Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years

172 THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Rick Hagman – Hometown
Fort Meade is my hometown. It is hard for an Army brat to claim a hometown, so I claim Meade because really, your
hometown is where you discover all of your firsts in life.
My dad was a master sergeant and we came to FGGM from a 3-year tour in Germany in 1958. I was 9-years-old. I
would end up being associated with Meade for more than half of Fort Meade’s existence and almost all of mine. (Below)
AAFES gas station c. 1950s.
Maj. Glenn F. Williams (Ret.)
Soldiering
I had always enjoyed visiting Fort Meade as a child. I
knew from an early age that I wanted to be a soldier. A
visit to the post was the best way I could get a glimpse
of where my ambition would take me. Such excursions
were always a treat. My Dad began his military career at
Fort Meade in June 1941, when he entered basic training
with the 29th Infantry Division, six months before the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry
into WWII. Dad’s unit, the 104th Ordnance Company
(Medium Maintenance), returned to Fort Meade after
the war where it was demobilized and reconstituted as
a unit of the U.S. Army Reserve. (Left) Pistol training at
the range.