Fort Lewis Joint Base Lewis - McChord ( JBLM ) is a United States military facility located south - southwest of Tacoma , Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison , Joint Base Lewis - McChord . The facility is an amalgamation of the United States Army ' s Fort Lewis and the United States Air Force ' s McChord Air Force Base which merged on 1 February 2010 into a Joint Base as a result of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations of 2005 . Joint Base Lewis - McChord is a training and mobilization center for all services and is the only Army power - projection base west of the Rocky Mountains . Its geographic location provides rapid access to the deep water ports of Tacoma , Olympia and Seattle for deploying equipment . Units can be deployed from McChord Field , and individuals and small groups can also use nearby Sea - Tac Airport . The strategic location of the base provides Air Force units with the ability to conduct combat and humanitarian airlift with the C - 17 Globemaster III . Joint Base Garrison . The Joint Base Garrison operates the installation on behalf of the warfighting units , families and extended military community who depend on JBLM for support . The mission of the unit is to provide support to mission commanders and the joint base community , to serve as an enabler to the soldiers as they train and project America ' s combat power , and to make JBLM the station of choice for American soldiers and their families . With an Army joint base commander and an Air Force deputy joint base commander , the garrison supports the installation through directorates and agencies that provide a full range of city services and quality - of - life functions ; everything from facilities maintenance , recreation and family programs to training support and emergency services . The major organizations that make up the bulk of the Joint Base Garrison include : Additional staff offices that support the installation mission include the Joint Base Public Affairs Office , the Religious Support Office , the Resource Management Office , Equal Employment Opportunity Office , the Installation Safety Office and the Plans . Analysis and Integration Office _ Other partners who work closely with the Joint Base Garrison include the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center , the Mission and Installation Contracting Command and Joint Personal Property Shipping Office . Three military units support the Joint Base Garrison JBLM Soldiers receive medical care through on - base Madigan Healthcare System facilities such as Madigan Army Medical Center , the Okubo Clinic , and the Nisqually Clinic . JBLM Airmen receive medical care at the McChord Clinic as well as Madigan Army Medical Center . In 2010 , Joint Base Lewis - McChord was called the U . S . military ’ s “ most troubled base ” in 2010 by the military ’ s Stars and Stripes newspaper . JBLM Main & JBLM North . JBLM has more than 25 , 000 soldiers and civilian workers . The post supports over 120 , 000 military retirees and more than 29 , 000 family members living both on and off post . Fort Lewis proper contains 86 , 000 acres ( 350 km² ) ; the Yakima Training Center covers 324 , 000 acres ( 1 , 310 km² ) . JBLM Main & North have abundant high - quality , close - in training areas , including 115 live fire ranges . Additional training space is available at the Yakima Training Center in eastern Washington , including maneuver areas and additional live fire ranges . In 2009 , the former Fort Lewis Regional Correction Facility was remodeled and renamed the Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility ( NWJRCF ) . The facility houses minimum and medium security prisoners from all branches of the U . S . Armed Forces . During the summer months ( June , July , August ) , JBLM North hosts the Leader Development and Assessment Course , a capstone program for the U . S . Army ' s ROTC program . Also adjacent to the post is Camp Murray ( Washington National Guard ) . Fort Lewis is a United States military facility located south - southwest of Tacoma , Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army . The facility is part an amalgamation of the United States Air Force ' s McChord Air Force Base which merged on 1 February 2010 into Joint Base Lewis - McChord , as a result of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations of 2005 . Overview . Fort Lewis , named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition , is one of the largest and most modern military reservations in the United States . Consisting of 87 , 000 acres ( 350 km² ) of prairie land cut from the glacier - flattened Nisqually Plain , it is the premier military installation in the northwest and is the most requested duty station in the army . History . Fort Lewis was originally established in 1917 with the passage of a Pierce County bond measure to purchase of land to donate to the federal government for permanent use as a military installation . A portion of the initial land was taken