infantry School Intelligence Center Jumpmaster School Army Logistics University Mountain Warfare School Officer Candidate School Pathfinder School Prime Power School Quartermaster School Ranger School Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course School of Advanced Military Studies Sergeants Major Academy Soldier Support Institute War College Warrant Officer Candidate School
vte
Military installations in Kentucky
Army
Fort
Fort Anderson (inactive) Campbell Fort DeWolf (inactive) Fort Duffield (inactive) Knox
Camp
Camp Breckinridge (inactive) Camp Zachary Taylor (inactive)
Storage Facility
Blue Grass Army Depot
Airfield
Bowman Field Army Airfield (now Bowman Field) Campbell Army Airfield Godman Army Airfield
Flag of Kentucky.svg
Air Force
Station
Owingsville Air Force Station (inactive) Snow Mountain Air Force Station (inactive)
Kentucky National Guard
Training Center
The
United States Bullion Depository, often known as Fort Knox, is a
fortified vault building located adjacent to the United States Army post
of Fort Knox, Kentucky. The vault is used to store a large portion of
United States official gold reserves and occasionally other precious
items belonging or entrusted to the federal government. It is estimated
to hold roughly 2.3% of all the gold ever refined throughout human
history.[2]
History
Seal of the U.S. Mint
US Bullion Depository, Fort Knox, Kentucky, Gold Vault Rd. and Bullion Boulevard Fort Knox
In
1933, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102,
which outlawed the private ownership of gold coins, gold bullion, and
gold certificates by U.S. citizens, forcing them to sell these to the
Federal Reserve. As a result, the value of the gold held by the Federal
Reserve increased from $4 billion to $12 billion between 1933 and
1937.[3] This left the federal government with a large gold reserve and
no place to store it. In 1936, the U.S. Treasury Department began
construction of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox,
Kentucky, on land transferred from the military. The Gold Vault was
completed in December 1936 for US $560,000. The site is located on what
is now Bullion Boulevard at the intersection of Gold Vault Road. The
building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988,
in recognition of its significance in the economic history of the
United States and its status as a well-known landmark.[4] It is
constructed of granite quarried at the North Carolina Granite
Corporation Quarry Complex.[5]
The
first gold shipments were made from January to July 1937. The majority
of the United States' gold reserves were gradually shipped to the site,
including old bullion and newly made bars made from melted gold coins.
Some intact coins were stored. The transfer used a special nine car
train manned by machine gunners and transferred to U.S. Army trucks
protected by a U.S. Cavalry brigade.[6] In 1974, a Washington attorney
named Peter David Beter circulated a theory that the gold in the
Depository had been secretly removed by elites, and that the vaults were
empty. A group of reporters was allowed inside in order to refute the
theory, which had gained traction thanks to coverage in tabloid
newspapers and on the radio. Other than this 1974 event, no member of
the public has been allowed inside.[7]
During
World War II, the depository held the original U.S. Declaration of
Independence and U.S. Constitution. It held the reserves of European
countries and key documents from Western history. For example, it held
the Crown of St. Stephen, part of the Hungarian crown jewels, given to
U.S. soldiers to prevent them from falling into Soviet hands. The
repository held one of four copies (exemplifications) of Magna Carta,
which had been sent for display at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and
when war broke out, was kept in the U.S. for the duration.
During
World War II and into the Cold War, until the invention of different
types of synthetic painkillers, a supply of processed morphine and opium
was kept in the Depository as a hedge against the US being isolated
from the sources of raw opium.[8]
Construction and security
Below
the fortress-like structure lies the gold vault lined with granite
walls and protected by a blast-proof door weighing 20 tons. Members of
the Depository staff must dial separate combinations known only to
them.[9] Beyond the main vault door, smaller compartments provide
further protection.[10] According to a Mosler Safe Company brochure:
The
most famous, if not the largest, vault door order came from the Federal
government in 1935 for the newly constructed gold depository at Fort
Knox, Kentucky. Both the vault door and emergency door were 21-inches
thick and made of the latest torch- and drill-resistant material. The
main vault door weighed 20 tons and the vault casing was 25-inches
thick.[11]
The facility is ringed with fences and is guarded by the United States Mint Police.
There is an escape tunnel from the lower level of the vault to be used by someone who has been accidentally locked in.[7]
For
security reasons, no visitors are allowed inside the depository
grounds. This policy has been enforced ever since the vault opened, with
only two exceptions. The first was an inspection by members of the
United States Congress and the news media on September 23, 1974 led by
then Director of the United States Mint, Mary Brooks.[7] The second was a
similar inspection made by Kentucky Congressmen on August 21, 2017, led
by Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin.[12]
Gold
As
of September 2018, U.S. Government Gold Reserves are 8,965 metric tons
(261.5 million oz. troy), with a market value of over $310.5 billion (of
which 56.35% is held at Fort Knox).[13] In contrast, the GDP of the
United States was $19.4 trillion as of April 2017.[14]
Not
all the gold bars held in the depository are of exactly the same
composition. The mint gold bars are nearly pure gold. Bars made from
melted gold coins, called "coin bars", are the same composition as the
original coins, which is 90% gold. Unlike many .999 fine gold bullion
coins minted in modern times for holding today, the coin alloy for
pre-1933 US coins, which were intended for circulation, was a tougher
and wear-resistant .900 fine alloy (balance copper) used for all US gold
coins since 1837. (See crown gold for further gold coin alloy history.)
As
of 2014, the U.S. held more gold than any other country, with about 2.4
times that of the next leading country, Germany (which in 2014 owned
3,387.1 metric tons).[15]
In popular culture
Samsung Knox, an enterprise mobile security solution developed by Samsung Group is named after Fort Knox.[16]
The
Depository figures prominently as the focus of the villain's plot in
the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Auric Goldfinger's goal is to break
into the Depository and plant an atomic device. When it explodes, the
entire U.S. gold supply will be irradiated for decades to come and the
worth of Goldfinger's own personal gold supply will skyrocket, making
Goldfinger richer.
The depository is also featured in the finale of the 1952 Bugs Bunny cartoon 14 Carrot Rabbit.
In
the television series Star Trek: Voyager, the fifth season episode
"Dark Frontier", the crew hatches a plan to steal a transwarp coil from
the Borg, referring to this as Operation Fort Knox. This episode
mentions that the depository had become a museum, due to a New World
Economy taking shape in the late 22nd century.
The depository was also featured in the television series Ben 10, in the episode "Ben 10 vs. the Negative 10: Part 1”.
The
depository was also featured in the 2014 animation Penguins of
Madagascar, with the protagonist penguins infiltrating it to find a
discontinued snack called "Cheezy Dibbles".
The
depository is featured twice in the film Battlefield Earth in 2000.
With the head Psychlo, played by John Travolta, standing in a cage among
all of the gold bars. The remaining humans, from the year aprox 3000,
learned about Fort Knox from the Library of Congress and used the gold
bars to pretend that they were actually mining gold, while secretly
planning a way to win back the planet against the Psychlo invasion.