Fort Lee  In-depth Overview

Mission and Vision

Mission

Integrate and deliver Base Operations that enable Training in support of readiness.

Vision

Committed to Service in the Fort Lee Community!

Lines of Effort

Develop professional installation workforce

Effective BASOPS

Infrastructure Sustainment and Revitalization

Effective Partnerships

Priorities

Adaptive, cohesive, empowered, motivated and informed workforce

Develop current and future leaders through teaching, coaching, and mentoring

Promote and support a Ready and Resilient Community

Sponsorship

SHARP

CYSS

Transition

Customer Focused Service

Maximize Base Ops and Services

331 Partnership Process

Proper utilization of Real Property

Net Zero Installation (Water, waste, energy)

Communicate and build trust with our stakeholders

Lead effort to implement the PAR and develop accurate metrics through the CoPs

Showcase the Installation; facilities, people and processes

Transformation: preparing for the future through a culture of innovation

Focus on Force Protection to ensure a safer Community

History

Fort Lee is located in America's Historic Heartland in Virginia, 25 miles south of Richmond and very near the confluence of the James and Appomattox rivers.

The First Camp Lee

Within weeks after the United States declared war on Germany in the spring of 1917, the War Department acquired a vast tract of farmland in Prince George County, Va. (between Petersburg and Hopewell) for the purpose of building here one of 32 military cantonments. Construction of Camp Lee began in June. By September more than 1,500 buildings and over 15 miles of on-post roads had been completed. Soon members of the 80th “Blue Ridge” Division – made up of troops from Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia – began arriving for training.

Before long Camp Lee became one of the largest “cities” in Virginia. More than 60,000 doughboys trained here prior to their departure for the Western Front, and fighting in France and Germany. Included among the many facilities here was a large camp hospital situated on 58 acres of land. One of the more trying times for the hospital staff was when the worldwide influenza epidemic reached Camp Lee in the fall of 1918. An estimated 10,000 Soldiers were stricken by flu. Nearly 700 of them died in the course of a couple of weeks.

Camp Lee continued to function as an out-processing center in 1919-20 following the First World War. In 1921 the camp was formally closed and its buildings were torn down, all save one – the so-called “White House.” During the war, this two-story frame structure served as 80th Division Headquarters and as temporary residence for its Commander, Major General Adelbert Cronkhite. Years later it became known as the “Davis House” in honor of the family that lived there in the 1930s and 40s.

Except for the Davis House (which is still in use today) and a handful of overgrown training trenches, there are no other visible signs of all the training and other activities that took place here during World War I. During the interwar years the property reverted to the Commonwealth of Virginia and was used mainly as a game preserve. The only evidence of persons in uniform was the Civilian Conservation Corps camp that opened at nearby Petersburg National Battlefield in the 1930s era Great Depression.

The Second Camp Lee

With storm clouds again rising in Europe, Congress approved the call-up of nearly 300,000 Guardsmen and Reservists in late August 1940, In September Congress passed a Selective Service Act that allowed the drafting of up to 900,000 more men for a year. And in October the War Department issued orders for the rebuilding of Camp Lee, on the same site as before. Overnight the area became a beehive of activity as thousands of civilian laborers swarmed into the Petersburg-Hopewell area and began building at a furious pace.

Even before the first barracks were constructed, raw recruits for the Quartermaster Replacement Training Center moved into tents in the heart of Camp Lee to begin training. In October 1941 (two months before Pearl Harbor) the Quartermaster School moved from Philadelphia to Camp Lee to begin training officers and noncommissioned officers in the art of military supply and service.

Over the course of the war Camp Lee’s population continued to mushroom until it became in effect the third largest “city” in Virginia, after Norfolk and Richmond. More than 50,000 officers attended Quartermaster Officer Candidate School. Over 300,000 Quartermaster Soldiers trained here during the war. There was a Regional Hospital with scores of pavilions and literally miles of interlocking corridors capable of housing over 2,000 patients at a time. Here too was located the Army Services Forces Training Center, the Quartermaster (Research & Development) Board, a large contingent of Women’s Army Corps Soldiers, and for a while a prisoner of war camp and the Medical Replacement Training Center. Camp Lee enjoyed a reputation as one of the most effective and best-run military installations in the country.

Following V-J Day in 1945 troop strength rapidly decreased, but Camp Lee continued to serve as the major Quartermaster field installation and as an out-processing center for those leaving the military.

