Fort Huachuca

Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Americans are encouraged to stop for a moment and thank the men and women who are risking their lives to protect the freedoms we take so much for granted. Click on the graphic above to go to a web page where you can fill in a form and send an email message to a member of the armed forces serving abroad.

We are proud to support the men and women of Fort Huachuca and all of our U.S. soldiers, sailors, and airmen now deployed far from home in the war against terrorism. Our thoughts and prayers are with these men and women and their families, and we wish them a safe, swift return.

Huachuca Center to be Home of Human-Intel Training

Soldiers participate in a training scenario at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The new Joint Center of Excellence for Human Intelligence Training is now located on the base. Photo by Senior Airman Christina D. Ponte, April 11, 2007. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

Amateur Radio alive and well at Fort Huachuca

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (Army News Service, July 17, 2006)
Mention the MARS Station to retired service members and they’ll probably tell you about how they were able to talk with loved ones back in the United States while serving overseas through this system of phone patches, high-frequency radios and volunteer radio operators.

The U.S. Army Military Affiliated Radio System is still going strong with morale and welfare phone-patching and MARS messages. Today, it’s also a critically important backup emergency-communications system.

“MARS has evolved into emergency-communications support not just for the Army, but for other government agencies, as well,” said Kathy Harrison, chief of the Army MARS, which is part of the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command at Fort Huachuca.

The Army MARS system operates 24-7, and participates in the National Communications Systems Shared Resources High Frequency Radio Program, a system designed to bring together federal, state and private-industry HF resources so emergency messages can be passed when normal communications channels are destroyed or unavailable.

More of this story is available at www.army.mil

Photo above: Sgt. Daniel Morales (left) and Pfc. Wayne Murray, Huachuca Platoon, 518th Signal Company, 504th Signal Battalion, work on a connection outside the Fort Huachuca MARS Station. U.S. Army photo by Thom Williams. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

Fort Huachuca Military Reservation
(520) 533-7111
Main Gate, Fry Blvd. & Hwy 90
Fort Huachuca website

Army Aviation Warfighting Center assumes UAS training mission

From ARNEWS, the Army News Service

by Michael Collins

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (Army News Service, May 8, 2006) – The newly activated Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion (provisional) assumed responsibility for training operators and maintainers of the Army’s unmanned aerial systems last month at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

The ceremony marked the transfer of the training mission from the U.S. Army Intelligence Center to the U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., the home of Army aviation.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are powered aerial vehicles sustained in flight by aerodynamic lift over most of their flight path and guided without an on-board crew. They may be expendable or recoverable, and can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely. UAVs are a key element within the concept of information dominance.

The Intelligence Center officially activated the UAV Test Company in October 1991, as a separate company under the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade. The company’s mission was to provide joint service training, testing and doctrinal development for the Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Short Range Program.

The transfer to the U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center reflects the technical and warfare doctrinal evolution the UAV has undergone over the years.

“I am confident that, beginning today, the training partnership of Army aviation and military intelligence will take UAS training to an even higher level, and ultimately provide the combat commanders on the ground with even greater support, and ultimately save lives while pursuing the enemy,” said Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca.

Fort Huachuca is home to the world’s largest unmanned aerial systems training center. More than 500 Soldiers are currently undergoing training in Shadow 200 and Hunter UAS operations there.

Photo caption: US Army photo: October 24, 2005
Among Army Materiel Command’s programs are those dealing with unmanned aerial vehicles, such as this Hunter taking off on a training mission from Fort Huachuca, Ariz. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.
Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce
21 E. Wilcox Dr.
(520) 458-6940
For information on the history and tactics of terrorism check out the Timeline of Terrorism courtesy of U.S. Army. The US government Learn more about terrorism web page has information on all facets of the war on terror, including anti-terrorist training, court cases, current legislation, information on terrorists including FBI photos, presidential orders and proclamations, reference and library lists, and a guide to other countries' response to terrorist threats.

