Fort Indianatown Gap

Fort Indiantown Gap
Main Entrance
Fisher and Clement Avenues
Annville, PA 17003
Fort Indiantown Gap, known as the Gap, is located 23 miles northwest of Harrisburg and serves as the headquarters for the Pennsylvania Department of Military Affairs and the Pennsylvania National Guard—Army and Air. More than 177,000 personnel train annually at Fort Indiantown Gap. A National Cemetery is located on the western edge of the training site. This 18,000-acre military reservation is managed by the Pennsylvania National Guard and is a restricted area. The base is approximately three and one-half hours from Pittsburgh, two hours from Philadelphia, and one-half hour from Harrisburg.

Directions
The Gap is approximately 23 miles from Harrisburg, Pa. Go North on N. Cameron Street/PA-230 West toward Jonestown Road and continue to follow N. Cameron Street (becomes US-22 W) and take the ramp toward I-81S/Hazleton/I-81 N/Allentown/US-322 E/Carlisle. Merge onto I-81/ North toward Hazleton/Allentown. Take Exit 85B toward Fort Indiantown Gap. Merge onto Fisher and end at the main gate located at Fisher Avenue and Clement Avenue in Annville, Pa.

History
The installation has served as a military training facility since 1931. Fort Indiantown Gap provides military training for the active and reserve components of all the services. Civilian organizations with compatible interests and training needs are also accommodated whenever possible. Some 1,300 people work full-time on the Gap. They include state and federal civilians; military technicians; members of the Active Guard and Reserve programs; active-duty soldiers; as well as contractor employees. All this activity makes Fort Indiantown Gap the largest employer in Lebanon County. Annual economic impact exceeds $100 million.

In July 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended closure of Fort Indiantown Gap, except for minimum essential ranges, facilities, and training areas used as a Reserve Component enclave. By October 1998, the installation's excess property was returned to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth assumed control of the land from the federal government and converted it to a National Guard and Army Reserve training site. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard have made long-range plans to ensure the continued viability of the installation and its live artillery range as a National Guard Training Center, which stretches across northern Lebanon and Dauphin counties.

In 2006, Fort Indiantown Gap was awarded more than $150 million for construction projects, beginning the largest single year of investment for the training site since World War II. In 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Pennsylvania National Guard dedicated 23 new facilities and ranges at the Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard training site to support the training of the 28th Infantry Division's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, other Guard units, and personnel that use the training site.

The newly constructed Military Education Center at Fort Indiantown Gap provides computer-aided classrooms to handle anything from a squad-sized class to a 1,200-person ceremony. The center also houses the distance learning and video teleconferencing classrooms. Fort Indiantown Gap has newly renovated ranges for training on smallarms, automatic, semi-automatic and long-range firing weapons. The urban training site consists of a number of open-faced building configurations so instructors and students can observe entry and clearing techniques from outside.

The Military Education Building forms the core of a complete academic complex, similar to a small community college campus. It is home to the 166th Regiment (Combat Arms), a Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit responsible for combat skill training and leader development for Guard and Reserve soldiers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The $6.3 million building contains 90,000 square feet of educational space, including two video teleconferencing centers, linked to teaching sites Armywide; 22 classrooms; a 208-seat auditorium; and two computer learning centers for individualized multimedia course work. Plans include a high-tech simulation center, allowing up to eleven soldiers at a time to conduct weapons training and carry out mock engagements on a computerized, three-dimensional battlefield. The second, $16 million phase of the academic complex will provide two 300-student dormitories, a dining facility, and an administrative building. These dorms will replace the World War II-era barracks currently used to house and train students at the 166th Regiment.

Fort Indiantown Gap was selected as home for the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center (NCTC) in part because of the wide variety of facilities available. Operated by the Pennsylvania National Guard, NCTC trains local, state, and federal law enforcement officials and community prevention specialists in a wide range of counterdrug skills. Fort Indiantown Gap provides the NCTC students comfortable lodging, state-ofthe- art classrooms, distance learning and video teleconferencing facilities, ranges, an urban training site, tactical entry training facilities, an indoor engagement skills trainer, dining facilities, fitness center, swimming pool, and other recreational facilities.

Working closely with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Gap began a project to restore several acres of the Chesapeake Bay watershed within its borders to their natural state. The project's goal is to improve water quality in the tributaries located on the installation, control streamside erosion and sediment, and provide continued wildlife habitat.

The restoration project at the Gap represents a major milestone for the U.S. Army and other federal agencies with restoration of 100 acres of wetlands each year and 200 miles of riparian forest buffer for completion by 2010. The effort at Fort Indiantown Gap now serves as a demonstration site for other restoration projects. Scheduled free guided tours in July allow the public to see the only viable colony of Regal Fritillary butterflies in the Eastern United States at the Gap.