from the Nisqually tribe ' s reservation . In 1927 , Pierce County passed another bond measure to establish a military airfield just north of Fort Lewis . The airfield , called Tacoma Field , opened in 1930 and was renamed McChord Field in 1940 . McChord Field separated from Fort Lewis when the U . S . Air Force was created in 1947 and was subsequently renamed McChord Air Force Base . The two bases operated independently of one another for more than 60 years before merging in 2010 . Fort Lewis began as Camp Lewis in 1917 when the citizens of Pierce County voted by an eight to one margin to bond themselves for $ 2 million to buy 68 , 721 acres ( 278 km² ) of land . They donated the land to the federal government for military use . The only stipulation was that the tract be used as a permanent army post . Captain David L . Stone and his staff arrived at the camp site 26 May 1917 , and a few days later the initial construction began . The entire camp was ready for occupancy a month ahead of schedule . In 90 days , Stone had supervised the construction of a " city " of 757 buildings and 422 other structures , all lighted and heated for 60 , 000 men . The first recruits moved into their new barracks on 5 September 1917 , exactly two months after the post building plan had been handed to the contractors . When they implemented auction of the new cantonment , workmen subscribed $ 4 , 000 to build the main gate – which is still standing . The arch was built of fieldstone and squared logs resembling the old blockhouse s which stood in the northwest as forts . Some 60 , 000 men , including the 13th and 91st Division s , moved into the hastily constructed cantonment to train for World War I . Recruited largely from the northwest , the 91st was considered " Washington ' s Own . " In 1917 , Pierce County , through the process of condemnation proceedings ( eminent domain ) , took of the Nisqually Indian Reservation ( 14 km² ) for the Fort Lewis Military Reserve . The following two years saw tremendous activity at Camp Lewis as men mobilized and trained for war service . Thousands of the nation ' s youth learned to know Camp Lewis and the state of Washington . With the conclusion of the war , activities at Lewis ground to a standstill . Camp Lewis passed from the hands of Pierce County and became the property of the federal government when the deed for 62 , 432 acres ( 253 km² ) was recorded in the county auditor ' s office in Tacoma . Brigadier General David L . Stone , who had supervised the original construction of Fort Lewis as a captain , returned as its commanding general in 1936 , serving until 1937 . The project of constructing an army airfield , which later became McChord Air Force Base , directly north of the Fort Lewis installation , received approval as a WPA project in January 1938 , and $ 61 , 730 was allocated for construction . The allocation provided for clearing , grading , and leveling a runway long by wide . At the conclusion of World War II , the northwest staging area of Fort Lewis became a separation center and discharged its first soldiers in November 1945 . Sometime in the early 1960s Interstate 5 was built through the fort separating the northwest corner of the fort , and creating " Northfort " . With the departure of the 4th Infantry Division ( United States ) for Vietnam in 1966 , Fort Lewis once again became a personnel transfer and training center . In 1972 , the 9th Infantry Division ( United States ) was reactivated , and trained there until its deactivation in 1991 . The Fort Lewis Military Museum was established in 1972 to preserve and document the post ' s history . The base received much media attention in the wake of the Kandahar massacre , committed by a Fort Lewis soldier in March 2012 . Major units . The United States Army I Corps commands most Army units at Joint Base Lewis - McChord and conducts planning and liaison with other assigned active and Reserve component units located in the continental United States . It is one of four corps headquarters in the active Army , and one of three based in the continental United States . I Corps has been designated as one of the active Army ' s contingency corps . I Corps stays prepared to deploy on short notice worldwide to command up to five divisions or a joint task force . Since I Corps was assigned to Fort Lewis in 1981 , soldiers from its units have participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama , Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War , Operation Provide Comfort for Kurdish Refugees , Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan . They helped with the restoration of order following the riots in Los Angeles , participated in Operation Safe Harbor in NAS Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , for Haitian migrants , supported relief efforts following Hurricane Andrew in Florida and Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii , and played a significant role in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and in restoring peace in Kosovo . I Corps also contributed to the command structure of Operation Desert Storm with the I Corps commander , Lieutenant General Calvin Waller , and the Deputy I Corps commander , Major General Paul Schwartz , assisting General H . Norman Schwarzkopf , the commander of American forces and overall commander of Coalition Forces in Operation Desert Storm . 