Establish the eternal truth that acquiescence under insult is not the way to escape war. --Thomas Jefferson

History of Fort Huachuca
Established in 1877, a time when army forts were generously sprinkled over southeast Arizona, Fort Huachuca is the only one which survived to the present day as an active military post. Established during the Indian Wars, the fort was the headquarters of the 4th Cavalry patrols that pursued Geronimo and his band of renegades and brought about their surrender to General Nelson Miles in 1886. It also was the site of the use of the heliograph for communication during the Geronimo war. (You can see a heliograph device in the Fort Museum.)

Huachuca has served as home of the famous Negro troops, the Buffalo Soldiers, who, among other exploits, chased Pancho Villa up and down Sonora, Mexico in 1916 after that outlaw's attack on Columbus, New Mexico and Agua Prieta, just across the border from Douglas. In World War II two African-American infantry divisions, the 92nd and 93rd, were trained on Fort Huachuca's ranges and served valiantly in the Pacific theater and in northern Italy. Today Fort Huachuca is an important military intelligence and communications center. Two museums and an annex trace the colorful history of the fort.

Because of the Fort's active military status it is often necessary to check in at the gate before entering. You will probably be asked to show two forms of picture ID including a driver's license, as well as vehicle registration and proof of automobile insurance.

Fort Huachuca Museum and Annex
The Museum and Annex tell the story of the U.S. Army in the southwest, displaying uniforms of various periods, early equipment and model rooms presenting the daily life of the soldiers and their families. The Gift Shop carries publications about the military history of the southwest as well as souvenir and art items. The main museum is in Building 41401 with an annex in building 41305, just across the street. Grierson, Boyd and Hungerford Streets are the boundaries of this museum complex. Open 9-4 on weekdays, 1-4 on weekends. Free, $2 donation suggested

The U.S. Army Intelligence Museum
This museum acts as a central repository for historical artifacts which help put the military intelligence mission into perspective. In addition to being of general interest, it provides a teaching tool for the U.S. Army Intelligence School. This museum is in Building 41411, just down the street from the Fort Huachuca Military Museum and its Annex.

Visitors can also explore Garden Canyon, which offers both natural wonders and archeological artifacts.

Garden Canyon
This scenic area within Fort Huachuca contains some of the most diverse plant and animal life in the Huachuca Mountains. A variety of wildflowers, birds, mammals, and butterflies can be seen here. Free

Garden Canyon Pictographs
A single-lane mountain road takes you to the top of Garden Canyon, where a short walk and a climb up "board-walk" steps lead the visitor to a good view of some prehistoric rock paintings. Although a chain-link fence protects them, there are framed openings to allow unobstructed viewing and photography of the paintings.

New Site: Support the Fort

Huachuca Center to be Home of Human-Intel Training

Soldiers participate in a training scenario at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The new Joint Center of Excellence for Human Intelligence Training is now located on the base. Photo by Senior Airman Christina D. Ponte, April 11, 2007. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

Amateur Radio alive and well at Fort Huachuca

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (Army News Service, July 17, 2006) Fort Huachuca MARS, Army photo by Thom Williams
Mention the MARS Station to retired service members and they’ll probably tell you about how they were able to talk with loved ones back in the United States while serving overseas through this system of phone patches, high-frequency radios and volunteer radio operators.

The U.S. Army Military Affiliated Radio System is still going strong with morale and welfare phone-patching and MARS messages. Today, it’s also a critically important backup emergency-communications system.

“MARS has evolved into emergency-communications support not just for the Army, but for other government agencies, as well,” said Kathy Harrison, chief of the Army MARS, which is part of the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command at Fort Huachuca.

The Army MARS system operates 24-7, and participates in the National Communications Systems Shared Resources High Frequency Radio Program, a system designed to bring together federal, state and private-industry HF resources so emergency messages can be passed when normal communications channels are destroyed or unavailable.

