Like most families, the Gillem family has multiple branches. I seem to be the first in my direct branch of the family to serve in the military. I have a great, great, great uncle who commanded Gillem’s Cavalry for the Union in the Civil War. There’s another branch that seems to be all military. One of these Gillems was General Patton’s operations officer during WW II. In his honor, there is a Fort Gillem (formerly the Atlanta Army Depot) in Georgia.
Fort Gillem, established in 1943, is one of three Georgia military bases slated to shut down under a sweeping round of base closures decided in 2005. Along with nearby Fort McPherson and Naval Air Station-Atlanta, the 1,427-acre Army post is scheduled to close next year.
The post includes the headquarters for the Army Recruiting Brigade and 1st US Army, which does reserve and National Guard training east of the Mississippi. It also includes the Army and Air Force Exchange Distribution Region and the only Criminal Investigation Division laboratory in the world. I really don’t understand why we’re closing military bases while we’re at war.
Fort Gillem
Further reading
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