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Merriam-Webster defines a century as a period of 100 years. For the Service members of the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, it means so much more.
Established July 18, 1917, Camp Shelby first served as one of 16 national Army camps established by the War Department to train and mobilize Soldiers during the First World War.
“Many many Soldiers have been mobilized through Camp Shelby, to include the 442nd Japanese American Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion in the Army Reserves,” said Col. Bobby M. Ginn Jr., Camp Shelby commander. “The 442nd trained here at Camp Shelby and went off to support the war effort of World War Two and became the most highly decorated unit of World War Two.”
Prior to becoming the 35th commander of Camp Shelby, Ginn, of Tylertown, Mississippi, worked at the base for 24 years at the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site. His most recent position at MATES was the division chief. He said it has always been his dream to become Camp Shelby’s commander due to his family’s long history with the base.
“My grandfather, who passed away before I was born, was here at Camp Shelby during World War One, and my father was a World War Two veteran and demobilized here at Camp Shelby in 1945,” said Ginn. “So I listened to stories about Camp Shelby and the rich history of the base all my life.”
For Ginn and other members of the Mississippi National Guard, Camp Shelby is regarded as the most premiere National Guard training site in the country.
“We do a lot of training with the Air Force, the Marine Corps, Special Operations Groups that come in here due to Shelby having the very latest and greatest types of training aides to use,” said Ginn. “Every unit that comes through Camp Shelby is treated with priority, and priority means everything when it comes to training.”
Ginn became the 35th commander of the base July 15, 2017, when the 34th Commander, Col. Gregory S. Michel, relinquished command and prepared for retirement. Michel commanded the base from 2015 to 2017 and spent his entire command preparing for the base’s centennial celebration. He coordinated a formal gala that was held July 13, 2017 at the Hattiesburg Lake Terrace Convention Center, as well as an open house at Camp Shelby July 15, 2017.
“If you go all the way back to the humble beginnings of Camp Shelby and to see how it has grown, to be here during this time has been a great honor for me, and I’m very humbled,” said Michel. “I’m of course excited about the next part of my career and I’m going out on a high note leaving as the commander of Camp Shelby.”
The centennial anniversary was also a time of reflection for many retirees who previously served at Camp Shelby. Celeste Young, a MSNG retiree and board member of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, recently attended the annual retiree day at Camp Shelby and talked about her memories of the base.
“I’m so proud that the state of Mississippi is well remembered by the people who served and represented not only our state, but our nation,” said Young. “Having been mobilized for desert storm, along with my unit at Camp Shelby, I see names and places that are no longer here, and my heart swells with pride as well as sorrow that I’ve lost my friends, but I’m very proud of them for what they did for our country.“
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2017 16:58 |
| Story ID: | 260830 |
| Location: | MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Camp Shelby Celebrates 100 Years, by 1LT Rachel Henson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
