Army base named for 'Trees' poet closes

EDISON, N.J., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army deactivated a New Jersey facility named after a man who was known for his military prowess, but better known for his poetry, the Pentagon said.

Residents of Edison, N.J., joined the soldiers of the 78th "Lightning" Division to say farewell Oct. 5 to the Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Army Reserve Center and Camp Kilmer, the Pentagon said in a story posted on its Web site.

Camp Kilmer was named for local resident Sgt. Alfred Joyce Kilmer, known among his peers as a fearless non-commissioned officer, but known internationally as the poet who wrote "Trees."

"My solemn duty today is to bring closure to an era as the last post commander and the last commander of the 78th as an Army division," Brig. Gen. Walter B. Chahanovich, commanding general of the 78th Division, said.

Kilmer was killed by sniper fire during the Second Battle of the Marne June 30, 1918 and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart by the U.S. Army as well as the Croix de Guerre by the French Republic, his biography said.

Camp Kilmer dates back to 1941 when it was used as a transportation hub, processing more than 20 divisions before they were deployed to Europe during World War II, the Pentagon said. The camp was deactivated in 1949 but restarted during the Korean conflict and deactivated again in 1955.

In 1963, most of the facility's acreage was auctioned to local universities and colleges. The camp was recommended for closure in in 2005.

The 78th Division will relocate to the Maj. John P. Pryor Army Reserve Center at Army Support Activity at Fort Dix, also in New Jersey.