15 January 2003 , marked the 85th anniversary of the activation of the I American Army Corps in Neufchâteau , France . The corps assumed tactical responsibility for troops fighting on the Western Front 4 July 1918 . I Corps participated in battles during the Aisne - Marne Offensive , the St . Mihiel Offensive and the Battle of Meuse - Argonne . After World War I , I Corps was disbanded at Tonnerre , France in 1919 . In 1981 , I Corps was reactivated at Fort Lewis . On 12 October 1999 , General Eric K . Shinseki , Chief of Staff of the Army , announced I Corps would lead the acceleration of Army transformation , training and the initial creation of the first two Stryker Brigade Combat Team s at Fort Lewis . Since 11 September 2001 , I Corps and Fort Lewis assets have been active in providing support for Global War on Terrorism operations , including Operation Noble Eagle ( Homeland Defense ) , Operation Enduring Freedom ( Afghanistan ) and Operation Iraqi Freedom . On 5 February 2004 , Task Force Olympia was activated , as a sub - element of I Corps headquarters with the mission to command forward - deployed units in Iraq . This marked the first time that I Corps had forward soldiers in combat since the end of the Korean War . Task Force Olympia included units from all three components of the Army ( Active , Reserve and National Guard ) as well as Marine and Australian officers . Task Force Olympia ' s subordinate units included the 3d Stryker Brigade Combat Team , 2d Infantry Division , which deployed for Iraq on 8 November 2003 , and returned to Fort Lewis after one year of combat duty , and the 1st Brigade , 25th Infantry Division , which departed Fort Lewis on 15 September 2004 , for one year and returned September 2005 . On 1 June 2006 , the 1st Brigade , 25th Infantry Division cased its colors and became the 2d Cavalry Regiment - Stryker Brigade Combat Team with its home station in Germany . A new unit then uncased the colors of its new designation on 1 June 2006 - the 4th Brigade , 2d Infantry Division . Subordinate units assigned to Fort Lewis are : JBLM Main & JBLM North . JBLM has more than 25 , 000 soldiers and civilian workers . The post supports over 120 , 000 military retirees and more than 29 , 000 family members living both on and off post . Fort Lewis proper contains 86 , 000 acres ( 350 km² ) ; the Yakima Training Center covers 324 , 000 acres ( 1 , 310 km² ) . JBLM Main & North have abundant high - quality , close - in training areas , including 115 live fire ranges . Additional training space is available at the Yakima Training Center in eastern Washington , including maneuver areas and additional live fire ranges . In 2009 , the former Fort Lewis Regional Correction Facility was remodeled and renamed the Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility ( NWJRCF ) . The facility houses minimum and medium security prisoners from all branches of the U . S . Armed Forces . During the summer months ( June , July , August ) , JBLM North hosts the Leader Development and Assessment Course , a capstone program for the U . S . Army ' s ROTC program . Also adjacent to the post is Camp Murray ( Washington National Guard ) . Yakima Training Center . The Yakima Training Center is a major sub - installation of JBLM , and provides a full range of training lands and ranges to active and reserve component units . Encompassing more than , YTC is a world - class facility . The training center is high desert , and is covered with sagebrush , volcanic formations , dry gulches and large rock outcroppings . YTC has vast flat valleys separated by intervening ridges which are suited to large - scale mechanized or motorized forces . Much of the steeper terrain resembles areas of Afghanistan . Twenty - five ranges , including the state - of - the - art Multi - Purpose Range Complex and Shoot House , are available for individual or collective training . Prior to 1941 , the area consisted of ranches and a few scattered silica mines . Just before World War II , the Army ' s need for a large training and maneuver area became apparent , and the Army negotiated with landowners to lease for the Yakima Anti - Aircraft Artillery Range . Military organizations in the Pacific Northwest used the center for range firing and small unit tests . The first range was constructed in 1942 on Umtanum Ridge , northeast of the present cantonment area . In 1947 , approximately were cleared of unexploded ammunition and returned to the original owners . During 1949 and 1950 , the state of Washington used the center for summer training of its National Guard units and regular Army troops were permanently assigned