Visitors can expect some changes at Fort Stewart’s main gate coming soon.
Col. Gabe Weaver, the Fort Stewart garrison commander, said work on Gate 1, called the Wooldridge Gate, will be coming soon.
“It won’t close it,” he said, “but it will slow it down.”
The construction on the main gate could last from three to six mont hs and is expected to make traffic back up but won’t stop it.
Col. Weaver also said a new visitor pass system could help those wishing to get on the base, stating the new system is fast. Visitors can sign up for a 24-hour pass online and can apply for a six-month pass. They also can request a pass while in line to come through the front gate in the DOD/ Visitor lane.
“It’s faster than going to the Visitor Control Center ever was,” he said.
Col. Weaver also acknowledged there will be more visitors on the base soon with the advent of hunting season. Fort Stewart is renowned as a haven for deer hunters during the fall.
Aside from the installation’s hunting offerings, there are other ways for the community to take part in Fort Stewart events, Col. Weaver pointed out. The installation’s Oktoberfest, open to the public, will be held October 16-19 on Donovan Field.
“We have a lot of opportunities for people to come on to our installation,” he said. The post’s impact on the local economy is more than $5.81 billion a year and one out of every six jobs in the region is linked to Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. It also supports more than 110,000 people, from service members to family members to retirees to contractors and Department of War civilians.
Of the nearly 25,000 active duty soldiers assigned to the two posts, more than 70% live off base, Col. Weaver noted.
The installation is the most capable installation when it comes to through put along the East Coast, Col. Weaver said, and its 284,000 acres allow the Army to train more than one brigade at a time on the post.
“That is unique,” he said. “It is a massive training area.”
Col. Weaver also encouraged local businesses to consider hiring the many soldiers who are getting out of the service at either Fort Stewart or Hunter.
“When you hire a soldier, you hire someone who was the proper education, someone who has the soft skills and someone who has leadership,” he said.
Soldiers who begin to interact with civilian employers as much as 18 months prior to their departure from the service also tend to find employment quicker.
A government hiring freeze has affected the number of Department of the Army security personnel that can be hired to man the post’s gates, Col. Weaver said. He said he did not know what the future of the post’s museum was, as the Army ponders closing many of its base museums. The Center of Military History plans to close 29 museums, reducing its footprint to 12 field museums and four training support facilities at 12 locations, with the closings ending in fiscal year 2029. There are 41 museums at 29 locations currently.
On the base, the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team is completing its return from eastern Europe after a nine-month deployment and other division units — the Combat Aviation Brigade, the Sustainment Brigade and the division headquarters — will be shipping out soon for a nine-month rotation to Europe.
Col. Weaver expressed the installation’s gratitude for the community’s support.
“We all have to keep pushing to make our community stronger,” he said.