DURING WORLD WAR II, CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MILITARY INSTALLATIONS IN FLORIDA.

ON THE GULF COAST OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, JUST 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TALLAHASSEE,

THE BASE WAS HOME TO A U.S. ARMY AMPHIBIOUS TRAINING CENTER WHERE THE BEACHES, SWAMPS, AND FORESTS OF NORTH FLORIDA SIMULATED COMBAT CONDITIONS IN THE PACIFIC AND EUROPEAN THEATERS OF WAR.

CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE JUNE 6TH, 1944, D-DAY LANDING. IN LATE 1943, CARRABELLE BEACH AND NEARBY DOG ISLAND,

WERE USED BY THE U.S. ARMY 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION TO TRAIN FOR THE NORMANDY INVASION.

THIS WAS THE LAST STOP BEFORE SHIPPING OUT TO A FINAL TRAINING PHASE IN ENGLAND. ON D-DAY, THE FIRST AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT TEAMS TO ARRIVE ON FRENCH SOIL AT UTAH BEACH WERE FROM CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON’S 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION.

TODAY, THE CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON ASSOCIATION PRESERVES THE CAMP’S HERITAGE AND LEGACY THROUGH ANNUAL REUNIONS AND A MUSEUM IN CARRABELLE DEDICATED TO THE AMPHIBIOUS SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR II.

Courtesy of the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources