Fort Ord played an important role in the history of the U.S. Army for 77 years and many Veterans at one time or another called this base home.
Fort Ord was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range under the name Camp Gigling. The name was changed to Camp Ord in 1933 in honor of Maj. Gen. Edward C. Ord and later to Fort Ord in 1941. From 1947 to 1975 Fort Ord was used as an Army basic training center and became a starting point for many Soldiers serving in Korea and Vietnam. Fort Ord was closed in 1994 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation; it was the largest U.S. military base to be closed at the time. When Fort Ord closed most of the land was returned to the state of California while a portion was retained under Army control and is now called the Ord Military Community. While a large portion of the land has been set aside for preservation as open space, additional Fort Ord land is now home to the California State University--Monterey Bay, Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course, Fort Ord Dunes State Park, and various commercial and residential developments. (PHOTOS by Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs). Original public domain image from Flickr