Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army installation located near Colorado Springs , primarily in El Paso County , Colorado . It is north of Pueblo , Colorado in Pueblo County . The installation extends south into Pueblo and Fremont counties . The portion of the installation located within El Paso County forms a census - designated place ( CDP ) , which had a population of 13 , 813 at the 2010 census . Fort Carson is the home of the 4th Infantry Division , the 10th Special Forces Group , the 71st Ordnance Group ( EOD ) , the 4th Engineer Battalion , the 759th Military Police Battalion , the 10th Combat Support Hospital , the 43rd Sustainment Brigade , and the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron of the United States Air Force . The post also hosts units of the Army Reserve , Navy Reserve and the Colorado Army National Guard . History . Camp Carson was established in 1942 , following Japan ' s attack on Pearl Harbor . The city of Colorado Springs , Colorado purchased land south of the city and donated it to the War Department . Construction began immediately and the first building , the camp headquarters , was completed January 31 , 1942 . Camp Carson was named in honor of the legendary Army scout , General Christopher " Kit " Carson , who explored much of the West in the 1800s . At the construction ' s peak , nearly 11 , 500 workers were employed on various construction projects at the new camp . Facilities were provided for 35 , 173 enlisted men , 1 , 818 officers and 592 nurses . Nearly all of the buildings were of mobilization type construction , with wood sided exteriors . The hospital complex was constructed of concrete block , and considered to be semi - permanent , and had space for 1 , 726 beds , expandable to 2 , 000 beds . The 89th Infantry Division was the first major unit to be activated at Camp Carson . During World War II , over 100 , 000 soldiers trained at Camp Carson . Along with three other infantry divisions – the 71st Infantry Division , 104th Infantry Division and 10th Mountain Division – more than 125 units were activated at Camp Carson and more than 100 others were transferred to the Mountain post from other installations . Nurses , cooks , mule packers , tank battalions , a Greek infantry battalion , and an Italian ordnance company trained at Camp Carson during the war years . Camp Carson was also home to nearly 9 , 000 Axis prisoners of war – mostly Italians and Germans . The internment camp at Camp Carson opened on the first day of 1943 . These POWs alleviated the manpower shortage in Colorado by doing general farm work , canning tomatoes , cutting corn , and aiding in logging operations on Colorado ' s Western Slope . Between 1942 and 1956 , pack mules were a common sight at Camp Carson . The first shipment arrived by train from Nebraska in July 1942 . The mules were used by Field Artillery ( Pack ) battalions to carry equipment , weapons and supplies over mountainous terrain . The most famous of these animals was Hambone , the pride of the 4th Field Artillery Regiment . For 13 years , he carried First Sergeants up Ute Pass to Camp Hale . Camp Hale , located near Leadville , Colorado , was where the Army conducted cold weather and mountain warfare training . Hambone died in March 1971 , and was buried with full military honors . By April 1946 , the post - war military strength at the camp was ~ 600 and on 16 December 1949 , Strategic Air Command opened a survival school at Camp Carson for training in mountainous terrain ( moved to Stead AFB in 1952 . ) Fort Carson . Fort Carson was designated from Camp Carson in 1954 and in the 1960s , mechanized units were assigned to the fort and it was expanded to the present . Butts Army Air Field at the fort was constructed between 1963 and 1966 with a runway for light fixed - wing aircraft ( cf . USAF C - 130 s at the nearby Peterson AFB . ) Throughout its history Fort Carson has been home to nine divisions . An additional training area , comprising 235 , 000 acres ( 959 km² ) , was purchased in September 1983 . Named the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site , this training area is located approximately road miles to the southeast , and is used for large force - on - force maneuver training . Comprehensive maneuver and live fire training also occurs downrange at Fort Carson . Exercises and deployments continually hone the skills of Fort Carson soldiers . When not deployed , soldiers train annually at Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site and the National Training Center near Barstow , California . Additionally , units participate in joint exercises around the world , including Central and South Africa , Europe , and Southwest Asia . In 2003 , most Fort Carson units were deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom . Troops from the 984th Military Police CO , 759th Military Police BN were also sent in support of the guard mission at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba . President George W . Bush addressed soldiers and family members at the post on November 24 , 2003 , in praise of the soldiers ' determination and the sacrifices their families have made . Fort Carson ' s beautiful scenery has made it one of the most requested duty stations in the U . S . Army . It is considered the second most popular CONUS duty station , after Fort Lewis , Washington , and adopted " Best Hometown in the Army " as its motto in 2007 . Construction in 2007 and 2008 prceded the return of the 4th Infantry Division ( 4ID ) from Fort Hood after their 2008 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment ( ~ 5 , 000 additional soldiers ) . Geography . Fort Carson is located at 38°44 ' 45 " North , 104°47 ' 6 " West ( 38 . 745744 , −104 . 784907 ) . It is located in Pueblo County , El Paso County , and Fremont County . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of , all land . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there were 10 , 566 people , 1 , 679 households , and 1 , 620 families residing in the CDP ( the number increased to 13 , 183 by 2010 ) . The population density was 1 , 126 . 8 people per square mile ( 434 . 9 / km² ) . There were 2 , 664 housing units at an average density of 196 . 8 per square mile ( 75 . 9 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the CDP was 62 . 8 % White , 20 . 0 % African American , 2 . 1 % Asian , 1 . 7 % Native American , 0 . 8 % Pacific Islander , 7 . 9 % from other races , and 3 . 8 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15 . 4 % of the population . There were 1 , 679 households out of which 84 . 9 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 85 . 4 % were married couples living together , 9 . 7 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 3 . 5 % were non - families . 3 . 2 % of all households were made up of individuals , none of whom were 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 70 and the average family size was 3 . 74 . In the CDP the population was spread out with 27 . 5 % under the age of 18 , 37 . 1 % from 18 to 24 , 34 . 2 % from 25 to 44 , 1 . 2 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 22 years . For every 100 females there were 195 . 0 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 251 . 7 males . The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 34 , 883 , and the median income for a family was $ 34 , 385 . Males had a median income of $ 19 , 865 versus $ 17 , 582 for females . The per capita income for the CDP was $ 12 , 772 . About 7 . 8 % of families and 9 . 4 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 12 . 1 % of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 and older . Controversies . On February 14 , 2007 , the U . S . Army announced it was moving forward with a plan to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeastern Colorado . If expanded , Piñon Canyon would be the Army ' s largest single training area in the nation , tripling the size of the current site by adding of private ranch land . At 650 , 000 acres ( 2630 km² ) , it would be nearly the size of the state of Rhode Island . Many in the local civilian population are opposed to this plan , because much of the land in rural areas that would be added to the training site is civilian - owned ranch land , and many current landowners are unwilling to be supplanted , regardless of the compensation that may be offered . The Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition , an activist group opposing the plans , says that former maps it obtained from the Army showed a " future expansion area " significantly greater than is now being contemplated . The Army ' s position is that expansion is essential for preparing soldiers for battle in evergrowing theaters such as Afghanistan and the Middle East . In response to a Congressional ban on Army funding for an expansion plan , the United States Air Force moved in with a plan to use the area for V - 22 Osprey flights .