Campamento Santiago
Camp Santiago Joint Training Center | |
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Part of 92nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade |
Camp Santiago Joint Training Center is a military training installation controlled by the Puerto Rico National Guard on 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) of land located in Salinas, Puerto Rico. This training facility was named posthumously after Medal of Honor recipient and native of Salinas, Puerto Rico, Specialist Four Héctor Santiago-Colón.
History
In 1940, the Federal government of the United States leased this military camp, then known as Camp Salinas, from the Government of Puerto Rico. In 1967, the U.S. Government licensed the camp to the Puerto Rico National Guard. Since that time the camp has grown from a tent city with very few permanent facilities to an installation of more than 300 buildings of approximately 66,489 square metres (715,680 sq ft).
In 1941 the
In 1966 Col. Alberto A. Nido requested the construction of a range, the National Guard Bureau approved the construction at the cost of $10,000. Captain Gabriel I. Peñagarícano was assigned project officer and the U.S. Army Antilles Command caretakers of the camp, provided earth-moving equipment and personnel. In 1974, Campamento Santiago's air strip was renamed after administrative official Manuel Collazo.[1]
The camp was named after Fourth Class Specialist Héctor Santiago Colón from Salinas, Puerto Rico, a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient.
From 1990 to 1991, military units in Puerto Rico such as the
The
Camp Santiago also served as an Athletes' Villages for the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games in Ponce and the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayagüez.
Following the events of Hurricane Maria in 2017, Camp Santiago JTC suffered damages, the Puerto Rico National Guard received an injection of $500 million to improve and repair post facilities the due to the force of the hurricane.
Installation
Camp Santiago Joint Training Center (CSJTC) is located 82 kilometres (51 mi) south of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. The main gate is located right off
Training facilities at Camp Santiago include Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer (OCOT), Call For Fire Trainer (CFFT), Engage Similation Training (EST2000), Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site (MATES), 2HMMWV Engress Assistance Trainer (HEAT), FOB Compound Area, EID Path Zoo, a new Rappelling Tower, AWTs, Pre-mob Training Area, Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range and an Urban Assault Range (UAR). Future projects for the Camp Santiago Joint Maneuver Training Center (CSJMTC) includes a land navigation course, a live shooting house, and a military pistol qualification range.
Warriors Plaza was inaugurated on September 11, 2011, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001
Current use
Camp Santiago is the primary training area for the
Camp Santiago is open to the general public for the annual Puerto Rico National Guard Family Day held each February.
The Puerto Rico Rifle and Pistol Association hold their state championship every year at Camp Santiago, with participants from the military, law enforcement agencies, and civilian organizations. Federal and state law enforcement agencies use Camp Santiago as a support facility for operations in southern Puerto Rico. Military youth groups such as the Civil Air Patrol and the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps conduct Summer Encampment at Camp Santiago.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Norat 1987, pp. 429
- ^ a b c d Norat 1987, pp. 415
- ^ Norat 1987, pp. 416
- ^ Norat 1987, pp. 364
Bibliography
- Norat, José Angel (March 27, 1987). Historia y Tradiciones: Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico - Cinco Centurias... En Guardia. Esmaco Printers.