WELCOME

Welcome to our Army community in Atlanta. Both Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem are small in area, but they are important to our country's defense because of the many headquarters and military activities located here. Fort McPherson, steeped in tradition and proud of its appearance and history, is a blend of the old and new. It is home of the headquarters for the Installation Management Command-Southeast; U.S.Army Forces Command; Third Army/U.S.Army Central; U.S.Army Reserve Command; and other important activities. 

Fort McPherson's nearest Army neighbor and sub-installation is Fort Gillem, located in Forest Park. Fort Gillem is an essential industrial and logistical support base, housing numerous Army, DoD and other government agencies. Those agencies include First Army, the U.S. Army and Air Force Exchange Distribution Region and the Military Entrance Processing Station. Fort Gillem also hosts the only crime lab in the U.S. Army. Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem share common services and morale support activities. This guidebook will provide you with a better idea of the services available, and the telephone directory will help you with your day-to-day telephone calls and coordination.

Atlanta is a thriving metropolis with a population of more than 5 million people. The city offers traditional southern hospitality, a favorable climate, excellent transportation, cultural activities, educational facilities, entertainment and professional athletic events.

Whether you have already arrived, have recently received orders to report here or are visiting, the information in this publication is designed to help you get settled and learn about our on-post services and off-post opportunities.

Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem serve and support a number of "internal" audiences: active duty and reserve component servicemembers, DoD Civilian employees, military retirees from all services and Family members of each of these groups. Additionally, both installations serve, support and grow with "external" audiences:Main Street U.S.A. communities outside the boundaries of these posts. The Civilian communities are partners with the Army in Atlanta, working, playing and striving together to form strong bonds for growth today and tomorrow.

In its April 2009 list, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named the U.S. Army Garrison, located at Fort McPherson, Atlanta's 15th largest employer. In addition to the servicemembers who are newly assigned to Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem, thousands of local, state and international guests take tours of or book events at Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem each year. In 2008, there were 2,361 active duty Soldiers and 3,669 Civilian employees at both posts, with a total active duty and Civilian employee payroll of $491,452,352.

With only 102 Family quarters and 272 single Soldier billets at Fort McPherson and 10 Family quarters at Fort Gillem, active duty military and DA Civilian employees live predominantly in surrounding Clayton, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry and DeKalb counties. 

An important audience is the 78,500-plus Fort McPherson-supported retirees of all services and their Family members in 66 Georgia counties. They live predominantly in Clayton,Cobb,Atlanta city, Fulton, DeKalb, Fayette and Gwinnett counties, but also throughout Georgia and in Tennessee and Alabama.