The Post-World War II Era

Unlike at the end of World War I, there was no immediate decision to dismantle the second Camp Lee. The Quartermaster School continued operation, and in 1947 the Adjutant General’s School moved here as well (where it remained until 1951). The Women’s Army Corps likewise established its premier Training Center here from 1948 to 1954. Also, in 1948, the first permanent brick and mortar structure – the Post Theater – was constructed.

On April 15, 1950 the War Department reached the critical decision to keep Camp Lee as a permanent facility, while renaming it Fort Lee. At nearly the same time the Quartermaster School picked up from the Infantry School at Fort Benning the “supply by sky” mission, and began training airborne riggers here at Fort Lee. Then in June 1950, war again broke out … in Korea. Once again the installation quickly sprang to life as tens of thousands of Soldiers arrived between 1950 and 1953, to receive logistics training for what would later be called the “Forgotten War.”

The 1950s and 60s witnessed almost nonstop modernization efforts as one by one Fort Lee’s temporary wooden barracks, training facilities and housing units began giving way to permanent brick and cinderblock structures. New multi-storied brick barracks were built in the mid-50s, along with whole communities of Capehart housing for permanent party. The new three-story Quartermaster School Classroom Building, Mifflin Hall, was dedicated in May 1961. Kenner Army Hospital opened in 1962, replacing the remnants of the old WWII era facility; and the privately-funded, new brick Quartermaster Museum opened its doors in 1963. Some years have seen far more change than others, but the overall process of modernization has continued ever since.

The rapid logistics buildup in Vietnam after 1965 signaled an urgent need for many more Quartermaster Soldiers. Fort Lee responded by going into overdrive. For a time the School maintained three shifts, and round-the-clock training. A Quartermaster Officer Candidate School opened in 1966, for the first time since World War II. A mock Vietnamese “village” was created on post to familiarize trainees with guerrilla tactics and the conditions they could expect fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Part of the sixties-era Quartermaster training program also saw the first widespread local use of automated data processing equipment.

Fort Lee at the Turn of the Century

As Vietnam – “America’s longest war” – wound down in the early- to mid-1970s, the Army went through a period of reorganization, also introduced new doctrine, weapons and equipment, and unveiled new training and leader development techniques. In 1973, the Continental Army Command (CONARC) headquarters at Fort Monroe was replaced by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). Here at Fort Lee the U.S. Army Logistics Center was created to serve as an “integrating center” for the Quartermaster, Transportation, Ordnance, and Missile and Munitions centers and schools – the traditional combat service support branches. There was a post reorganization and realignment in 1990. The Logistics Center, which heretofore had been a tenant activity, was redesignated the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM), and the CASCOM Commander became the Installation Commander as well.

Since World War II, the Fort Lee installation has hosted a growing number of tenant activities, such as: the Army Logistics Management Center (ALMC), Readiness Group Lee, Materiel Systems Analysis Activity, Gerow U.S. Army Reserve Center, Defense Commissary Agency (DECA), USAR 80th Division, and several other Department of Army and Department of Defense activities. During the 1990s the Enlisted Supply and Subsistence and Food Service departments moved into modern training facilities. New petroleum and water field training cites were constructed. A whole new three-story wing was added to ALMC. Also the Quartermaster NCO Academy and barracks complex was completed, as well new on-post child care and physical fitness centers. Throughout this period the Quartermaster School routinely graduated 20-25,000 students annually, and ALMC another 10-12,000.

Two other QM School academic departments – Petroleum and Water, and Aerial Delivery and Field Services – each received all new, state-of-the-art headquarters and training facilities after 2000. In May 2001, the Army Women’s Museum also opened at Fort Lee, with more than 13,000 feet of gallery space and thousands of artifacts used to tell the long, proud history of women in the Army.

Two historical forces in particular left their mark on the shape and direction of Fort Lee at the dawn of the 21st Century: first, the Army’s increased involvement in contingency type operations at home and abroad; and second, events surrounding the aftermath of 9/11, the 2001 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and New York’s World Trade Center. Fort Lee has frequently been the site of tailored logistics training, immediate processing and rapid deployment of specialized logistics units and personnel – for operations such Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, and many others. That process continues to the present with operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Also, in the wake of 9/11, Fort Lee, like all other military installations across the country, has had to institute new policies and procedures to help protect against any future terrorist attacks. A new fence was erected to completely enclose the fort. The main gates can no longer go unmanned. Protective barriers have been placed around key buildings. And now all newly constructed facilities must abide by DOD and Homeland Security rules and regulations aimed at averting another 9/11 type disaster.

