[Twelfth Armored Division, Scrapbook 4] Page: 74
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IO RIGINALUY PLANNED as a temporary tent camp to how,. an infantry division
and necessary service of supply troops, Camp larkeley, located nine miles
southwest of Abilene, Texas, today is one of th. largest military establishments in
Texas. First war department announcements of plans to build the camp placed
the estimated cost at less than $4,000,000, but subsequent expansions and corner-
sion from a temporary tent camp to a cantoAment of hutments have boosted the
overall construction expenditures to some $25,000,000. The camp was officially
accepted by the army from the constructIng quartermaster on February 15, 1941.
Early in January of 1941 the War Department announced that the Camp had been
named Camp Barkeley in honor of a young San Antonio soldier -hero of World War I,
one David Sarkeley. The camp is one of the only Iwo in the nation named in honor
of an enlisted man. Young Sarkeley lost his life in the Meuse-Argonne forest on a
daring, voluntary mission behind enemy lines. For this heroic act he was post.
humously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and his body now rests in
the State's mast sacred spot - the Alamo Cemetery.
First major expansion was authorized in August of 1941 with the letting of contracts
for building facilities for a 4000-man Medical Replacement Training Center. This
was completed by December 1, on time for scheduled activation of the MRTC on
that date. Since activation, the MRTC has been greatly enlarged and although nat-
urally a military secret, its strength today has grown tremendously.
Another expansion in 1942 was building of facilities for the Medical Administrative
Corps' officer candidate school, activated early in May, 1942. The OCS at Sarkeley
now is the only school of its kind operated by the Medical Administrative Corps.
While the original division which trained at Camp Barkeley has long since gone to
other scenes, another has replaced it, and is now receiving the training that modern
warfare demands. Here infantry and artillery, along with engineers, ordnance,
signal, medical, quartermaster, and other groups, are coordinated into an outfit
that is rightfully proud of the insignia it wears.
In addition there are a number of other units, principally medical and QM, in training
at Camp Barkeley.
The Camp is a city within itself, boasting every facility essential to a modern army
camp. It has a 2300-bed hospital, adequate storehouse storage space, two large
cold storage plants, a bakery, a bank, four large theaters, two enlisted men's
service clubs, II chapels and some 35 post exchange buildings. All military
personnel at Barkeley are now housed in hutments except for the 4000 occupying
the only 64-man barracks on the post.
This is truly a busy post and these pictures show in some part the life of a soldier
here at larkeley. Although there is much work from sun-up to sun-down, from the
start of the week to its end, there is also ample opportunity for relaxation and
recreation. Just as in civilian life, after work, a man can find opportunities for play-
ing games, indulging in sports, reading in fine libraries or lolling in the Service
Club. It's an Interesting life to say the least and certainly leaves few unoccupied
moments in the daily routine.A
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United States. Army. Armored Division, 12th. [Twelfth Armored Division, Scrapbook 4], book, Date Unknown; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth587549/m1/75/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.