PREMIERED THURSDAY, MAY 22 at 8:00PM
Formally established by the War Department as Camp McClellan on July 18, 1917, the base on the outskirts of Anniston, Alabama served as the training ground for more than 27,000 men within three months before they headed into action in WWI. The base became Fort McClellan in July 1929 and nearly 500,000 men trained there during WWII. Fort McClellan was home to thousands of German and Italian prisoners of war during that conflict. In 1954, it became the first permanent home of the U.S. Women’s Art Corps Center. During Vietnam, McClellan became the U.S. Army School/Training Center and in 1979, the U.S. Army Chemical School.
McClellan: A Life Saved, produced by Longleaf Studios at Jacksonville State University, examines the long and proud history of the military base which was closed in 1999. It also explores the ongoing story of the Fort McClellan campus, which is seeing a variety of new uses. McClellan is home to stringed musical instrument wholesaler and distributor Howard Core Company. The Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy and the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) use the buildings and other facilities to train their recruits. First responders from all over come to the CDP in Anniston to receive training in healthcare, healthcare leadership, hospital emergency response training, hazardous material technologies, and operations courses. And just recently, comedian and actor Katt Williams recently announced plans to set up a studio and make movies at McClellan. Although McClellan's closure as a military base clearly disappointed a number of veterans interviewed in the film, it also seems to have opened a multitude of new possibilities for the future.
Follow Us