Mineola (Garden City), Long Island, New York

Camp Mills was established in September 1917 as a temporary camp. It was the birthplace of the famed 42nd Infantry “Rainbow” Division comprised of hand-picked National Guard units from 26 states and the District of Columbia which was commanded by then Colonel Douglas MacArthur. It also became one of the largest training and embarkation camps for soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces leaving from the Port of Hoboken, New Jersey. After the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, Camp Mills became one of the major debarkation camps for soldiers returning from France through the Port of Hoboken and continued operations through 1920-1921.

In 1938, Camp Mills was reopened as an expansion of nearby Mitchel Field (Mitchel Air Force Base) and was decommissioned in 1961.

World War I

Resources

Camp Mills Photographs – New York Heritage Digital Collections

Camp Mills – New York State Military Museum