Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years
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Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years

You may know Fort George G. Meade as a cyber and intelligence hub, but did you know that the installation used to be the home of Army Tank School after World War I? Or that it housed an internment camp at the start of World War II for primarily German-American and Italian-American citizens and foreign nationals? Learn more about the fascinating history of the third largest Army base in the U.S. in terms of number of workforce in this book. You may know Fort George G. Meade as a cyber and intelligence hub, but did you know that the installation used to be the home of Army Tank School after World War I? Or that it housed an internment camp at the start of World War II for primarily German-American and Italian-American citizens and foreign nationals? Learn more about the fascinating history of the third largest Army base in the U.S. in terms of number of workforce in this book.

alexandra.r.snyder.civ
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07.11.2018 Views

222 THE FIRST 100 YEARS

THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES An Intersection of Service at Fort Meade 223 My aunt, Dorothy Ferrari Wilton, was the first in her family to enlist in the Army during WWII. Her service in the Women’s Army Corps would bring her to Fort Meade where she served throughout the war. Little did I know that 42 years later, our paths would intersect at Fort Meade where I would spend the next 32 years working for the installation. Aunt Dorothy became a WAC, the best I can determine, in 1941, or 1942 while in her early twenties. While serving in uniform, she became part of the Third Service Command, a Special Services unit headquartered in Baltimore. It made sense for her to be part of the Special Services since it was the entertainment branch of the Army. My mother’s family members were a musically talented bunch and Aunt Dorothy was no exception. She had a beautiful voice and played the piano. Special Services soldiers were trained in all phases of the entertainment and recreation field by attending the Recreational Officer School that opened on Fort Meade, in Apr. 1, 1942. I first arrived at Fort Meade in 1984 with my husband, Don and son, Don Jr., when my husband was assigned to be the deputy Public Affairs Officer for the base. I recall that one of the jobs Don tackled was to automate the Public Affairs Office, bringing computers into their operations for the first time. It’s hard to remember now what life was like before computers, let alone in a Public Affairs Office. Our return to the states from Heidelberg, Germany left us with a bit of a culture shock. We transitioned from “stairwell” living and having neighbors and friends as surrogate family, to a single family home in suburbia, which my husband referred to as “big wheel heaven” for our son. Neighbors were friendly, but it was not the same as the bonds created overseas. Don’s orders kept him at Meade until he retired from the military, a change that prompted me to start thinking about helping with the family finances. I thought about using my degree in education to find substitute teaching work, but wasn’t sure I wanted to tackle the hurdles of obtaining the required Maryland certificates to do so. By Martha McClary One day, Don came home from work and told me there were positions in an organization called Child Development Services. A position in which a background in education was a pre-requisite. One position was the Principal of the Part Day Pre-School on post. Another was as an Outreach Worker, working with the Family Child Care Program. I applied and interviewed for both positions. Being a relative unknown, the Pre-school Principal position was an ambitious consideration, but I applied all the same. My husband said, “You can do that, Martha.” With his encouragement, that was the first instance where I began, “spreading my wings” as I like to call it. Something I may not have done without his backing. I was selected for the Outreach Worker position and started on Aug. 15, 1985. My office was on the second floor of a renovated WWII barracks, Building T- 3176, with no air conditioning. If you’ve spent any time living in Maryland in August, you know that the heat and humidity can be oppressive. The summer of 1985 was no exception. I couldn’t understand why no one seemed to mind the heat. I soon learned the reason. The buildings were only used for administrative space in the summer, as the multiple WWII buildings housed pre-school programs which were only offered during the school year. The buildings had red siding and were affectionately referred to as “The Little Red Schoolhouse.” The designation of the “T” preceding the number was supposed to mean the building was temporary and only built to meet the demands of growing programs, whether it be child care or office space. Some of these temporary buildings still exist to this day. I learned later, when my Aunt Dorothy came for a visit to Fort Meade that she had actually frequented T-800 when it was a Service Club. Child Care Programs Child Care Programs that were initiated during WWII stopped in 1945 and were replaced with “day care” and “preschool” programs that changed and improved throughout the years, serving hundreds of children from military families.

222 THE FIRST <strong>100</strong> YEARS

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