| This course of events changed
in 1948 as the Cold War with the Soviet Union threatened to heat up due
to Berlin Crisis. The Army decided to reorganize the 17th Airborne
Division with Camp Pickett as its home station. The 17th had fought
in Europe during World War II, but was inactivated in 1945. This
unit remained on active duty for one year before being inactivated after
a cooling of tensions over Berlin. The 17th was the only major command
to be both activated and disbanded at Camp Pickett in its five decades
of service.
Though the Berlin Crisis ended peacefully and the start of a new decade showed no immediate trouble spots on the horizon, the camp remained open in a limited capacity for training. In February 1950, the 3rd Infantry Division was stationed on post while taking part in an amphibious exercise called Operation PORTEX at Little Creek. In July the 29th Infantry Division arrived for its first postwar annual training. The main topic of conversation was if and when the “Blue and the Gray” would be activated following President Truman’s decision to commit U.S. forces in response to the North Korean invasion of South Korea that was launched June 25. The 29th was not mobilized, but a number of its soldiers volunteered for active duty and served as replacements. In September units from the 43rd “Winged Victory” Infantry Division arrived for training. Composed of National Guard units from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, the division was commanded by Maj. Gen. Kenneth Crammer, who had just resigned as Chief, National Guard Bureau. General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Mark Clark reviewed the division here in December 1951. Aside from reopening much of the post to house and train the 43rd Division, other areas of Pickett also were brought back “on line.” In 1951, the hospital complex was revamped and again served to treat wounded or sick soldiers. This became even more important after the Korean War truce was signed in July 1953, as a sizable number of freed POWs were brought to Pickett for medical and psychological treatment. More than 800 POWs were processed as Pickett became the major East Coast “clearing station” for men returning to health before being discharged. With the end of fighting
in Korea, most of Camp Pickett’s facilities were closed in 1953.
Guard and reserve units still came for annual training in the summer, but
blocks of barracks and other facilities fell into disrepair as the post
was used sparingly during the rest of the year.
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