Ft. Sam Houston - A Proud Past

Fort Sam Houston is named for the first president of the Republic of Texas and leader of the Texan Army in the fight for independence from Mexico. The historic post serves as headquarters for the U.S. Army Medical Command and the Fifth U.S. Army. Some little known and well known facts:

• Fort Sam Houston was first established in 1845.
• The Army brought camels here to haul cargo in pre-civil war days.
• Apache chief Geronimo was held prisoner here after his surrender in Arizona.
• Deer have been kept in the Quadrangle for more than 100 years. Legend says that since Geronimo refused to eat Army food, wild animals were brought in for his benefit.
• In 1898 the fort served as a rendezvous for Col. Leonard Wood and Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders," before their departure for Cuba during the Spanish American War.
• The fort supplied the men and materials for Brig. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing's campaign against Pancho Villa in 1916.
• Military aviation got it's start here in 1910 under the control of military aviation pioneer, Lt Benjamin D. Foulois, the first military man to teach himself to fly and the first and only military test pilot flying "Old No. 1."
• Porfirio Salinas, President Johnson's favorite painter, served here during World War II and painted murals and landscapes in the barracks and mess halls.
• BG David Stanley lived in the Commanding General's Quarters longer than any other resident - 1884-1892.
• Ike and Mamie Eisenhower resided in two different houses on Ft. Sam.
• German, Japanese and Italian prisoners of war were held on Dodd Field during World War II. The Geneva Convention of 1929 requires that prisoners of war be moved to a climate similar to that where they are captured; apparently it was thought that the climate of Texas is similar to that of North Africa.
• Fort Sam Houston has the more historic structures than on any active military installation in the US.
• Within the state of Texas, the Quadrangle (the original post) is outranked in historic significance only by the Alamo.
• Distinguished Americans who served here include two Presidents, one Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, twelve Army Chiefs of Staff, two Air Force Chiefs of Staff, the first Sergeant Major of the Army, and a host of Army Surgeons General.
• 21 U. S. Navy ships have been named for soldiers associated with Fort Sam Houston.
• General Douglas MacArthur, Apollo I Crew member Lt Col Edward White, Colonel Oliver North, Presidential candidate and commentator Alan Keyes, Actor Peter Weller, and Basketball great Shaquille O'Neal all lived here when their fathers were stationed at Ft. Sam Houston.

Pershing House at Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas