Camp Bullis Camp Bullis Military Training Reservation is a U . S . Army training camp comprising in Bexar County , Texas , USA , just northwest of San Antonio . The camp is named for Brigadier General John Lapham Bullis , Camp Bullis and Camp Stanley make up the Leon Springs Military Reservation . Camp Bullis is used primarily as maneuvering grounds for U . S . Army , Air Force and Marines combat units . It is also utilized as a field training site for the various medical units stationed at Brooke Army Medical Center in nearby Fort Sam Houston . History . United States military activity in the Camp Bullis area began in 1906 with the purchase of over 17 , 000 acres from all or parts of six ranches . This area was designated the Leon Springs Military Reservation and was to be used as a maneuvers and training area for troops based at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio . Leon Springs was praised for its sparse population and varied terrain . Use of the new training area began almost immediately . In July and August 1907 , the target ranges in present - day Camp Stanley were used for the Southwestern Rifle and Pistol Competition . The first major maneuvers were held in 1908 , involving regular army and National Guard infantry , cavalry , and field artillery units . In 1909 , the Leon Springs Military Reservation witnessed the first documented firing of artillery . Mobilization of troops in response to upheavals in Mexico in 1911 led to large - scale maneuvers at the Leon Springs Military Reservation . With the increased tensions along the United States - Mexico border between 1912 and 1916 , however , activity at the Reservation decreased as troops from Fort Sam Houston were deployed along the border . Activity increased again in 1916 , as large numbers of troops were called up for training after the raid of Columbus , New Mexico , by Pancho Villa . Also in 1916 , a large remount station was built near Anderson Hill in presentday Camp Stanley . In February 1917 , the facilities at the reservation were renamed Camp Funston in honor of Major General Frederick Funston . In preparation for World War I , Camp Funston established the First Officers Training Camp ( FOTC ) in May 1917 . Drills and training at the FOTC included practice marches , target practice , and trench warfare training . Officers of the FOTC graduated in August 1917 , after which a Second Series Officer Training Camp began . To avoid confusion with another base of the same name , Camp Funston was renamed Camp Stanley in October 1917 ; additional land to the south was leased and named Camp Bullis in honor of Brigadier General John Lapham Bullis . The Camp Bullis cantonment was located across Salado Creek from the old Scheele Ranch . Training facilities at Camp Bullis included cavalry camps , maneuver grounds , and target ranges . Construction of permanent facilities was limited to a camp headquarters , an administrative building , and spaces for rows of mess halls and tents . The 315th Engineer Regiment of the 90th Division constructed rifle ranges and a pistol range between Hogan Ridge and Salado Creek that could easily accommodate 3 , 000 - 4 , 000 men . Between World Wars I and II , Camp Bullis grew significantly in size . The leased properties of Camp Bullis and additional adjacent properties were purchased . In addition , 1 , 760 acres of Camp Stanley ( primarily the inner cantonment of present - day Camp Stanley ) were transferred to the Chief of Ordnance for the San Antonio Arsenal , which was located in the City of San Antonio to the south . The remaining area , formerly known as the Leon Springs Military Reservation , was transferred to Camp Bullis . During this period , infantry and engineering units of the 2d Division and other troop units in the San Antonio area used Camp Bullis . Training and drills by the Citizens Military Training Camp ( CMTC ) and the Reserve Officers Training Corps ( ROTC ) also took place at Camp Bullis . Troops took part in target and combat practice , firing Stokes mortars , and maneuvering in regiment - sized units . Starting in 1937 , the 2d Division tested new divisional structures meant to increase mobility and flexibility through mechanization and motorization . These tests , featured in LIFE Magazine and employing the use of antitank units and the 6th Infantry Regiment , lasted through 1939 . The resulting concept , known as the Triangular Division , was built around three infantry regiments and gave commanders at each level of organization , from platoon to division , three forces to face enemy units : one to confront the enemy , one to maneuver and outflank the enemy , and one to exploit enemy failures or weaknesses and act as a reserve . In 1939 , Army Chief of Staff General George C . Marshall ordered that the triangular division design be adopted for all infantry divisions . The formal reorganization of the 2d Division included the addition of the 38th Infantry Regiment , two artillery battalions , and a change from 75 - mm to 105 - mm howitzers . In 1942 and 1943 , the Triangular Division was replaced when the need for tank and other armored units became essential parts of divisionsized units . Camp Bullis also hosted a number of nonmilitary activities prior to World War II . In 1926 , portions of two movies — The Rough Riders and Wings — were filmed at the installation . ( Manguso 1990 : 57 ) The Rough Riders was filmed using troops of the 1st and 5th Cavalry regiments as extras . Palmtree Hill , which was stormed by the troops , was planted with palm trees to resemble San Juan Hill in Cuba . The flying fields at Camp Bullis were used in the production of Wings , the winner of the first Academy Award for best picture . In the early 1930s , Camp Bullis was one of many military installations across the country used for the organization of Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC ) personnel . Personnel from the CCC , as well as the Works Progress Administration ( renamed Work Projects Administration in 1939 [ WPA ] ) , took part in the construction of some of the camp ' s facilities during this period . As the war in Europe began , more and more troops trained at Camp Bullis . This increased the need for a larger training facility that could accommodate more than one division . Properties to the east along Blanco Road and to the northwest were acquired by condemnation , and additional acreage north of Cibolo Creek was leased . Facilities constructed reflected changes in technology , tactics , and increased range of weapons . In addition , adding more tent slabs increased the capacity of the cantonment area . A prisoner of war camp with a capacity for 200 prisoners was established north of the headquarters , and access to the camp was improved by the completion of Military Highway . Divisionsized units trained at Camp Bullis until November 1943 , after which the army did not activate any new divisions . Smaller units continued to train at Camp Bullis until the end of World War II . Toward the end of World War II , the Provost Marshal General School , including the Military Police Officer Candidate School , moved to Camp Bullis from Fort Sam Houston . After World War II there was less demand for the ranges and maneuver areas at Camp Bullis . The postwar period brought changes in infantry division weaponry that were incompatible with the size and location of the facility . Divisions used late - model M - 4 Shermans and M - 26 Pershings as well as antiaircraft artillery , which " could not be fired safely at Camp Bullis with service ammunition " However , other developments at the end of the war made Camp Bullis an ideal facility for different activities . Personnel attached to the Government Tire Test used Camp Bullis and its shop facilities to invent and test tires , fuels , vehicles , and tanks for the military . Medical training also became increasingly important , as Fort Sam Houston became the new home of the Medical Field Service School . Remote training facilities were set up at Camp Bullis so that personnel could practice field medical skills . Camp Bullis continues to train medical personnel in field procedures , as well as provide training facilities for army , army reserve , air force , and Texas National Guard personnel from the San Antonio area and outside the region . Since the end of World War II , several land transfers have occurred . In 1953 ca . 2 , 040 acres ( the majority of the outer cantonment of present - day Camp Stanley ) were transferred from Camp Bullis to Camp Stanley , which in 1949 had become assigned to the Red River ( Arsenal ) Army Depot near Texarkana , Texas , as a support facility . An additional 204 acres were transferred to Camp Stanley in 1970 . Since then , 464 acres have been transferred to the City ofSan Antonio and Bexar County for parks and roads .