Camp Atterbury Community Day Highlights Partnerships, Global Impact

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – Service members, community partners, and area residents joined together Saturday to celebrate Camp Atterbury and its longstanding pivotal role in the region and state.

The annual Camp Atterbury Community Day brought together military personnel, local organizations, and families for a day of demonstrations, exhibits, and activities highlighting the installation's mission and its connection to surrounding communities.

The day started with a 5k run, walk, and ruck that kicked off the festivities, with a route that brought Soldiers and civilians alike through the base established in 1942 to help the American military fight World War Two.

Operated by the Indiana Army National Guard since 1969, Camp Atterbury has continued to rise to the occasion when called upon – and still hosts world-class training and innovation as a key sight for the entire United States military. That work isn’t possible, though, without the support of the broader community on and around the post.

“Camp Atterbury is extremely integrated into the local community,” said Col. Daniel Bell, commander of the installation. “But it is also really a community within itself, and we work directly with many of our other communities here in the area on things like mutual aid with law enforcement, communicating with the sheriff’s office, and emergency medical services. Our community depends on the support we get from the community.”

Many of those community organizations and businesses were represented at Community Day, showcasing the partnerships that help sustain Camp Atterbury's mission and strengthen its ties to the surrounding region. But the event was also an opportunity for service members, civilian employees, and their families to share the installation with friends and neighbors.

Families of children, parents, and grandparents participated together in the morning 5K run, walk, and ruck, while guided bus tours led by Soldiers provided visitors with an inside look at the training areas and facilities that support military readiness year-round. Throughout the day, attendees were invited to experience elements of military training firsthand through simulators, equipment displays, and demonstrations, including opportunities to visit the installation's rappel tower.

For many visitors, the event offered a rare chance to see beyond the gates of Camp Atterbury and gain a better understanding of the organizations and missions that make the installation an important part of both the local community and the nation's defense.

John Fairbanks recently opened ChampionZone Virtual Golf and Patriot Cafe in nearby Edinburgh. With part of the proceeds from his business benefitting veteran-oriented nonprofit Folds of Honor, Fairbanks says that proximity to Camp Atterbury and its military community is part of what appealed to them about setting up shop in the area.

“Being close to Camp Atterbury gives us an opportunity not just to be a business in the community, but also one with a cause,” Fairbanks explained while manning his table at the community day event. “We’ve got a great relationship with military personnel from Atterbury, and we are thankful we have had the opportunity to introduce ourselves more at this event.”

While Community Day offers a chance to celebrate the installation's relationship with the surrounding region, Camp Atterbury's mission continues uninterrupted. Within earshot of the festivities, Soldiers from across the country peppered the installation's ranges with gunfire — a reminder that the community gathered around one of the nation's premier military training centers.

“The Marine Corps trains here, the Navy SEALs do their sniper school here, we are doing unmanned drone aerial systems work and testing here,” said Bell. “That is why it is important to peel it back, open the doors for a day, and highlight what our mission is, so we can continue to foster great community partnerships.”