Camp Gordon Johnston opened in 1942 for the purpose of training infantry soldiers and their support groups for amphibious landings on hostile shores. Designated the Army’s Amphibious Training Center in September of 1942, three infantry divisions, two Engineers Special Brigades and elements of three more Engineers Special Brigades left here after training to confront tyranny both in Europe and the Pacific. By June of 1943 the U.S. Navy had taken over the bulk of Amphibious training, and Camp Gordon Johnston was transitioned in September 1943 to a U.S. Army Special Forces Training Center. Many Port Construction , Harbor Craft, Amphibious Truck and other specialized units were trained in various tasks related to opening and maintaining ports and supplying support to the war effort. At the end of the war Camp Gordon Johnston served as a Separation Center for personnel of all services that lived in the Southeast Region. The Camp closed in 1946. Learn about their dedication, fears and heroism at our museum. An excellent article on Camp Gordon Johnston can be found at https://history.army.mil/books/agf/AGF22/amphib-ch7.htm
Occupying 165,000 acres of forest and coast in Franklin County, Florida, Camp Gordon Johnston oversaw the training of a quarter of a million troops and was the second largest installation in the state. The camp stretched from Carrabelle to Alligator Point, using area beaches and forests for training and maneuvers.
We are compiling a list of all of the known units who trained at Camp Gordon Johnston. Personnel rosters for each unit (if we have one) can be found by looking near the bottom of each article on the respective unit. Look under the Honor/unit Histories tab on this website, or click here https://www.campgordonjohnston.com/honor/histories/