More of this story is available at www.army.mil

Photo above: Sgt. Daniel Morales (left) and Pfc. Wayne Murray, Huachuca Platoon, 518th Signal Company, 504th Signal Battalion, work on a connection outside the Fort Huachuca MARS Station. U.S. Army photo by Thom Williams. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

Fort Huachuca Military Reservation
(520) 533-7111
Main Gate, Fry Blvd. & Hwy 90
Fort Huachuca website

Army Aviation Warfighting Center assumes UAS training mission

From ARNEWS, the Army News Service

by Michael Collins

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. (Army News Service, May 8, 2006) – The newly activated Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion (provisional) assumed responsibility for training operators and maintainers of the Army’s unmanned aerial systems last month at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

The ceremony marked the transfer of the training mission from the U.S. Army Intelligence Center to the U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., the home of Army aviation.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are powered aerial vehicles sustained in flight by aerodynamic lift over most of their flight path and guided without an on-board crew. They may be expendable or recoverable, and can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely. UAVs are a key element within the concept of information dominance.

The Intelligence Center officially activated the UAV Test Company in October 1991, as a separate company under the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade. The company’s mission was to provide joint service training, testing and doctrinal development for the Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Short Range Program.

The transfer to the U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center reflects the technical and warfare doctrinal evolution the UAV has undergone over the years.

“I am confident that, beginning today, the training partnership of Army aviation and military intelligence will take UAS training to an even higher level, and ultimately provide the combat commanders on the ground with even greater support, and ultimately save lives while pursuing the enemy,” said Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca.

Fort Huachuca is home to the world’s largest unmanned aerial systems training center. More than 500 Soldiers are currently undergoing training in Shadow 200 and Hunter UAS operations there.

Photo caption: US Army photo: October 24, 2005
Among Army Materiel Command’s programs are those dealing with unmanned aerial vehicles, such as this Hunter taking off on a training mission from Fort Huachuca, Ariz. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce
21 E. Wilcox Dr.
(520) 458-6940

For information on the history and tactics of terrorism check out the Timeline of Terrorism courtesy of U.S. Army. The US government Learn more about terrorism web page has information on all facets of the war on terror, including anti-terrorist training, court cases, current legislation, information on terrorists including FBI photos, presidential orders and proclamations, reference and library lists, and a guide to other countries' response to terrorist threats.

Establish the eternal truth that acquiescence under insult is not the way to escape war. --Thomas Jefferson

History of Fort Huachuca

Established in 1877, a time when army forts were generously sprinkled over southeast Arizona, Fort Huachuca is the only one which survived to the present day as an active military post. Established during the Indian Wars, the fort was the headquarters of the 4th Cavalry patrols that pursued Geronimo and his band of renegades and brought about their surrender to General Nelson Miles in 1886. It also was the site of the use of the heliograph for communication during the Geronimo war. (You can see a heliograph device in the Fort Museum.)

Huachuca has served as home of the famous Negro troops, the Buffalo Soldiers, who, among other exploits, chased Pancho Villa up and down Sonora, Mexico in 1916 after that outlaw's attack on Columbus, New Mexico and Agua Prieta, just across the border from Douglas. In World War II two African-American infantry divisions, the 92nd and 93rd, were trained on Fort Huachuca's ranges and served valiantly in the Pacific theater and in northern Italy. Today Fort Huachuca is an important military intelligence and communications center. Two museums and an annex trace the colorful history of the fort.

The U.S. Army Intelligence Museum
This museum acts as a central repository for historical artifacts which help put the military intelligence mission into perspective. In addition to being of general interest, it provides a teaching tool for the U.S. Army Intelligence School. This museum is in Building 41411, just down the street from the Fort Huachuca Military Museum and its Annex.

Visitors can also explore Garden Canyon, which offers both natural wonders and archeological artifacts.

Garden Canyon
This scenic area within Fort Huachuca contains some of the most diverse plant and animal life in the Huachuca Mountains. A variety of wildflowers, birds, mammals, and butterflies can be seen here. Free

Garden Canyon Pictographs
A single-lane mountain road takes you to the top of Garden Canyon, where a short walk and a climb up "board-walk" steps lead the visitor to a good view of some prehistoric rock paintings. Although a chain-link fence protects them, there are framed openings to allow unobstructed viewing and photography of the paintings.