Annville
The host township of Annville has a population of 4,518 people and is about three and a half miles west of Lebanon and six miles east of Hershey, located on the north bank of the Quittapahilla Creek.

The area in and around Fort Indiantown Gap dates back to the Susquehannock Indians who were cultivating the land in this part of Pennsylvania for well over three thousand years. Quittapahilla Creek meanders through the Lebanon Valley and in the Annville area was easily dammed as a source of water power. Annville is located on the north bank of the Quittapahilla. The area was originally settled by Scotch-Irish squatters in the 1720s, but it was not until 1763 to 64 that the town was formally laid out.

The Annville Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is fun to explore. The historic district encompasses the residential core of 18th and 19th century Annville with building styles ranging from primitive 18th century log houses to imposing neo-classical and Victorian mansions. Approximately 30 log houses still survive in the west end of town. The extensive limestone deposits in the area permitted the construction of a large number of stone houses. These homes were generally constructed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and are sometimes of imposing size. Annville's industrialists built their Victorian mansions along E. Main Street.

Of special interest is the Allen Theatre, meticulously restored to its original Art Deco style, but sporting the latest cinema technologies, including Dolby sound. The Allen is located in the heart of Annville's historic downtown at 36 E. Main St.

The Allen Theatre and MJ's coffee house complex is one of the few single-screen movie theaters left in Central Pennsylvania and specializes in first-run main line cinema, as well as art and foreign films. Not only does the Allen Theatre share its locale with many small town eateries, but Annville is also home to Lebanon Valley College, a liberal arts school with an enrollment of more than 1,000. The Allen, as a result of its proximity to the campus, has virtually become an community patrons. The complex hosts the college's Sundays at the Allen film series, as well as numerous concerts and live events. Another treasure, the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, is located on Indiantown Gap Road in Annville. Call (717) 865-5254 for information and hours.

In-Processing/Check-In
Contractors can obtain security access badges at State Reservation Maintenance, Building 11-64 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Any contractor with more than five individuals should contact State Reservation Maintenance at least 48 hours in advance to arrange for the use of a roster in lieu of individual access badges. A representative from the company will provide a roster of the employees and assume responsibility for employee accountability on a daily basis. Call (717) 861-8870 for more information.

Active military members should contact their host command prior to transfer for in-processing and check-in procedures.

Identification and DEERS Cards
The DEERS/RAPID ID Card Office is located in Building 7-3. Call (717) 861-8693 to set up an appointment or for information on required documents for CAC, DEERS and ID cards.

Official Photos
Call the Media Center, located in Building 9-79, at (717) 861-8612 to make an appointment to have your picture taken.

Family Concerns
Housing
Billeting, Troop Housing, Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ) and Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) processing are located in Building 11-7. Call the billeting office at (717) 861-8158 for more information and availability.

Because Fort Indiantown Gap is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there is no military housing available for active duty members and their dependents at the Gap. Military housing is available at DDC Susquehanna, which is in New Cumberland, and at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle. The nearby towns of Jonestown and Lebanon are good bets for affordable civilian apartments and townhouse rentals for those transferring to the Gap.

Because of its primary mission as a training center, Fort Indiantown Gap's accommodations are geared toward short-term stays for units and individual personnel attending specialized schools and courses at its training facilities. Active duty personnel and civilian contractors transferring permanently into the area should contact their parent commands for additional housing information.

Schools/Child Care
The elementary school located just on the Gap's property line is Lickdale Elementary School and is within the Northern Lebanon School District. The Gap is also served by the highly rated Annville-Cleona School District; Annville has 1,674 students in grades K-12. There is one junior/senior high school and three elementary schools. The school district office is at 420 S. White Oak St., Annville Pa. Call (717) 867-7601 for enrollment information. There is no military-sponsored on-post child care offered at the Gap.

Medical
Fort Indiantown Gap service personnel and their families are eligible for care at the Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic at Carlisle Barracks and are covered by TRICARE Prime. This program has no enrollment fees for active duty family members, but does require enrollment. Updates can be made during in-processing activities or in-person at the TRICARE Service Center at the Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic. The Clinic Health Benefits Advisor can be reached at the Durham U.S. Army Health Clinic at Carlisle (717) 245-4112 for advice about health care options.

Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic
450 Gibner Road
Carlisle, PA 17013
Carlisle Barracks
(717) 245-3400
The Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic at Carlisle Barracks was recently renovated and is staffed with nine officers, 23 soldiers, and 127 civilians and contractors and is a member of TRICARE network and the Walter Reed Health Care System, and partners with HealthNet to provide care. The Dunham Health Care Network includes clinics at Carlisle Barracks, the Defense Distribution Center (DDC), NSA Mechanicsburg near the Harrisburg Airport, the Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, as well as covering the personnel at Fort Indiantown Gap. Dunham provides care to more than 5,700 retirees and their family members, as well as for 4,900 active duty soldiers and their family members.

