Fort Rucker, AL Installation Guide

The Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama, is located in the southeast corner of lower Alabama. Fort Rucker is approximately 80 miles south of Montgomery and 20 miles northwest of Dothan. Florida's Gulf Coast lies 80 miles to the south. The communities of Enterprise, Daleville, and Ozark are west, south and east of the post, respectively and serve as our three main gates. There's a lot of old-fashioned Southern hospitality on post as well as in the friendly communities that are our neighbors.

The post covers about 64,500 acres of countryside in an area known as the "Wiregrass", named for a wild grass peculiar to the region. Much of the main post is in Dale County, with the remaining government-owned and leased acreage in Coffee, Geneva and Houston counties. Most of the countryside is rolling and wooded. An abundance of lakes and streams and proximity to Gulf of Mexico make this area a fisherman's paradise. Fort Rucker is located in the southeast corner of lower Alabama. It is approximately 40 minutes from the Florida State line and 45 minutes from the Georgia state line.

Mission
The current mission of the Army Aviation Center is to develop the aviation force for its worldwide mission. This includes developing concepts, doctrine, organization, training, leader development, materiel, and soldier requirements. Also provide resident and nonresident aviation maintenance, logistics and leadership training in support of the total force and foreign nations for the sustainment of joint and combined aviation operations.

To carry out our mission, we support a daytime population of about 14,000, including about 5,100 service members, 6,400 civilian and contract employees, and 3,200 military family members residing on post. This post supports about 14,500 retirees. For more specific information on how to get to Fort Rucker look at the following category "Must Know Items".

To access Fort Rucker telephone system you should dial the following numbers: for Field Officer of the Day (FOD), commercial number is (334) 255-9405 or DSN 558-9405, for Staff Duty Officer, (334) 255-9405 or 3100, after duty hours (334) 255-3400 or DSN 558-9405/3400, for Fort Rucker information (334) 255-1110 or DSN 558-1110.

History
Fort Rucker and Army Aviation trace their origins back to earlier eras; both were products of World War II. During World War II, America conducted a manpower mobilization unprecedented in its history in terms of total numbers; the United States put into uniform over 16 million men and approximately 333,000 women. This mobilization called for the creation of new training camps and military bases, including Camp Rucker.

The original name of the post was Ozark Triangular Division Camp, but before the camp was officially opened on 1 May 1942, the War Department named it Camp Rucker. The post was named in honor of Colonel Edmund W. Rucker, a Civil War Confederate Officer, who was given the honorary title of "General".

Four divisions trained at Fort Rucker for combat in World War II, and one for service in the Korean War. It was in Vietnam that Army Aviation established itself as an integral and vital part of the combat arms team. Fort Rucker was the training site for the thousands of pilots and crewmembers who fought in Vietnam.

With the consolidation of all Army Aviation flight training at Fort Rucker in 1973, the post became the Mecca for Army aviators. Air Force helicopter pilots have also been trained here since 1971, as have students from more than 60 foreign countries. We teach everything from initial Entry Rotary Wing courses to advanced courses in aviation safety.

For a thorough history of the Fort Rucker installation, see the Fort Rucker Home Page above.