Fort Leonard Wood, Military training installation in Pulaski County, United States.
Fort Leonard Wood is a military training facility in Pulaski County, Missouri, covering roughly 63,000 acres across the Ozarks. The facility serves primarily for instruction in engineering, military police, and chemical defense roles.
The base opened in December 1941 and trained more than 300,000 soldiers during World War II before closing temporarily in 1946. During the Korean War, the facility resumed operations and developed into a main training center for specialized units.
The installation takes its name from a World War I general who served as an engineer officer. Throughout the grounds, visitors can find monuments and memorial sites that honor the history of engineering troops.
The area is not freely open to the public except on certain visitor days or with prior approval from the military administration. The Waynesville-St Robert Regional Airport offers daily connections and sits just a few kilometers away.
The base conducts several graduation ceremonies each week, where civilians become soldiers after completing a three-phase training program. The grounds also house specialized facilities for defense against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
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