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NEWS | March 19, 2018

JBLE celebrates 100 years of Fort Eustis

By Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Fort Eustis, which was named after Virginia native, Abraham Eustis, in 1918.

The 8,000 acres of land now known as Fort Eustis has had a variety of names over the last 400 years, including Mulberry Island, Stanley Hundred, Warwick County and Camp Eustis.

“From its early beginnings as Mulberry Island and throughout the second World War, Fort Eustis has proven itself to not only be an important military asset, but it also has an incredible history to tell,” said U.S. Army Col. Ralph Clayton III, 733rd Mission Support Group commander. “We are excited to celebrate our 100 year anniversary with our residents and local community, and look forward to many more years to come.”

Fort Eustis has served a number of purposes, including an Army training facility for artillery and artillery observation, a prison and a work camp. Since the World War II era, the primary mission of Fort Eustis has been Army transportation training, research and development, engineering and operations, including aviation and marine shipping activities.

“It’s important to know the impact that Fort Eustis has had over the last 100 years,” said Lorenzo Riddick, 733rd MSG operations director. “We have an opportunity to show off our training base and our value to the U.S. Army and the defense of our nation.”

To celebrate the installation’s rich history, JBLE leaders will host a series of events throughout the coming months: a night of baseball with the Norfolk Tides; the Fort Eustis 100th Anniversary Gala; a plaza rededication and time capsule ceremony; the Army Ball; a Legacy MMA Fight Night; and the Fort Eustis 100th Anniversary open house and concert.

The 2005 Base Realignment, Allocation and Closure Act resulted in the most recent change in Fort Eustis’ mission and structure. In 2010, the Army Transportation School headquarters moved from Fort Eustis to Fort Lee; taking its place in 2011, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command headquarters relocated from Fort Monroe to Fort Eustis.

The BRAC decision also consolidated adjoining bases of different services, referred to as joint-basing. As a result, Fort Eustis and Langley Air Force Base were consolidated in 2010 as Joint Base Langley-Eustis, under the responsibility of the U.S. Air Force’s 633rd Air Base Wing.  

For more information and updates on anniversary events, visit www.jble.af.mil/forteustis100years, or check out Joint Base Langley-Eustis on Facebook, JBLENews on Twitter, and JBLEgram on Instagram.