Camp Bullis Military Training Reservation is a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

training camp comprising in

Bexar County, Texas Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio– New B ...

, USA, just northwest of

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

. Camp Bullis provides base operations support and training support to Joint Base San Antonio. The camp is named for Brigadier General John L. Bullis. Camp Bullis and

Camp Stanley Camp Stanley is a former U.S. Army military camp located just east of the city of Uijeongbu, South Korea. The camp is part of the Red Cloud Garrison which is composed of Army installations near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Camp Stanley be ...

make up the Leon Springs Military Reservation. Camp Bullis is used primarily as maneuvering grounds for U.S. Army,

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

, and

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

combat units. It is also used as a field-training site for the various medical units stationed at

Brooke Army Medical Center Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the United States Army's premier medical institution. Located on Fort Sam Houston, BAMC, a 425-bed Academic Medical Center, is the Department of Defense's largest facility and only Level 1 Trauma Center. BAMC ...

in nearby

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

History

In 1906, United States military bought over 17,000 acres from all or parts of six ranches. This area was designated the Leon Springs Military Reservation and was to be used as a maneuvers and training area for troops based at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Leon Springs was praised for its sparse population and varied terrain. Use of the new training area began almost immediately. In July and August 1907, the target ranges in present-day Camp Stanley were used for the Southwestern Rifle and Pistol Competition. The first major maneuvers were held in 1908, involving regular army and National Guard infantry, cavalry, and field-artillery units. The first documented firing of artillery occurred in 1909. Mobilization of troops in response to upheavals in Mexico in 1911 led to large-scale maneuvers at the reservation. With the increased tensions along the United States-Mexico border between 1912 and 1916, activity at the reservation decreased as troops from Fort Sam Houston were deployed along the border. Activity increased again in 1916, as large numbers of troops were called up for training after the raid of Columbus, New Mexico, by

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

. Also in 1916, a large remount station was built near Anderson Hill in present-day Camp Stanley. In February 1917, the facilities at the reservation were renamed Camp Funston in honor of Major General

Frederick Funston Frederick Funston (November 9, 1865 – February 19, 1917), also known as Fighting Fred Funston, was a general in the United States Army, best known for his roles in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War. He received ...

. In May 1917 while preparing for World War I, Camp Funston established the first Officers Training Camp. Drills and training there included practice marches, target practice, and

trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising Trench#Military engineering, military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artille ...

training. Officers graduated in August 1917, after which a second series Officer Training Camp began. In October 1917, Camp Funston was renamed Camp Stanley to avoid confusion with Camp Funston in Kansas; additional land to the south was leased and named Camp Bullis in honor of Brigadier General John L. Bullis. The Camp Bullis cantonment was located across Salado Creek from the old Scheele Ranch. Training facilities at Camp Bullis included cavalry camps, maneuver grounds, and target ranges. Construction of permanent facilities was limited to a camp headquarters, an administrative building, and spaces for rows of mess halls and tents. The 315th Engineer Regiment of the 90th Division constructed rifle ranges and a pistol range between Hogan Ridge and

Salado Creek Salado Creek ( ) is a waterway in San Antonio that runs from northern Bexar County for about to the San Antonio River near Buena Vista.Citizens Military Training Camp Citizens' Military Training Camps (CMTC) were military training programs of the United States. Held annually each summer during the years 1921 to 1940, the CMTC camps differed from National Guard and Organized Reserve training in that the program ...

and the

Reserve Officers Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

also took place at Camp Bullis. Troops took part in target and combat practice, firing Stokes mortars, and maneuvering in regiment-sized units. Starting in 1937, the Second Division tested new divisional structures meant to increase mobility and flexibility through mechanization and motorization. These tests, featured in a 1939 ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

'' issue and employed the use of antitank units and the 6th Infantry Regiment, and lasted through 1939. The resulting concept, known as the

triangular division A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade hea ...

, was built around three infantry regiments and gave commanders at each level of organization, from platoon to division, three forces to face enemy units - one to confront the enemy, one to maneuver and outflank the enemy, and one to exploit enemy failures or weaknesses and act as a reserve. In 1939, Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall ordered that the triangular division design be adopted for all infantry divisions. The formal reorganization of the Second Division included the addition of the 38th Infantry Regiment, two artillery battalions, and a change from 75-mm to 105-mm howitzers. In 1942 and 1943, the triangular division was replaced when the need for tank and other armored units became essential parts of division-sized units. Prior to World War II, Camp Bullis had hosted a number of nonmilitary activities. In 1926, portions of two movies—''The Rough Riders'' and ''Wings''—were filmed at the installation. ''The Rough Riders'' was filmed using troops of the 1st and 5th Cavalry regiments as extras. Palmtree Hill, which was stormed by the troops, was planted with palm trees to resemble San Juan Hill in Cuba. The flying fields at Camp Bullis were used in the production of ''Wings'', the winner of the first Academy Award for best picture. In the early 1930s, Camp Bullis was one of many military installations across the country used for the organization of

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a ...

(CCC) personnel. Personnel from the CCC, as well as the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(renamed Work Projects Administration in 1939), participated in the construction of some of the camp's facilities during this period. As the war in Europe began, more troops trained at Camp Bullis. This increased the need for a larger training facility that could accommodate more than one division. Properties to the east along Blanco Road and to the northwest were acquired by condemnation, and additional acreage north of Cibolo Creek was leased. The new facilities reflected changes in technology, tactics, and increased range of weapons. In addition, adding more tent slabs increased the capacity of the cantonment area. A

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

with a capacity for 200 prisoners was established north of the headquarters, and access to the camp was improved by the completion of Military Highway. Division-sized units trained at Camp Bullis until November 1943, after which the army did not activate any new divisions. Smaller units continued to train at Camp Bullis until the end of World War II. Toward the end of World War II, the Provost Marshal General School, including the Military Police Officer Candidate School, moved to Camp Bullis from Fort Sam Houston. After World War II, demand decreased for the ranges and maneuver areas. The postwar period brought changes in infantry division weaponry that were incompatible with the size and location of the facility. Divisions used late-model

M-4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It ...

s and M-26 Pershings, as well as antiaircraft artillery, which "could not be fired safely at Camp Bullis with service ammunition" Other developments at the end of the war made Camp Bullis an ideal facility for different activities. Personnel attached to the Government Tire Test used Camp Bullis and its shop facilities to design and test tires, fuels, vehicles, and tanks for the military. Medical training also became increasingly important, as Fort Sam Houston became the new home of the Medical Field Service School. Remote training facilities were set up at Camp Bullis so personnel could practice field medical skills. Camp Bullis continues to train medical personnel in field procedures, as well as provide training facilities for Army, Army Reserve, Air Force, and Texas National Guard personnel from the San Antonio area and outside the region. Since 1970, Camp Bullis has transferred 464 acres to the City of San Antonio and Bexar County for parks and roads.

Water insecurity

As of September 2015, the

San Antonio Water System The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is the largest drinking water and sewage utility in Bexar County, Texas, USA. Based in the Midtown Brackenridge district of San Antonio, SAWS draws water from the Edwards Aquifer to service its customers in all ...

planned an $11 million project to build nearly 4 miles of pipeline to Camp Bullis, Fort Sam Houston, and

Lackland Air Force Base Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of S ...

as a backup water supply. This was to prevent San Antonio from becoming a candidate for the next round of

Base Closure and Realignment Commission Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the en ...

decisions.

Soldier Medic Training Site

The Soldier Medic Training Site is located at Camp Bullis. It is designed to simulate conditions that new soldier

medics A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

are likely to face while deployed to current areas of conflict.

References

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