Sentinel of the Caribbean
Five centuries ago, on November 19, 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico, the smallest of the West Indies group known as the Greater Antilles, during his second voyage to the New World. It was known by the Taínos as "Borikén."
Columbus called it "San Juan Bautista" (Saint John the Baptist). The discovery of gold beads in the riverbeds gave rise to the island's name of "Puerto Rico” (Rich Port).
Near San Juan harbor they founded a walled city, San Juan, the second oldest city in the New World. Puerto Rico was a point of departure for expeditions to colonize and explore America, as well as a depot for the trans-shipment of gold from the Indies for goods from Spain. Puerto Rico was meant to become a center for cultural and material trade.
The United States Army and Fort Buchanan have a very rich history in Puerto Rico. It dates back to the Spanish American War, when on July 25, 1898, U.S. forces landed in Guánica, on the southern shore of the island. On October 18, 1899, the last Spanish unit left the island of Puerto Rico and the Department of Porto Rico was established. Their last Headquarters was Ballajá, which still stands in old San Juan. It was the largest structure built by Spain in the New World. Today it houses the Museum of the Americas.
With the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 1898, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States and the island became an unincorporated territory of the United States.
On 1903, the first Puerto Rican U.S. Army unit was formed – the “Porto Rico Regiment” – under the command of then Colonel James A. Buchanan, for whom the installation was named. “Camp Buchanan” was established in 1923. It was originally located on a 300-acre tract of land, some 6 miles south of San Juan Bay, and called Camp Miles.
From 1926 to 1930, Camp Buchanan was used as a maneuver training area and range by the Regular Army, by the National Guard troops, and as a Citizen Military Training Camp and processing station. In May 1940 it was officially designated as Fort Buchanan and expanded to 1,514 acres initially, later to 4,500 acres.
During World War II, Fort Buchanan housed a depot supplying the Army Antilles Department. It also processed local troops through its replacement center. The industrial complex included pier facilities, ammunition storage areas and an extensive railroad network connecting it to the bay. Puerto Rican soldiers were deployed for World War II and Korea from the train station located where the Golf Club is now located, to the own rail-connected Army terminal by the bay.
After World War II, the post was gradually reduced in size to its current 746 acres. The post continued to be used throughout the Korean War as a supply and replacement depot. The post continued to be used as an Army facility until the deactivation of the Antilles Command on December 31, 1966. Fort Buchanan came under the control of the U.S. Navy.
On December 1971, Fort Buchanan returned to Army control under the Third U.S. Army. At that time it also became host to a number of tenant activities of the Reserve components, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and some non-military federal agencies.
On July 1, 1973 as a result of Army reorganization, the TUSA-PR was re-designated as U.S. Army Garrison Fort Buchanan under direct control of Headquarters Forces Command (FORSCOM).
Following the Department of Defense Unified Command Plan, Fort Buchanan came under control of Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). On August 13, 1999 became the home of U.S. Army South (USARSO).
On October 1, 2003, Fort Buchanan became the third Army Reserve Installation within the Installation Management Agency, South East Region (IMA-SE) with the Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command as the Senior Mission Commander.
On October of 2006, IMA became the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM).
Today, Buchanan is the only Department of Defense installation in the Caribbean Basin area. It continues to support the Reserve Component and the Active Component Soldiers in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
The cache is a micro and it is not inside the military installation. It is in a safe place and out of military police's sight. The original content is logbook and an artillery soldier for the FTF. BYOP