Fort Allen (Puerto Rico)

Fort Allen
Fort Allen
Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Type	Military Base
Site information
Controlled by	Puerto Rico National Guard
Site history
Built	1941

Fort Allen Regional Training Institute is a Puerto Rico National Guard military post located on a 941 acres of land in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

History

1941: The U.S. Army Air Corps established an airfield 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Juana Díaz, 10 miles (16 km) east of Ponce, Puerto Rico during World War II known as Losey Army Airfield in honor of Captain Robert M. Losey, an aeronautical meteorologist who in April 1940 became the United States' first military casualty in World War II. Units assigned were: 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 20th Troop Carrier Squadron, 36th Fighter Group, 22d Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Squadron, 32d Fighter Squadron, 417th Bombardment Squadron (25th Bombardment Group)

1949: Losey Army Airfield was transferred to U.S. Army ground forces and became Camp Losey.

1950: Camp Losey was renamed Fort Allen.

1959: Fort Allen was transferred to the Army's Caribbean Signal Agency.

1963: The U.S. Navy took command of Fort Allen and established a Naval Radio Station.

1980: The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) used Fort Allen as a processing center for Haitians refugees.

1983: Fort Allen was offcialy transferred to the Puerto Rico Army National Guard.

1985: The Puerto Rico National Guard Language Center PRNGLC relocated to Fort Allen.

1997: The Relocatable Over the Horizon (ROTHR) receiver site was built at Fort Allen as part of a surveillance network which is designed to monitor flights over an area encompassing more than 1,000,000 square miles (2,600,000 km²) in South America. The (ROTHR) radar consists of 34 antennas and support structure from 71 to 123 feet (37 m) tall.

1999: The National Guard Youth Challenge Program was established at Fort Allen.

2011: An Armed Forces Reserve Center was inaugurated at Fort Allen and was dedicated to Maj. Gen. Salvador Padilla.

Current use

Since the early '80s Fort Allen no longer has Active Duty military personnel assigned, Most of the military activity is by Reserve Component units stationed in southern Puerto Rico.

File:National Guard.gif Army National Guard

240th MP Company
192nd Support Battalion, C Company (Med)
292nd Corps Support Battalion
840th Maintenance Company
162nd Quartermaster Battalion
219th Quartermaster Detachment

U.S. Army Reserve

35th Signal Battalion
807th Signal Company
276th Maintenance Company

The Puerto Rico Army National Guard Officer Candidate School, NCO Academy and the Language Center for the Puerto Rico National Guard recruits are located at Fort Allen.

The National Guard Youth Challenge Program Community Outreach Program youth program at Fort Allen intervene in and reclaim the lives of 16-18 year old high school dropouts, producing program graduates with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens.

On March 4, 2011 an 55,037 squared feet Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) was inaugurated to relocate the U.S Army Reserve 8th Multifunctional of the 180th Division and retention office. The Puerto Rico Army National Guard will locate the 201st Regiment Multifunctional Training Brigade to the new Fort Allen AFRC. A 155 square feet (14.4 m²) Unheated storage building was also built. This AFRC will accommodate about 150 military personnel on a rotating basis, 126 military personnel per weekend.

In addition, Fort Allen has classrooms, maintenance shops, an anphitheatre, admimistrative offices, barracks to house military personnel, dining facilities and a NGX Post exchange.

External links