Fort Wainwright | |
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Fairbanks, Alaska near North Pole, Alaska (Yukon Training Area) | |
Type | Army post |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Army |
Site history | |
Built | 1941 (as Ladd Field) |
In use | 1941–present |
Garrison information | |
Current commander | COL Jason A. Cole |
Garrison | 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division United States Army Garrison Alaska |
Military installation | |
Coordinates: 64°49′40″N 147°38′34″W / 64.82778°N 147.64278°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Alaska |
Borough | Fairbanks North Star Borough |
Area | |
• Total | ~2,500 sq mi (~6,475 km2) |
Population | |
• Total | ~15,000 |
Time zone | UTC−8 (Alaskan (AST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−9 (AKST) |
ZIP Code | 99703 |
Area codes | 907 |
Fort Wainwright is a United States Army installation in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fort Wainwright is part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the coterminous Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The installation is managed by U.S. Army Garrison Alaska (USAG Alaska) and the senior command is 11th Airborne Division. Fort Wainwright was formerly known as Ladd Field (1939–1945) and Ladd Air Force Base (1947–1961); it was renamed Fort Wainwright in honor of General Jonathan M. Wainwright, a Medal of Honor recipient for his courageous leadership as commander of U.S. forces during the fall of the Philippines in World War II. Ladd Field was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) on 4 February 1985 and Ladd Air Force Base was designated as Ladd Air Force Base Cold War District and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on the same day.[1] With over 1.6 million acres of land spanning across the Fairbanks North Star Borough and Southeast Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright is the largest U.S. military installation by area outside the contiguous United States.