Fort (Gillem, GA) turns 64 on sad note (Base is closing)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 11.5.05 | ADD SEYMOUR JR.

[mhking]

Fort turns 64 on a sad note

By ADD SEYMOUR JR. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/05/05

Carl Rhodenizer didn't know where Atlanta — let alone the Atlanta General Depot — was located when the Army sent him here in 1951.

But the Virginia native grew so close to "The Depot," now known as Fort Gillem, that he never again lived more than five miles from the base.

That's why Fort Gillem's 64th anniversary party on Friday evoked sadness for some longtime Clayton County residents. With the base scheduled to close, there won't be many more celebrations.

"It's been a trying experience for me, especially to think back on the history that brought me here," said Rhodenizer, a retired banker and now a Clayton County commissioner.

Four Georgia military bases — Fort Gillem, Fort McPherson in East Point, the Naval Air Station in Cobb County and the Naval Supply Corps School in Athens — will be shut down as part of this year's Base Realignment and Closure process.

Any hopes to keep the forts open died last week when Congress declined to reject the Pentagon's recommendations. President Bush had already approved the base closures.

The state will actually gain 7,400 jobs as other Georgia bases absorb missions from phased-out installations in other states. But 7,233 jobs directly tied to Georgia's four closing bases will be gone, including more than 2,700 civilian jobs.

Pentagon officials expect to save more than $1.3 billion over the next 20 years by shutting down Fort McPherson and its satellite base, Fort Gillem, alone.

The 1,500-acre Fort Gillem has been part of Clayton County since 1941, when it was established as the Atlanta General Depot. It's a sprawling mix of warehouses and older brick buildings outside Forest Park. Parts of it have a an industrial feel, while other areas — including two lakes, a tennis court, a playground and a softball field — look like a giant park.

In 1974 the base was named for former Fort McPherson commander Lt. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem. The base's main duty remained the same — training supply soldiers and maintaining and processing equipment used in every major conflict since World War II.

"I remember when we were shipping stuff for fallout shelters all over the country," said L.C. Mathis, who worked at the base in the 1960s and '70s. "One of the things they required in the fallout shelters was candy. I don't know why, but it was like the little blocks of different flavors of hard candy."

Supplies weren't all sweet. During World War II, soldiers from Forts McPherson and Benning guarded the base's chemical and engineer supply areas, which were thought to be vulnerable to German sabotage.

The base was also home to an automotive school and a coffee roasting plant that ground some 50,000 pounds of coffee beans a day to serve soldiers. Both those missions ended in 1956.

Mathis remembers Fort Gillem as a fun place. As a child growing up in Clayton, he and his friends fished in the base's lakes, crawled through pipes and played on forklifts.

"A kid could just walk right onto the base back then," said Mathis, now 58. "They had a lot of stuff going on over there for a kid, 'cause this was the country back then."

The Depot's enlisted personnel became part of the community because many lived on the base for several years at a time. Some, like Rhodenizer, never left.

Rhodenizer met his future wife while serving at the Depot. And three months before his enlistment was up, he met Hugh Dixon, Jonesboro's mayor at the time, and Van Stephens, a local banker.

"These two guys came to me and said, 'would you be willing to stay in Clayton County if we got you a good job?' " Rhodenizer said. "They hired me, and three mergers and 41 years later I was still here."

Nowadays, the base fire department works with the city of Forest Park. Neighborhood children are routinely brought on base to enjoy the playgrounds — after passing through guarded gates. People from across metro Atlanta flock to monthly parties at the Getaway Club.

Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, handpicked by President Bush to oversee Hurricane Katrina efforts, said the community connection works both ways.

"We work here, we shop here, we get gas here," said Honore, who's based at Fort Gillem. "Fort Gillem will always be part of this community, and we'll just serve it in different ways as decided by our leadership. We'll continue that partnership as long as we can."

The base pumps $300 million annually into Clayton's economy and employs nearly 1,100 people, which makes it the county's third-largest employer. Clayton officials expect losing the base to cause short-term economic problems — particularly for smaller businesses in the area. Long-term plans call for a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses for the base.

"I predict once we get it developed, I think it will be worth three times that [$300 million]," said Crandle Bray, who leads local planning for the base's future development.

Still, it won't be the same, said Mathis, who now owns the Old South Restaurant down the road from the base.

A lot of his business will disappear as the base gradually closes. "I guess it'll be like seeing your old neighborhood torn down," Mathis said.

[VeniVidiVici]

Had to go to Gillem a couple times for drill. Interesting post. I never could figure out why it was still open as small as it was and the proximity to Atlanta.

[thescourged1]

I spent many a day and night on those gates as an MP. Honestly, it was a shabby little post facilities-wise. on the North side in the woods are chemical tanks that leak god-knows-what. Did you know at one time there were jump-training towers on the base? Only a couple concrete pads remain. Closing Gillem is money well-saved, IMHO.