Headquarters for the Pennsylvania National Guard Medical Detachment is at Fort Indiantown Gap. This group maintains the Fort Indiantown Gap Clinic in Building 4-114. Call (717) 861-2769 for service eligibility and hours of operation.

On-Base Services & Recreation
Communication with
a Soldier at the Gap
For emergency communication, contact the Fort Indiantown Gap Police Department, at (717) 861-2727. For non-emergency communication, call the soldier's unit phone number distributed prior to training.

Army Community Service Program
The nearby Carlisle Barracks Army Community Service Program offers a variety of services which are designed to meet the social and economic needs of the military community in the area. The Army Community Service office is located in Building 46, Ashburn Drive, Carlisle. For information or assistance, call (717) 245-4357 or visit the office Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eligible patrons are active duty, retirees, National Guard, Reserve components, military family members and civilian employees.

Commissary
There is no commissary at the Gap. The main Carlisle Barracks Commissary is a short drive from Fort Indiantown Gap, and is located at 851 Sumner Road in Carlisle. Spacious and well stocked, it is definitely worth the trip. Call (717) 245-3105 for store hours and eligibility requirements.

Recreation
The Gap completely surrounds the 230-acre Memorial Lake State Park established in 1945 in memory and honor of Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers who served in World War I and World War II. Hiking, picnicking, cross-country skiing, and ice skating are popular activities.

Memorial Lake is also a warm-water fishery. Fishing and ice fishing are big draws for largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, yellow perch, white and black crappie, bullhead, channel catfish, carp, sucker, trout, and various panfish species. There are two boat launches at Memorial Lake. Gas-powered boats are prohibited. Non-powered and electric powered boats must display a current registration from any state or a launch permit from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. All rules and regulations of the Commonwealth's Fish and Boat Commission apply at Memorial Lake.

The Gap is also home to the Annual Armed Forces Basketball Championships, held each spring with a weeklong double-round-robin tournament for men and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

Blue Mountain Sports Arena
Building 4-117
Call (717) 861-2860 for summer and winter hours of operation. For racquet ball reservations, call (717) 861-2711.

Recreation Center
Building 13-190
Internet café available and evening movies. Call (717) 861-2296 for summer and winter hours of operation.

Swimming Pool
Building 4-128
Available from the first Wednesday in June until the fourth Sunday in August. Military ID required for reduced fee. Call (717) 861-2656 for hours.

Picnic Areas 4 and 12
These areas are available for picnics, barbeques, and other types of outdoor social gatherings. Pavilions and installed cooking grills are provided. Sand volleyball courts and horseshoe pits are usually available close by. Large mobile grills, horseshoe kits, etc., can be obtained for nominal fees at the Blue Mountain Sports Arena. Call (717) 861-2860/2711 for reservations. Available seven days a week. Hours: Sunrise to midnight.

Ball Fields
Areas 4 and 14
Ball fields in area 4 are normally reserved for use by the All-Army Sports program and by the post intramural teams. Fields in area fourteen are available for use for softball games by military units, as well as other authorized organizations and individuals. Contact the Blue Mountain Sports Arena, (717) 861-2860/2711 for information or to rent softball equipment. Available seven days a week.

Running Track and Multi-Purpose Field
The running track is primarily for use by military units and other authorized organizations for conducting physical fitness training and testing. Individuals may use the track without obtaining permission, so long as it is not in use for physical fitness training and testing. The multi-purpose field may be scheduled by contacting the sports arena at (717) 861-2711/2860.

Utilization policy for this facility is the same for other recreation fields and is dependent upon track schedules. Contact the Blue Mountain Sports Arena, (717) 891-2860/2711 for information or to sign out softball equipment. Available seven days a week.

Building 4-134
Building 4-134 is available for social events, such as promotion parties, receptions, family reunions, etc. It can hold up to 150 people. It has a small bar, lounge area, general purpose room with a gas fireplace, and an additional food preparation room that can also be use for overflow seating. Available seven days a week. Contact the Post Billeting Office at (717) 861-2540 for rates and additional information.

The Fort Indiantown Gap Museum is located in Buildings 8-56 and 8-57. Call (717) 861-2402 for hours.

Private organizations wishing to visit or use any facilities at the Gap, need to call the civilian liaison office at (717) 861-2572 to plan these activities in advance.

Mission
Fort Indiantown Gap provides administrative, logistical, maintenance and family support to active and reserve component units training at the installation, as well as for tenant and off-post activities in central and eastern Pennsylvania.  read more...

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