What to know about Fort Campbell. Kentucky military base is home to rare air assault unit

Christopher Leach
·2 min read

The two HH60 Black Hawk Helicopters that crashed Wednesday night in Trigg County, causing nine deaths, belonged to a rare military unit that is based in Western Kentucky.

The soldiers were part of the 101st Airborne Division, the U.S. Army’s only air assault division. That division been based at the Fort Campbell army post since 1956, according to official U.S. military websites. The unit provides the United States the ability to provide “forcible entry and other worldwide unified land operations” through the air, according to the division’s website.

There are several other major units that call Fort Campbell home, such as the 5th Special Forces Group, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the 52nd Ordnance Group.

Operations at the Fort Campbell military base

The Fort Campbell army post is a major maneuver installation for the U.S. Army located along the Kentucky-Tennessee border in Christian and Trigg counties, according to the U.S. military. The post also spans into in Montgomery and Stewart counties in Tennessee. The majority of the base is in Tennessee, according to Millie, an organization that helps military members move.

The post’s mission is “to support expeditionary forces by providing equitable & efficient services that sustain Fort Campbell and enhance the well-being of the military community,” according to the U.S. military.

Fort Campbell is home to many major military divisions, including the 101st Airborne Division, and has an active military population of more than 27,000 as of 2021, according to the military. The post itself supports more than 250,000 people, including family members, civilians and retired military members, but over half of the assigned soldiers live off-post.

Fort Campbell was originally established in 1942 as an armor training center and mobilization camp during World War II, according to Military Installations. It was named after William Bowen Campbell, a former Tennessee governor who served as a Union general in the Civil War.

The post became a permanent post eight years after its establishment. According to the military, it was home to a top-secret nuclear weapons storage and modification facility between 1948 and 1965.

Other military bases in Kentucky

Kentucky is home to the Fort Knox and Fort Campbell military bases, but the state also hosts other military properties.

Updated: 9 people dead after Black Hawk military helicopters crash in Western Kentucky

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