BRAC 2005, Centennial Celebration and the Future of Fort Lee

• 17,700 Active Duty
• 1,100 Reserve
• 11,400 Dependents
• 7,380 Civilians/Contractors
• 53,600 Retiree/Dependents
• 75,000 Students/Trainees  

Petersburg: 33,972

Hopewell: 25,181

Chesterfield: 438,049

Colonial Heights: 21,160

Dinwiddie: 31,010

Prince George: 41,238

Richmond Metro: 281,473

The daily population of Fort Lee now averages more than 27,000 and includes members from all branches of the military service, their families, government civilians and contractors.

Furthermore, as many as 70,000 troops will pass through Fort Lee’s classrooms each year, making it the third largest training site in the Army.

These are the most significant statistics of all. Fort Lee fully recognizes its tremendous responsibility and the privilege to provide the most comprehensive training and quality of life services possible for the members of the military family who pass through its gates

Visitor Information

Fort Lee is situated alongside the Tri-Cities of Virginia – Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell – as well as the counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George. It is located about 30 miles from Richmond, 90 miles from Washington, D.C., and 70 miles from Virginia Beach.

For more information please select an option below:

Installation Access

Fort Lee conducts ID checks of all adults entering the post. Anyone coming to Fort Lee for the FIRST TIME who does not have a federal identification card must go to the Visitor Control Center (VCC) with a valid government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license) to receive an initial background check.  The VCC is located next to Fort Lee main entrance Lee Gate.

Those who have entered into the system already, or can present a common access card (CAC card), Military ID, Military Dependent ID, or a federal government-issued PIV, may enter post as normal.

Learn More

All adults are required to possess a valid photo ID. All juveniles without valid ID must be accompanied by an adult family member.

Drivers must be able to present upon request:

• Valid driver’s license
• Current vehicle registration
• Proof of current insurance

Driving Directions

I-95 Southbound from Arlington VA

1. Proceed south on I-95 merging onto I-295 S via exit number 84A (left exit) toward Rocky Mount, N.C.
2. Continue on I-295 S onto VA-36 W/Oaklawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
3. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes

I-95 Northbound from Rocky Mount, N.C.

1. Proceed north on I-95 merging onto I-295 N via exit number 46 toward Washington.
2. Continue on I-295 N merge onto VA-36 W/Oaklawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
3. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

I-64 Eastbound from Charlottesville

1. Proceed east on I-64 merging onto 1-295 S via exit number 177 toward Washington/Norfolk.
2. Proceed on I-295 south merge onto VA-36 W/Oaklawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
3. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

I-64 Westbound from Virginia Beach

1. Proceed west on I-64 merging onto I-295 S via exit number 200 toward Rocky Mount, N.C.
2. Merge onto I-295 S using the left side exit toward Bottoms Bridge.
3. Proceed on I-295 south exiting onto VA-36 W/Oaklawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
4. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Other installation access points that can be used include the Lee, Mahone and Adams Avenue gates, or the Shop Road gate for Commercial Traffic. Their hours are listed below.

Fort Lee Gates, Hours of Operation

Richmond International Airport

If you're flying into this area, it's likely you will land at Richmond International Airport (RIC) – the primary commercial airport closest to Fort Lee.

Located southeast of Richmond's central business district, Richmond (RIC) is 40 minutes from Fort Lee, within an hour drive of Williamsburg, and a two-hour drive from Washington, D.C., the Blue Ridge Mountains and Virginia Beach.

Eight air carriers currently serve RIC offering nonstop flights to major domestic destinations and connecting service to points around the globe.

A United Service Organizations (USO) Center is available in the terminal for active duty and retired military personnel, National Guard, Reservists, Merchant Marines and their dependents. The USO Center at RIC is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Military ID is required for entry. To learn more about the USO Center at RIC, call (804) 236-7234 or visit www.usocentralva.org.

Ground Transportation

Taxi Service

The taxi company listed below is authorized to operate on Fort Lee, providing transportation on/around post and in surrounding communities. Other taxi companies may deliver and pick up customers on Fort Lee by request, but may not solicit fares on post.

• Airport Taxi: (804) 222-6666 or 804-233-4444

Rail Service

Regional and national rail service is provided by AMTRAK. The AMTRAK station is located at 3516 South Street, Petersburg, VA 23803, and the ticket office hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.

