A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala

Camp Lejeune [caption id="attachment_190380" align="alignright" width="200"] Gen. John A. Lejeune[/caption] With tensions mounting in Europe and the Pacific, Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, 17th commandant of the Marine Corps, set out

Rosemary and Goat Cheese Strata

Camp Lejeune [caption id="attachment_190380" align="alignright" width="200"] Gen. John A. Lejeune[/caption] With tensions mounting in Europe and the Pacific, Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, 17th commandant of the Marine Corps, set out

The History of North Carolina’s Military Bases

Cherry Point and Fort Liberty paratroopers

Camp Lejeune

Gen. John A. Lejeune at Camp Lejeune, a North Carolina military base

Gen. John A. Lejeune photograph by Official Marine Corps Photo, #521158

With tensions mounting in Europe and the Pacific, Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, 17th commandant of the Marine Corps, set out to prepare his fighting force for the United States’ inevitable entry into World War II. In the 1920s, following the First World War, the USMC had adopted a doctrine of amphibious assault under Holcomb’s predecessor Gen. John A. Lejeune. Now, the Marines sought a new base with beachfront access for amphibious assault training.

Holcomb tasked Maj. John C. McQueen and a pilot with flying up and down the East Coast to search for the ideal location. Jacksonville provided everything the Marines would need. More than 100,000 acres of Onslow County land — tracts of forests and farms, frontage on the New River, and miles of Atlantic-facing beach — were acquired, much of it purchased from families who had been in the area for generations, and who were forced to relocate.

On May 1, 1941, Marine Barracks New River was established; within a month, Marines arrived for training. That June, President Roosevelt issued an Executive Order against discriminatory practices, and by 1942, Black recruits were building their own facilities and enduring boot camp at Montford Point.

Marines running drills on Onslow Beach in the 1940s

By the 1940s, Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune — named for Gen. John A. Lejeune — were practicing amphibious landings on Onslow Beach. Photography courtesy of National Archives (127-GR-66-A95631)

Camp Lejeune — officially named for General Lejeune upon his death in 1942 — grew in the postwar years, readying new generations of Marines for combat. Throughout the tumultuous 1960s and Vietnam; into the Cold War and micro conflicts in Beirut, Grenada, and elsewhere; and until the 9/11 attacks, thousands of Marines cycled through Lejeune. Immediately after 9/11, a new edict came: The Marines needed Special Operations units, and MARSOC (United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command) was formed. And the Corps’ mission evolved again.

Today, Camp Lejeune is a sprawling complex of more than 150,000 acres, 11 miles of beachhead, and areas for live fire drills, tactical air and amphibious landing zones, and more. The base, and the Marines who have trained and served here, is forever part of the physical and spiritual makeup of Jacksonville. — Jason Frye


The base in Goldsboro opened in the 1940s as a technical training school where Army Air Corpsmen learned, among other things, how to repair planes. Photography courtesy of State Archives of North Carolina

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, the namesake of North Carolina's Seymore Johnson Air Force Base

Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson Photography courtesy of Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

In August 1940, as fighting intensified across Europe, the War Department deemed the municipal airport near Goldsboro crucial to national defense. Months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, construction began on an Army Air Corps Technical Training School, and locals began a campaign to name it after one of their own.

Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson was a Goldsboro native and graduate of Goldsboro High School who’d volunteered for duty as a test pilot in 1937. Johnson was killed on March 5, 1941, when his Grumman F4F-3 crashed near Norbeck, Maryland.

The campaign was successful — Seymour Johnson Field became official in October 1942 and remained active throughout the war, serving as a separation center for returning troops until its deactivation in May 1946.

A decade later, as tensions grew between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, it was reactivated as Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, a Tactical Air Command facility.

Today, Seymour Johnson comprises 6,425 active and reserve military personnel and employs another 600 civilians. And it remains the only Air Force base named in honor of a Navy officer. — Kristin Davis


Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, one of the North Carolina Military Bases

Over the years, aerial photographs of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point have been taken to preserve a visual record of the growth and development of the base. Photography courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Lauralle Walker DVIDS, The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

A mere 17 days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, construction began on what would come to be known as Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. An initial 8,000 acres of swamps, fields, and timberland between New Bern and Morehead City were selected in part because of the area’s frequent sunny days — a key benefit for a base that would support air traffic. The station was commissioned on May 20, 1942.

