United States Army Garrison Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, is a

United States 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, ...

installation in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. It is located in the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

of the capital,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

History

Puerto Rico was part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

from the time of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

until the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. United States forces landed in Guánica on July 25, 1898. The last Spanish unit left the island the following October, and the Department of Puerto Rico was established. Upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States, and the island became an unincorporated United States territory.

The Puerto Rico Regiment

On July 1, 1899, “The Puerto Rico Regiment of Infantry, United States Army” was created. On July 1, 1901, Lieutenant Colonel James Anderson Buchanan took command of the regiment. He was later promoted to colonel on July 21, 1902, and to brigadier general in 1905. Buchanan served in Puerto Rico from 1898 to 1903 and Fort Buchanan was named after him.

Camp Buchanan

The Puerto Rico Regiment was officially designated as the 65th Infantry Regiment in 1920, after defending the

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. A tract of 300 acres approximately six miles on the south shore of

San Juan Bay San Juan Bay ( es, Bahía de San Juan) is the bay and main inlet adjacent to Old San Juan in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is about in length, the largest body of water in an estuary of about of channels, inlets and eight interconnected lagoons ...

was acquired to provide the regiment with a training area. The site was established in 1923 as Camp Buchanan. It served as a target range and maneuver area for the U.S. Army and National Guard troops from 1923 to 1939. The 1st Battalion

51st Coast Artillery Regiment The 51st Coast Artillery Regiment was a Coast Artillery regiment in the United States Army. History Lineage Constituted in July 1917 under the designation of the 6th Provisional Regiment, Coast Artillery Corps at Fort Adams, RI from the follo ...

was also assigned to Camp Buchanan in 1939.

Fort Buchanan

In May 1940 the location was renamed Fort Buchanan. It was eventually expanded to 4,500 acres. During World War II, Fort Buchanan housed a depot supplying the Army Antilles Department. It also processed local troops through its replacement center. The industrial complex included pier facilities, ammunition storage areas and an extensive railroad network connecting the military installation to the

Port of San Juan The Port of San Juan ( es, Puerto de San Juan) is a seaport facility located in the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The "Port of San Juan" is the general name used to call various passenger and cargo facilities located in lands aro ...

at San Juan Bay. Puerto Rican soldiers being deployed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

were transported from the train station to the Army terminal at the Port of San Juan. At the time, Fort Buchanan served as a citizens training camp and soldier processing station. After World War II the post was gradually reduced to its current size of 746 acres. Fort Buchanan remained a command depot with post facilities, a personnel center, and a special training center until closure as an Army post in 1966. On December 31, 1966, with the deactivation of the Antilles Command, Fort Buchanan passed to the control of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. On December 7, 1971, the Third U.S. Army resumed control of Fort Buchanan, and in 1973 the post came under direct control of the

United States Army Forces Command United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM con ...

(FORSCOM). Following the Department of Defense Unified Command Plan, Fort Buchanan came under control of

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, o ...

(SOUTHCOM). From 1999 to 2003 it was occupied by

United States Army South United States Army South is an Army service component command of United States Southern Command whose area of responsibility includes 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is headquar ...

(USARSO). In 2002 Fort Buchanan became part of the Southeast Regional Office of the Installation Management Agency (IMA), and in 2003 it became an IMA Reserve installation. In 2006 it became a

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

under

United States Army Installation Management Command The United States Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) is a support formation of the United States Army responsible for the day-to-day management of Army installations around the globe. Army garrisons are communities that provide many o ...

, Southeast Region (IMCOM-SE). On October 1, 2008, the Commanding General of the 81st Regional Readiness Command became Fort Buchanan's Senior Mission Commander under the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC). Based on the December 2008 Unified Command Plan, Fort Buchanan currently falls under the

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

(USNORTHCOM) area of operations, under the direct control of the Installation Management Command, Atlantic Region (IMCOM-Atlantic). On October 23, 2009, an explosion at the nearby

Caribbean Petroleum Corporation Caribbean Petroleum Corporation (CAPECO) is an oil company in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free ...

caused two people to suffer minor injuries at Fort Buchanan, and four other people sought help for respiratory problems. The explosion caused minor damages in some facilities of the military installation.Explosion rocks Gulf facility on Puerto Rico
on

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...

