Editing Fort Knox (section)

== History ==

=== Fortification ===
Fortifications were constructed near the site in 1861, during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] when [[Fort Duffield]] was constructed. Fort Duffield was located on what was known as [[Muldraugh Hill]] on a strategic point overlooking the confluence of the [[Salt River (Kentucky)|Salt]] and [[Ohio River]]s and the [[Louisville and Nashville Turnpike]]. The area was contested by both [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] forces. Bands of organized guerrillas frequently raided the area during the war. [[John Hunt Morgan]]<ref>Ramage, James A., ''Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan.'' Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 1986. {{ISBN|0-8131-1576-0}}.</ref> and the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment of the Confederate Army raided the area before staging his infamous raid across [[Indiana]] and [[Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.knox.army.mil/history.asp |title=Fort Knox, KY • History<!-- Bot generated title --> |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629114738/http://www.knox.army.mil/IMA/sites/about/history.asp |archive-date=29 June 2007}}</ref>

=== Post Civil War ===
After the Civil War, the area now occupied by the Army was home to various small communities. In October 1903, military maneuvers for the Regular Army and the National Guards of several states were held at [[West Point, Kentucky]], and the surrounding area.<ref>''New York Times'' 17 July 1903 pg 5</ref> In April 1918, field artillery units from [[Camp Zachary Taylor]] arrived at West Point for training. {{convert|20000|acre}} near the village of Stithton were leased to the government and construction for a permanent training center was started in July 1918.

=== New camp ===
The new camp was named after [[Henry Knox]], the [[Continental Army]]'s chief of artillery during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] and the country's first [[Secretary of War]]. The camp was extended by the purchase of a further {{convert|40000|acre|ha}} in June 1918 and construction properly began in July 1918. The building program was reduced following the end of the war and reduced further following cuts to the army in 1921 after the [[National Defense Act of 1920]]. The camp was greatly reduced and became a semi-permanent training center for the 5th Corps Area for Reserve Officer training, the National Guard, and [[Citizen's Military Training Camps]] (CMTC). For a short while, from 1925 to 1928, the area was designated as "Camp Henry Knox National Forest."<ref>''The Courier-Journal'' 15 April 1928 end</ref>

=== Air Corps use ===
The post contains [[Godman Army Airfield]], which was used by the [[United States Army Air Corps]] and its successor, the [[United States Army Air Forces]], as a training base during World War II. It was used by the [[Kentucky Air National Guard]] for several years after the war until they relocated to [[Standiford Field]] in Louisville. The airfield is still used by the [[United States Army Aviation Branch]].

=== Protection of America's founding documents ===
[[File:Tank driver.jpg|thumb|A tank driver at Fort Knox in 1942]]

For protection after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], the [[Constitution of the United States]] and the [[Gettysburg Address]] were moved for safekeeping to the United States Bullion Depository until Major W. C. Hatfield ordered their release after the D-Day Landings on 19 September 1944.<ref>Stephen Puleo, ''American Treasures: The Secret Efforts to Save the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address''.</ref>

=== Mechanized military unit occupation ===
[[File:Infantryman in 1942 with M1 Garand, Fort Knox, KY.jpg|thumb|Infantryman wearing [[Brodie helmet]], kneeling in front of [[M3 Half-track]], holds an [[M1 Garand]] rifle. Fort Knox, June 1942]]

In 1931 a small force of the [[Armoured warfare|mechanized]] cavalry was assigned to Camp Knox to use it as a training site. The camp was turned into a permanent [[garrison]] in January 1932 and renamed Fort Knox. The [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Cavalry Regiment]] arrived later in the month to become the 1st Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized).

In 1936 the 1st was joined by the 13th to become the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized). The site quickly became the center for mechanization tactics and doctrine. The success of the German mechanized units at the start of [[World War II]] was a major impetus to operations at the fort. A new Armored Force was established in July 1940 with its headquarters at Fort Knox with the 7th Cavalry Brigade becoming the [[1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Division]]. 

The Armored Force School and the Armored Force Replacement Center were also sited at Fort Knox in October 1940, and their successors remained there until 2011, when the Armor School moved to Fort Benning, Georgia. The site was expanded to cope with its new role. By 1943, there were 3,820 buildings on {{convert|106861|acre}}. A third of the post has been torn down within the last ten years,{{When|date=June 2009}} with another third slated by 2010.