to the center . At the start of the Korean War , the Army decided to expand Yakima Training Center . In 1951 , the Installation was enlarged to and construction of the current cantonment area began . In 1986 , a further expansion was initiated , and in 1992 , the Army acquired additional land to enlarge YTC to . The Multi - Purpose Range Complex opened in 1989 , and the Shoot House and Urban Assault Course opened in 2005 . YTC has an AAFES shoppette , a recreation center and a gymnasium available to soldiers and their families . The Firing Point community club , with cafeteria , opened in February 2009 . Gray Army Airfield . Gray Army Airfield , is a military airport located within Fort Lewis . The field is named in honor of Captain Lawrence C . Gray , who lost his life during a free balloon flight at the field on 4 November 1927 . It is used by Army helicopters . Helicopters based at the airfield assisted with medical evacuations at Mount Rainier National Park on numerous occasions in the 1970s . Army helicopters were also used to insert search - and - rescue [ SAR ] teams into inaccessible areas on the east , north , and west sides of the mountain , lowering rangers to the ground by a cable device known as a " jungle penetrator " . Helicopters began assisting with high altitude ( above 10 , 000 feet ) SAR operations in the 1980s . Helicopters were also used for " short haul " rescue operations , in which a ranger and litter were carried in a sling below the helicopter to the scene of the accident . During World War II the Air Transport Command 4131st Army Air Force Base Unit used GAAF as the CONUS hub for the Alaskan West Coast Wing , ferrying supplies , equipment and aircraft to Eleventh Air Force at Elmendorf Field , near Anchorage . Also used by Air Technical Service Command as an aircraft maintenance and supply depot ; primarily to service aircraft being sent to Alaska . The Army Air Force closed its facilities in 1947 . Geography . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 15 . 9 square miles ( 41 . 2 km² ) , of which , 15 . 3 square miles ( 39 . 6 km² ) of it is land and 0 . 6 square miles ( 1 . 6 km² ) of it is water . The total area is 3 . 78 % water . The military base is , as previously stated , much larger than the CDP defined by the Census Bureau . Fort Lewis ' terrain is primarily a mixture of dense conifer woods and open Puget prairie - garry oak woodlands . Invasive Scotch Broom has taken over many areas . The landscape is very rocky from glacial meltwater deposits . Poison - oak is found in the training areas . Canada Thistle grows thickly in some areas . All trees are to be left standing ; post policy prohibits cutting or trimming them . The temperatures during summer vary from the mid 40s at night to the mid 70s during the day , occasionally peaking over . Although July and August are the driest months . Demographics . The census - designated place ( CDP ) Fort Lewis is located within the installation ' s area . As of the 2000 census , the CDP , which includes the most densely populated part of the base , had a total population of 19 , 089 . As of the census of 2000 , there are 19 , 089 people , 3 , 476 households , and 3 , 399 families residing on the base . The population density is 1 , 248 . 5 people per square mile ( 482 . 0 / km² ) . There are 3 , 560 housing units at an average density of 232 . 8 per square mile ( 89 . 9 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the base is 60 . 4 % White , 20 . 3 % African American , 1 . 4 % Native American , 3 . 4 % Asian , 1 . 8 % Pacific Islander , 6 . 2 % from other races , and 6 . 4 % from two or more races . 13 . 1 % of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race . There are 3 , 476 households out of which 85 . 8 % have children under the age of 18 living with them , 89 . 3 % are married couples living together , 6 . 6 % have a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 2 % are non - families . 2 . 0 % of all households are made up of individuals and 0 . 0 % have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older . The average household size is 3 . 75 and the average family size is 3 . 78 . The age distribution is 32 . 1 % under the age of 18 , 28 . 0 % from 18 to 24 , 37 . 5 % from 25 to 44 , 2 . 0 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 4 % who are 65 years of age or older . The median age is 22 years . For every 100 females there are 168 . 3 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there are 212 . 5 males . All these statistics are typical for military bases . The median income for a household on the base is $ 32 , 384 , and the median income for a family is $ 32 , 251 . Males have a median income of $ 20 , 878 versus $ 20 , 086 for females . The per capita income for the base is $ 12 , 865 . 8 . 2 % of the population and 7 . 1 % of families are below the poverty line . Out of the total population , 10 . 7 % of those under the age of 18 and 0 . 0 % of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line .