; Associated Press (10/23/2009) In 2017 after the wake of

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect ...

, Fort Buchanan served as a command center during the recovery efforts. Military active duty, reserve and National Guard units from the continental United States were mobilized from Fort Buchanan all over the island for the emergency. Thousands of these service members were awarded the

Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (inclu ...

for their disaster relief efforts. The

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

also managed operations from Fort Buchanan.

Today

United States Army Garrison Fort Buchanan consists of 746.16 acres between the municipalities of Bayamón and

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Guaynabo (, ) is a city, suburb of San Juan and municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas, south of Cataño, east of Bayamón, and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is sprea ...

with a real estate value estimated at $560 million. Fort Buchanan serves a population of approximately 130,000, including military personnel, their dependents, retirees, veterans, and the civilian workforce. Fort Buchanan is host to a number of tenant activities, most of them branches from the United States Armed Forces Reserve Component such as the headquarters for the 1st Mission Support Command of the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 20 ...

, the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

Navy Operations Support Center Puerto Rico (NOSC Puerto Rico) and the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...

. The

Puerto Rico National Guard The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG) – es, Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico– is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and s ...

is also present on the base. The

Reserve Officer 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 ...

(ROTC) has held leadership labs and other activities at Fort Buchanan. Other agencies at the base include the

Army and Air Force Exchange Service The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and The PX or The BX) is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief exe ...

(AAFES),

Defense Commissary Agency The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) that operates nearly 240 commissaries worldwide. American military commissaries sell groceries and household ...

(DECA), Rodriguez Army Health Clinic (RAHC), Veterinary Treatment Facility, Defense Military Pay Office (DMPO), and Defense Contracting Audit Agency. Fort Buchanan also hosts a number of non-DoD organizations that provide services to soldiers, their dependents, and community members, including the

Pentagon Federal Credit Union Pentagon Federal Credit Union, widely known by its abbreviated name PenFed, is a United States federal credit union headquartered in McLean, Virginia, chartered and regulated under the authority of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) ...

PenFed, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, and AAFES Concessionaires. Fort Buchanan also provides support to

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

agencies such as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Post Information

Support facilities on the base include: * 3

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...

Schools **Antilles Elementary School **Antilles Middle School **Antilles High School * 2 Military Family Housing Areas ** Coconut Grove - Enlisted and Company Grade Officer Housing ** Las Colinas - Senior Officer Housing *

(AAFES) ** Post Exchange (PX) ** PXtra/Class Six ** Gas Station * Exchange Food Court ** Burger King ** Popeye's Fried Chicken ** Subway ** Starbucks ** Taco Bell * Concessions ** Barber Shop ** Beauty Shop ** Don Rey Cigar ** Flower Shop ** Exchange Mobile Center ** Exchange New Car Sales ** GNC ** H&R Block ** Los Unidos Laundry/Alterations ** Optical Shop ** Optometry Clinic ** Souvenir Shop * Banco Popular * Base Library * Borinquen Lounge & Patio * Bowling Center * Cabana Picnic Area * Café 151 * Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) * Child Development Center * Community Based Warrior Transition Unit (CBWTU) * Community Club & Conference Center * DeCA Commissary * Defense Military Pay Office (DMPO) * El Caney Lodge * Fire Station * Fort Buchanan Golf Course Complex * Fort Buchanan Welcome Center & ID Card Office * Las Casas Lake * Logistics Readiness Center * Maxie Williams Jr Field * Mc Arthur Field * Navy Operational Support Center Puerto Rico (NOSC Puerto Rico) * Network Enterprise Center (NEC) *

* Post Chapel *

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

* Ramos Hall * Rodriguez Army Health Clinic (RACH) * Skate Park * Sports & Fitness Center and

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...

Fitness Center annex * Training Support Center * Veterinary Services * Water Spout Aquatics Center * Youth Center

Armed Forces Reserve Center

The Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) at Fort Buchanan accommodates the

U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 20 ...

Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD) of the 339th Battalion, (the 393rd) and a Retention Office. The

Puerto Rico Army National Guard The Puerto Rico Army National Guard (PRARNG) — officially designated in Spanish as ''Guardia Nacional Terrestre de Puerto Rico'', but colloquially known as ''Ejército de la Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico'' — is the Army National Guard of the ...

Recruiting and Retention Division (R&R Div), the 480th Military Police Company and the Medical Section Cell C59. The

relocated the Detachment 1, Landing Support Company, Combat Logistics Regiment-45,

4th Marine Logistics Group The 4th Marine Logistics Group (4th MLG) is a reserve logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps. The group is headquartered at New Orleans, Louisiana while its subordinate units are spread across the United States. Mission Provide gene ...

into this facility. The Fort Buchanan Armed Forces Reserve Center serves about 400 personnel on a rotating basis, with a maximum of 250 members per weekend. This facility was named after senior civilian aide to the secretary of the Army for Puerto Rico Major General (Ret) Felix A. Santoni.

Joint Forces Headquarters Puerto Rico (JFHQPR-Puerto Rico National Guard)

A $33.5 million Readiness Center for the

at Fort Buchanan has been completed. This National Guard Readiness Center at Fort Buchanan includes a Metal Storage Building/Maintenance Training Bay, Simulation Center/Physical Training, Emergency Generator and Tank, Vehicle Wash Platform and a Helipad. The Puerto Rico National Guard will posthumously name this Readiness Center at Fort Buchanan after

Veteran and former member of the 65th Infantry Regiment and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient Master Sergeant Juan E. Negrón.

Notable people

Douglas Domenech Douglas William Domenech is an American government official who served as the Assistant United States Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. He is a former a George W. Bush administration politi ...

- Assistant Secretary of the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...

for

Office of Insular Affairs The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that oversees federal administration of several United States insular areas. It is the successor to the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Departme ...

and former

Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources The Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet. It was established in 1986 after splitting from the state Secretary of Commerce (then called the Secretary of Commerce and Resources). List of Secretar ...

, graduated from Antilles High School in 1973 at Fort Buchanan. * Cesar Rodriguez - Retired

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

officer and

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

combat pilot from 1981 to 2006, graduated from Antilles High School in 1977 at Fort Buchanan. * Eurípides Rubio - United States Army captain and recipient

for his actions at the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

entered the Army at Fort Buchanan. * Frances M. Vega - The first female soldier of Puerto Rican descent to have died in combat in the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

graduated from Antilles High School in 2001 on post. Fort Buchannan Gate #1 was named the SPC Frances M. Vega gate in her honor. * Marcos Berríos -

California Air National Guard The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. As militia units, the units in the California ...

mayor, served in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

as a search and rescue pilot, aerospace engineer, selected for astronaut candidate in

NASA Astronaut Group 23 NASA Astronaut Group 23 (nicknamed The Flies) was announced on December 6, 2021, with the class reporting for duty some time in 2022. Twelve astronaut candidates were selected, including seven men and five women. History NASA announced the cre ...

, graduated from Antilles High School in 1997 at Fort Buchanan.

Climate

Gallery

File:4th July celebration in Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico.jpg, alt=Traditional Celebration of the

4th of July Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

located in the facilities of the Fort & open for the general public, Ft. Buchanan

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

Celebration, 2006 File:Outdoor pool at Fort Buchanan.jpg, Water Spout Aquatics Center

References

External links

Fort Buchanan Home Page

Fort Buchanan MWR Page

Rodriguez Army Health Clinic
{{Portal, Puerto Rico 1923 establishments in Puerto Rico Bayamón, Puerto Rico Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Buchanan Buchanan may refer to: People * Buchanan (surname) Places Africa * Buchanan, Liberia, a large coastal town Antarctica * Buchanan Point, Laurie Island Australia * Buchanan, New South Wales * Buchanan, Northern Territory, a locality * Bucha ...

Military facilities in Puerto Rico Military installations established in 1923 Military installations of the United States in Puerto Rico