Bus Service

Regional bus service is provided by Greyhound Trailways. The local terminal is located at 108 East Washington Street, Petersburg.

• Toll-free: 1-800-872-7245
• Local: (804) 732-2905

The Petersburg Area Transit operates on Fort Lee providing services to and from the installation to Petersburg with connections to the surrounding communities. Pick-up location is outside the PXtra on Mahone Ave.

Helpful Information

Visitor Control Center

500 Lee Avenue, Bldg. 5228 (Dukes Building)
Fort Lee, Va. 23801
804-734-5053

The Visitor Control Center is adjacent to the Lee gate, just off Route 36. The staff can help visitors find a destination on post and answer general questions about installation services and events. The Visitor Center hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.

Learn More

Soldier Support Center, Faughn Hall

1401 B Avenue, Bldg. 3400
Fort Lee, Va. 23801
During Duty Hours: 804-734-7784/6722/7752
After Duty Hours: 804-765-7930
Fax: 804-734-6986

The Soldier Support Center is located in building 3400, between B and C Avenues and 16th and 17th Streets. It is the first stop all permanent party Army personnel will need to make when reporting to Fort Lee during duty hours. This includes U.S. Army Medical Department Activity and U.S. Army Dental Command Soldiers. Other services, to include Army recruiters and MEPS cadre, should contact their gaining units for specific instructions.

The staff signs Soldiers in from permanent change of station leave, starts their financial paperwork, schedules new arrivals for their first appointments and directs them to their new unit.

In addition, the staff provides service to all active-duty military, family members, retirees and their family members, as well as Department of Defense Civilians requiring ID cards for employment. This includes registering eligible personnel in the DEERS system, which gives them access to medical care, the Post Exchange system and the commissary.

Personnel requiring a new ID should bring with them all required supporting documentation (such as birth certificate, marriage certificate and power of attorney). In most circumstances, sponsors are required to accompany family members.

The Soldier Support Center is open for general operations from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. After hours, permanent party should report to the Installation Operations Center, building 1107, to sign in off leave and receive required instructions for the next duty day.

When arriving at the Soldier Support Center, parking in the 13th Street lot is recommended.

Soldiers

If reporting for duty or schooling, click here for more info

Richmond International Airport

You will land at Richmond International Airport (RIC) – the primary commercial airport closest to Fort Lee.

Located southeast of Richmond's central business district, RIC is 40 minutes from the post, within an hour drive of Williamsburg, and a two-hour drive from Washington, D.C., the Blue Ridge Mountains and Virginia Beach.

Eight air carriers currently serve RIC offering nonstop flights to major domestic destinations and connecting service to points around the globe.

A United Service Organizations (USO) Center is available in the terminal for active duty and retired military personnel, National Guard, Reservists, Merchant Marines and their dependents. The USO Center at RIC is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Military ID is required for entry. To learn more about the USO Center at RIC, call (804) 236-7234 or visit www.usocentralva.org.

Driving Directions

I-95 Southbound from Arlington VA

1. Proceed south on I-95 merging onto I-295 S via exit number 84A (left exit) toward Rocky Mount, N.C.
2. Continue on I-295 S onto VA-36 W/Oak lawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
3. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes

I-95 Northbound from Rocky Mount, N.C.

1. Proceed north on I-95 merging onto I-295 N via exit number 46 toward Washington.
2. Continue on I-295 N merge onto VA-36 W/Oak lawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
3. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

I-64 Eastbound from Charlottesville

1. Proceed east on I-64 merging onto 1-295 S via exit number 177 toward Washington/Norfolk.
2. Proceed on I-295 south merge onto VA-36 W/Oak lawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
3. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes

I-64 Westbound from Virginia Beach

1. Proceed west on I-64 merging onto I-295 S via exit number 200 toward Rocky Mount, N.C.
2. Merge onto I-295 S using the left side exit toward Bottoms Bridge.
3. Proceed on I-295 south exiting onto VA-36 W/Oak lawn Boulevard via exit number 9B toward Fort Lee/Colonial Heights.
4. If you possess an accepted DoD or Federally issued ID:
   When you're coming off I-295 via exit 9B toward Fort Lee/Petersburg, proceed to the fourth traffic light and turn left at the Sisisky Boulevard Gate.

Approximate Travel Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Installation Operations Center

Building 1107, 40th Street

24/7-Sign-in    804-734-1584

DSN 312-539-3000

Telephone Help Desk 804-734-7515