Camp H. M. Smith is a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

installation in the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an town of

Aiea The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...

on the island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, near the community of Halawa (ha-LA-va) Heights. It is the headquarters of the

United States Indo-Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its incept ...

(INDOPACOM),

Special Operations Command Pacific The Special Operations Command Pacific, known as SOCPAC, is a sub-unified command of the United States Department of Defense for special operations forces in the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) area of responsibility. History Th ...

, and Marine Forces Pacific, the Marine service component command of INDOPACOM. The camp, originally the Aiea Naval Hospital, was named for General Holland McTyeire Smith, the first commanding general of Fleet Marine Force Pacific, on June 8, 1955. The initials H. M. also stood for his nickname which was "Howling Mad" referring to his temper and given to him by his Marines.

History

An Act of Congress on 17 March 1941 had approved purchase of the site, then a sugar cane field, for a Navy Hospital. In 1941, the investment for the 220½ acres of Camp Smith land, in

fee simple In English law, a fee simple or fee simple absolute is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. A "fee" is a vested, inheritable, present possessory interest in land. A "fee simple" is real property held without limit of time (i.e., perm ...

(a term for owning both the land and the buildings), was $912,000, and improvements cost an additional $14 million. Work commenced in July and progressed slowly. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, construction of the planned 1,650-bed facility was rushed to completion. With Admiral Chester W. Nimitz in attendance, the hospital was commissioned on November 11, 1942, but continued expansion was necessary. Throughout World War II, the Aiea Naval Hospital served as a stopping off place for thousands of wounded sailors and Marines on their way home from the war in the Pacific. Hospital activity peaked following the battle for Iwo Jima in February and March, 1945, when 5,676 patients received medical care simultaneously. On June 1, 1949, the hospital was deactivated and Army and Navy medical facilities were consolidated at what is now the

Tripler Army Medical Center Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) is a major United States Department of Defense medical facility administered by the United States Army in the state of Hawaii. It is the tertiary care hospital in the Pacific Rim, serving local active and retire ...

. In 1950, the Territory of Hawaii began negotiations to obtain the Aiea facility for a tuberculosis sanitarium. In 1955, however, the Marine Corps selected the site as the home of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific. The first Marines took up residence in October 1955; the headquarters staff placed the camp in full operation just two weeks before its dedication on January 31, 1956. In October 1957, Camp Smith also became the headquarters for the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, who formerly shared the headquarters of the Commander in Chief,

U.S. Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

at Makalapa, near Pearl Harbor. Both commands were headed by the same officer until 13 January 1958, when a separate officer was named to serve as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet. In July 1992, FMFPac was further designated as the component command, Marine Forces Pacific. In April 1994, Marine Corps Base Hawaii assumed operational responsibility for Camp H. M. Smith. Camp Smith today consists of at Camp Smith proper, at Puuloa Rifle Range in Ewa Beach, and in Manana Housing. Camp Smith is unique in that it is the only Marine Corps installation that supports a unified commander, Commander, Indo-Pacific Command (CDRUSINDOPACOM).In symbolic nod to India, U.S. Pacific Command changes name.
Retrieved 30 May 2018.

References

External links

* ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** {{HIMilitary Aiea, Hawaii Buildings and structures in Honolulu County, Hawaii Historic American Buildings Survey in Hawaii Military command and control installations Military facilities in Hawaii Military headquarters in the United States

1941 establishments in Hawaii