=== 1947 Universal Military Training Experimental Unit ===

In 1947, Fort Knox hosted the Universal Military Training Experimental Unit, a six-month project that aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of providing new 18–20 year-old Army recruits with basic military training that emphasized physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This project was undertaken with the aim of persuading the public to support President [[Harry S. Truman]]'s proposal to require all eligible American men to undergo universal military training.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.army.mil/article/207600/rediscovering_fort_knox_universal_military_training_program_comes_to_fort_knox|title=Rediscovering Fort Knox: Universal Military Training program comes to Fort Knox|work=U.S. Army|date=22 June 2018|access-date=18 February 2019|archive-date=30 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130095427/https://www.army.mil/article/207600/rediscovering_fort_knox_universal_military_training_program_comes_to_fort_knox|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=John|last=Sager|url=http://www.shfg.org/resources/Documents/FH%205%20(2013)%20Sager.pdf|title=Universal Military Training and the Struggle to Define American Identity During the Cold War|journal=Federal History|issue=5|date=2013|access-date=18 February 2019|archive-date=19 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219072919/http://www.shfg.org/resources/Documents/FH%205%20(2013)%20Sager.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Stripes (film)|Stripes]]'' (1981) was filmed using the exterior of Fort Knox but did not show the inside of the facility for security reasons.<ref>Barth, Jack (1991). ''Roadside Hollywood: The emoji MovieLover's State-By-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More''. Contemporary Books. Page 126. {{ISBN|9780809243266}}.</ref>

=== 1993 shooting ===
On 18 October 1993, Arthur Hill went on a shooting rampage, killing three and wounding two more before attempting to take his own life, Hill shot and severely wounded himself. The shooting occurred at Fort Knox's Training Support Center. Prior to the incident, Hill's coworkers claimed they were afraid of being around a mentally unstable person who was at work. Hill died on 21 October of complications from his attempted suicide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/25e57367ccee79207d7ca2ef6686fd21|title=Gunman in Fort Knox Shooting Dies|website=AP NEWS|access-date=27 March 2023|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327144629/https://apnews.com/article/25e57367ccee79207d7ca2ef6686fd21|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/19/us/worker-at-fort-knox-kills-3-then-shoots-himself.html|title=Worker at Fort Knox Kills 3, Then Shoots Himself|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=19 October 1993|work=The New York Times|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-date=27 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627141804/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/19/us/worker-at-fort-knox-kills-3-then-shoots-himself.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-19-mn-47377-story.html|title=3 Killed, 2 Hurt in Army Base Shooting Spree|work=Los Angeles Times|date=19 October 1993|access-date=18 February 2020|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211145/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-10-19/news/mn-47377_1_shooting-rampage|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 October 1993 |title=Clipped From The Courier-Journal |pages=1 |work=The Courier-Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101398097/the-courier-journal/ |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508180359/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101398097/the-courier-journal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 2013 shooting ===
On 3 April 2013, a civilian employee was shot and killed in a parking lot on post. The victim was an employee of the [[United States Army Human Resources Command]] and was transported to the [[Ireland Army Community Hospital]], where he was pronounced dead. This shooting caused a temporary lockdown that was lifted around 7 p.m. the same day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shooting reported at Fort Knox military post|url=http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Shooting-reported-at-Fort-Knox-military-post-201349061.html|publisher=WKYT TV|access-date=4 April 2013|archive-date=4 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404235823/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Shooting-reported-at-Fort-Knox-military-post-201349061.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>M. Alex Johnson and Alastair Jamieson (3 April 2013). [http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/03/17590029-not-a-random-act-civilian-employee-dead-after-fort-knox-shooting "'Not a random act': Civilian employee dead after Fort Knox shooting"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105191927/http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/03/17590029-not-a-random-act-civilian-employee-dead-after-fort-knox-shooting |date=5 November 2013 }}. NBCNews.com</ref> U.S. Army Sgt. Marquinta E. Jacobs, a soldier stationed at Fort Knox, was charged on 4 April with the shooting.<ref>Dylan Lovan (4 April 2013). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/04/man-charged-fort-knox-shooting/2054783/ "FBI: Man charged with murder in Fort Knox shooting"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821062333/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/04/man-charged-fort-knox-shooting/2054783/ |date=21 August 2014 }}. ''[[USA Today]]''</ref> Jacobs pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated murder and aggravated assault, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on 10 January 2014.