During World War II, Cherry Point trained soldiers for deployment to the Pacific Theater and conducted anti-submarine operations. Later, the base supplied personnel for the Korean and Vietnam war efforts, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. During NASA’s space shuttle program, the agency used the base as an alternate emergency landing site.

Today, Cherry Point offers air traffic control services to more than 45,000 acres of airspace for military and non-military air traffic. The air station accounts for a population of more than 38,000 people and an annual economic impact to the state of more than two billion dollars.

Cherry Point is one of the most significant all-weather jet bases in the world. A sign outside the front gate addresses the thunder of jets flying overhead: “Pardon our noise, it’s the sound of freedom.” — Rebecca Woltz


U.S. Army Airborne Division paratroopers practice drills at Fort Liberty

U.S. Army Airborne Division paratroopers can sometimes be seen drifting to earth at Fort Liberty as a caravan of C-17 Globemaster troop carriers rumbles overhead. photograph by Alex Boerner

Fort Liberty

Once named after a Confederate general, Fort Liberty has turned a new page without losing its storied legacy as the home of the Army’s most elite soldiers.

Founded in 1918 as a training ground for artillery, Fort Liberty — known then as Camp Bragg — honored Braxton Bragg, a former U.S. Army officer who fought for the Confederacy. Bragg, often criticized by historians for his lackluster leadership and poor rapport with his troops, was chosen as the namesake in a sign of reconciliation with white Southerners during World War I.

During World War II, Fort Bragg earned its reputation on the world stage as a training ground for airborne units. The 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions honed their skills before their pivotal deployments to England. In the decades that followed, Fort Bragg solidified its place as the epicenter of airborne and special operations forces. Today, it houses the 82nd Airborne Division, the Army Special Operations Command, and the Joint Special Operations Command, which oversees elite units like SEAL Team Six and Delta Force.

The soldiers from Fort Liberty have made their mark in every modern conflict. The 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were among the first on the ground following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Throughout the Global War on Terror, Fort Liberty’s paratroopers and special operations forces took on significant roles, deploying to Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, the 82nd’s commanding general, was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021.

In 2023, Fort Bragg officially adopted its new name, Fort Liberty. The name may have changed, but the base’s legacy is cemented through the soldiers who answer the call. — Kevin Maurer


Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City service members keep their aircraft in top shape. photograph by Chris Rogers

Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City

Eastern North Carolina has long had Coast Guard ties, starting with the cedar-shake U.S. Life-Saving Service stations that once dotted the coastline. Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City is one of the oldest air stations within the branch, commissioned in 1940 on land that was once part of the Hollowell family’s Bayside Plantation just southeast of town. The timing positioned the base to play a critical role as the U.S. declared its involvement in World War II. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard personnel trained there, and members led search and rescue missions for survivors of torpedoed ships. Eventually, the base acquired sea planes to advance search-and-rescue capabilities, leading to its renown as an air station.

Home to the Aviation Logistics Center, Aviation Technical Training Center, Air Station Elizabeth City, Small Boat Station Elizabeth City, Aviation Projects Acquisition Center, and National Strike Force Coordination Center, Base Elizabeth City is the cradle of aviation for the Coast Guard. The specialized centers support the entire military branch: Each aircraft in the USCG comes here for a complete overhaul every four years. Plus, all enlisted active-duty mechanics, electricians, and rescue swimmers train at the Aviation Technical Training Center for “A” School and then return for “C” School, meaning, as Aviation Logistics Center Executive Director Ed Gibbons puts it: “They come here to train for the rest of their careers.” — Hannah Lee Leidy

This story was published on Oct 29, 2024

Our State Staff

Since 1933, Our State has shared stories about North Carolina with readers both in state and around the world. We celebrate the people and places that make this state great. From the mountains to the coast, we feature North Carolina travel, history, food, and beautiful scenic photography.