JOLON — More than 1,200 guests attended an open house at Fort Hunter Liggett earlier this month, during which attendees could view demonstrations of equipment, learn information about the army base located near Jolon and see historical vehicles.
In addition to the open house on May 15, it was also Armed Forces Day and a celebration of Fort Hunter Liggett’s 80th anniversary.
Though the weapons simulator, which gave visitors the chance to fire a weapon at a virtual target, was among the popular crowd-gathering attractions, the surprise favorite turned out to be the opening ceremony. Five cannons from the 91st Training Division went off in celebration of the day’s event.
Another component that drew attention was the swearing-in ceremony for more than 40 new recruits from the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The ceremony was also streamed live over Facebook.
“Fort Hunter Liggett has been around since 1941 and our focus is to provide superior training,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Stanley, deputy garrison commander. “During the 1980s and ’90s, Fort Hunter Liggett was used as a combat development experimental command. It was used to test all kinds of equipment, from weapons to aircraft. We continue to support the Department of Defense in testing initiatives and hosting training of all military branches.”
Guests were able to see a demonstration of the new Army Combat Fitness Test, tour modern army barracks and see the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the functional descendent of the Humvee. They were also able to meet Lt. Chance, the German shepherd who performs roles as both a therapy dog and a narcotics dog under handler Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joe Hall.
Gathering partners to participate was easy once Fort Hunter Liggett announced it was hosting its 80th anniversary open house.
“Because of Covid restrictions over the past year, folks are just looking for a great event,” Stanley said. “When we presented this to our partners, they were super excited to support and participate and it was almost a no-brainer for them to be here.”
Among the partners was Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber, a World War II vintage aircraft from the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, which landed at Schoonover Army Airfield. Historical re-enactors, such as Sgt. Maj. Daniel Sebby of the California History Museum, were on hand with historic items to showcase the past of the military.
The open house allowed Fort Hunter Liggett to not only conduct outreach, but also strengthen partnerships between the Army Reserve’s largest training installation and surrounding towns.
“Our community is the most important part of why we are here,” Stanley said. “It is important for them to see what we do and see what resources we have available and know that we are one of their partners in this community. … Having an open house is a great opportunity to showcase our capabilities and show our partners and our community what we can do.”
The terrain and weather of South Monterey County contribute to what Fort Hunter Liggett has to offer, by providing a training environment unlike many other locations in the nation.
“Fort Hunter Liggett is one of those areas where the climate is the same all year round, so we can have year-round training,” Stanley said. “We don’t have any breaks because of snow. We don’t have any long droughts on rain. Folks can come here and train in the type of environment that they will probably be deployed to, which is why this is such a big draw for central California.”
