Camp Kilmer - Origins and History

Origins and History

The camp was named for Joyce Kilmer, the soldier-poet killed in World War I while serving with The Fighting 69th, most famous for writing the poem, Trees. His home was in nearby New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The site was selected in 1941 by the War Department as the best site to serve the New York Port Of Embarkation. Construction began in early 1942. Located in Piscataway Township, New Jersey and Edison Township, New Jersey at 40°31′00″N 74°26′45″W / 40.5166667°N 74.44583°W / 40.5166667; -74.44583, the closest city was New Brunswick located two miles to the south. Plainfield was located four miles north of the camp. New York City could be reached by the mainline of the Pennsylvania Railroad, it was about 22 miles to the northeast, although many troop embarkations would be at the New Jersey locations of Bayonne and Hoboken; a flyover loop crossing the four-track mainline (now the Amtrak NEC) allowed movements into the large train loading yards without interference with mainline traffic. The camp was also served by the Port Reading branch of the Reading Railroad and the Amboy branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

The buildings were constructed of wood and were painted bright contrasting colors for a camouflage effect. This was similar to the Dazzle camouflage used for ships in World War I. The first unit to arrive at Camp Kilmer was the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment, a complement of 1,239 enlisted men and 52 officers. The unit arrived July 22, 1942 on three separate trains from Camp Claiborne, Louisiana.

At Camp Kilmer troops sent personal effects home, received medical injections and the supplies needed before loading onto transport ships for travel to the European Theater of Operations. The camp remained active until the fall of 1949 when it was no longer needed.