Louisiana officials lobbied the Army and the United States Congress to keep troop strength at full capacity despite looming defense cuts.

William Henry Johnson, a World War I Medal of Honor recipient from North Carolina who served in the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

Thousands of wooden barracks sprang up quickly to support an Army preparing to do battle on the North African, European and Pacific fronts.

Soldiers at Polk participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers, which were designed to test U.S. troops preparing for World War II.

The troops were divided into equal armies of two notional countries: Kotmk (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kentucky) and Almat (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee).

On the defensive front, U.S. doctrine was based on two needs: the ability to defeat Blitzkrieg tactics; and how to deal with large numbers of German tanks attacking relatively narrow areas.

[4] While primarily a training facility, Camp Polk also served as a military prison for Germans captured during World War II.

The first prisoners of war (POWs), who began arriving in Louisiana in July 1943, were from the Afrika Korps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's troops who fought in North Africa.

They were housed in a large fenced-in compound in the area now encompassing Honor Field, Fort Polk's parade ground.

In August 1950, the 45th Infantry Division of the Oklahoma Army National Guard became the first unit to train at Fort Polk in preparation for the Korean War.

[6] Most of the units who rotated through Camp Polk during 1952-54 were trained for combat by the 37th Infantry Division of the Ohio Army National Guard.

U.S. Air Force bombers and fighter planes also participated in this exercise with powerful aircraft operating in the sky, stirring great interest among the citizens of the region.

A small portion of Fort Polk is filled with dense, jungle-like vegetation, so this, along with Louisiana's heat, humidity and precipitation (similar to southeast Asia) helped commanders acclimatize new infantry soldiers in preparation for combat in Vietnam.

In October 1974, Fort Polk became the new home of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), and basic training and AIT started being phased out.

With the end of the Vietnam War, Fort Polk experienced a transition from an installation focused on basic and advanced individual training to that of the home of the reactivated 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized).

During that time 1/40th Armor participated in training exercises with the Louisiana Army National Guard and 5th Infantry Division units.

While at Fort Polk, the 5th Infantry Division participated in the NATO Reforger 78 and 84 Exercise in Europe and the 1989 Invasion of Panama, known as Operation Just Cause.

During the stay of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Polk experienced a major building program that included new barracks, motor pools, 1000 family housing units, chapels, and dental clinics.

During the 1990s, Fort Polk based soldiers deployed to Haiti, Southwest Asia, Suriname, Panama, Bosnia, and other locations.

The Army announced on 14 May 2004, that the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment would be transformed into an Infantry-based Stryker Brigade and move to Fort Lewis, Washington.

JRTC scenarios allow complete integration of Air Force and other military services as well as host-nation and civilian role players.

The exercise scenarios replicate many of the unique situations and challenges a unit may face to include host national officials and citizens, insurgents and terrorists, news media coverage and non-governmental organizations.

The structure of the brigade is modular and provides for organic infantry, cavalry, field artillery, maintenance, logistic and support capabilities.

The hospital, having served honorably and proud during World War I, returned to the United States aboard the "S.S. America" and was demobilized at Camp Lewis, Washington on 28 June 1919.

Medical specialties provided by the 115th Combat Support Hospital include: general surgery, orthopaedics, podiatry, and physical therapy.

A bacteriologist and preventive medicine specialist, he achieved worldwide acclaim as the individual responsible for the control of typhus in Europe at the conclusion of World War II.

This will be the largest land expansion since World War II, located south and southeast of Peason Ridge, and the first parcel was purchased in 2012.

[18] On 13 June 2023,[19] the fort was renamed to honor William Henry Johnson, a World War I veteran from the New York National Guard unit known as the "Harlem Hellfighters".

[20] On January 5, 2023, William A. LaPlante, the US under-secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment (USD (A&S)), directed the full implementation of the recommendations of the Naming Commission, DoD-wide.