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Installations

There are many military installations such as forts, bases, missile parks, shipbuilders and dockyards throughout the great lakes.  Here is what we are writing about lately.

  • The Beginning for The Red Arrow, 32nd InfantryMax Smith
    The 32nd Division, known as the ‘Red Arrow’, was a division of the army made up by the National Guardsmen from Michigan and Wisconsin. As rivals these men did not ...
  • The Trade History of Fort MichilimackinacLuke Cordes
      Fort Michilimackinac played a pivotal role in the Northwestern fur trading industry from its founding in 1715, up to its abandonment in 1783 . Originally built by the French, Fort ...
  • Calumet National Guard ArmoryNatalie McGrath
    107th Engineering Battalion The 107th Engineer Battalion is a National Guard reserve component stationed across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  It commands the 1430th out of Gladstone, MI, 1431st, out of ...
  • Alpena Combat Readiness Training CenterTony DiCicco
    The Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena Michigan was first established in 1940. This installation was not always a base, however, as it was originally home to an airport, which ...
  • Michigan College of Mining and Technology, Sault S…Tom Spicuzza
    Decommissioned U.S. military forts are usually repurposed as museums or monuments for the public to see.  Fort Brady, however, had an entirely different purpose after the U.S. Army was finished ...
  • Camp HindenburgLucas Grulke
    Introduction “In the years between the World Wars when National Socialism under Adolf Hitler was transforming Germany, a dedicated group of German-American citizens and expatriated German nationals were busy trying to ...
  • Willow Run Rough StartMark Schlax
    January 1942 through June 1945, Willow Run served not only as the birthplace for 8,685 B-24 Liberator bombers, but also the airport for their native flight. The industrial installation also ...
  • The Military RoadAlex Ashley
    From Fort Wilkins, near Copper Harbor, MI, to Fort Howard in Green Bay, WI runs the Old Military Road. This road was built to connect the two forts during the ...
  • Recent History of the 107th Fighter SquadronCameron Potter
    The 107th fighter squadron is an Air National Guard unit attached to the 127th wing out of Selfridge Air Base in Mount Clemens, Michigan. They have a long history stretching ...
  • Great Lakes Naval StationAustin SmithGreat Lakes Naval Station
    The current home for Naval basic training is located thousands of miles away from any ocean. Nestled on a peaceful little piece of shore along the expansive Lake Michigan, this ...
  • Fort Wayne, DetroitBobby Simone
    Fort Wayne is star fort built in the 1840’s and is Detroit’s third fort. Located on the Detroit River in downtown Detroit, it was operated by the U.S. Military until ...
  • CIM-10 BOMBARC Missiles at Raco AAFBrett Fisher
    The Cold War period following WWII had the entire country on edge at the idea of full-on nuclear war. Strategically speaking, concern of attack would be on military installments, industrial ...
  • The Closure of K.I. Sawyer Air Force BaseJerry Sommerfeld
    In 1944, early construction began on an airport in Marquette county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Its name – K.I. Sawyer Airport.  By July 22, 1949, K.I. Sawyer officially ...
  • Military Logistics and the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federa…Connor Bruns
    The Hart-Doyle-Inouye Federal Center in downtown Battle Creek, MI is a complex of 22 interconnected buildings that house a myriad of military logistics and support departments. These departments handle the ...
  • 127th Wing, Michigan Air National GuardNathan Duprey127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard
    The 127th Wing is stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, located in Harrison Township, Michigan. Selfridge is one of the oldest continuously operating military airfields in the country, tracing ...