Camp Gordon Johnston Plaque - Carrabelle, Florida, USA.
N 29° 49.750 W 084° 41.609
16R E 722868 N 3302088
Camp Gordon Johnston was a World War II US Army amphibious training base. A Historic Marker & Museum now stand as a monument to the 250,000 Men & Women that served & trained at Camp Gordon Johnston, Training area, Carrabelle Beach, Northern Florida.
Waymark Code: WMXJHT
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/20/2018
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Two Florida Historical Markers commemorating those who served at Camp Gordon Johnston have been placed in the area. This Historic Marker is at the new museum entrance located alongside the Big Bend Scenic Byway - Coastal Trail, Carrabelle, on the forgotten Florida panhandle Gulf Coast.
Camp Gordon Johnston, World War II Museum serves as a testament to the amphibious soldiers of WWII that trained in Carrabelle and Franklin County, Florida.
The site's history is featured at the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum:
"Camp Johnston opened in September 1941 as Camp Carrabelle and was later named after Colonel Gordon Johnston, a well-decorated soldier who served in the Spanish–American War in Cuba with the Rough Riders, in the Philippine–American War, and in World War I.
The camp at 165,000 acres (670 km2) served as an amphibious training base housing around 10,000 troops at one time and rotating between 24,000 and 30,000 soldiers from 1941 through 1946. The nearby islands of Dog Island and St. George Island were used as landing points for exercises.
The Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum, located in Carrabelle, Florida, was established to honor and preserve the heritage of the men and women who trained at the camp during WWII. Camp Gordon Johnston opened in 1942 for the sole purpose of training Infantry Divisions and their support units in amphibious operations by U. S. Army Engineer Special Brigades [ESB]. This camp trained a quarter of a million men, closing in June of 1946. Three infantry divisions and two special brigades left here after receiving amphibious training to confront tyranny both in Europe and the Pacific. Learn about their dedication, fears and heroism at our museum.
The sacrifices and achievements of our WWII era citizens have led historians to label these individuals as the best generation America has yet produced. We feel it would be a tragedy not to display their accomplishments as a worthy lesson for today’s citizens. To this extent the museum promotes not only the history of WWII, but also portrays the gigantic effort that our nation poured into this conflict. The CGJ Museum has compiled an extensive history of the various units that trained here, as well as a photographic display of the area and life as it existed at the camp. Furthermore, the CGJ veterans have contributed the artifacts brought back from battles overseas, along with uniforms, equipment, and all sorts of souvenirs, too numerous to name."
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Text from the Historic Marker:
"With the approach of World War II, amphibious warfare training centers were hurriedly built. Camp Carrabelle opened in September 1941. Construction began in July 1942 and the camp was renamed in honor of Colonel Gordon Johnston (1874-1934), a highly decorated Army officer and veteran of multiple wars. The 165,000-acre camp served as an Amphibious Training Center and Armed Service Forces Training Center for soldiers from all branches of the military during the war. Once referred to as the “Alcatraz of the Army” by columnist Walter Winchell, the camp housed around 10,000 troops at any one time and rotated between 24,000 and 30,000 from 1941 to 1946. Nearby islands and beaches, particularly Dog Island and St. George Island, were used as landing points for amphibious exercises. Florida's sandy beaches, swamps, and jungle-like forests allowed the military to simulate the conditions of landings in the European and Pacific theatres. Camp Gordon Johnston provided some of the toughest military training in the world and was the Army's major amphibious training center. The camp was responsible for training nearly 250,000 men and women before it closed in June of 1946."