The Darby Military Community, previously known as Camp Darby, is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

military complex in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

located between

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

and

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

. It is under Italian military control and can be managed anytime by Italian authorities. The Northern part of the base has been transferred to the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

, which transferred its Special Forces Command to Darby on 10 June 2020. The base was formally dedicated on 15 November 1952 as Camp Darby, and is named in memory of Brigadier General

William O. Darby Brigadier General William O. Darby (February 8, 1911 – April 30, 1945) was a career United States Army officer who fought in World War II, where he was killed in action at age 34 in Italy. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. D ...

, Assistant Division Commander of the

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to rec ...

, who was killed by enemy artillery on 30 April 1945 on the shore of

Lake Garda Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...

, Italy. The main square on Camp Darby is dedicated to the memory of Pvt. Masato “Curly” Nakae, a Japanese-American soldier who fought during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in the vicinity of

with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) who was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

for his heroic acts. Camp Darby is home to the Darby Military Community, the 405th Army Field Support Battalion- Africa, 839th Transportation Battalion, and 731st Munitions Squadron. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the 7th Medical Command had its United States Army Europe (USAREUR) Contingency Hospital warehoused here. The 100 bed Contingency Hospital was congressionally mandated after the 1983 bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Its mission was to be prepared upon 18 hours' notice from Congress to respond to any terrorist or natural disaster in the eastern hemisphere. The unit drew its staff from hospitals throughout Europe and deployed in support of Display Determination exercises in Turkey (1987 and 1989) and northern Italy (1988). In 2012 the U.S. Army announced that the Garrison at Camp Darby would be realigned as a satellite installation of USAG Vicenza at

Caserma Ederle Caserma Ederle (Camp Ederle) is a military complex in Vicenza, Italy, where the United States Army has troops stationed. It is under Italian military control and can be managed anytime by the Italian authorities. The Vicenza Military Communit ...

with some reduction in staffing and would be referred to in the future as Darby Military Community.http://www.facebook.com/notes/vicenza-garrison-command/italy-force-structure-changes-and-the-effect-on-the-vicenza-military-community/357977527552475

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://home.army.mil/italy/index.php/about/Garrison/public-affairs/camp-darby Military installations of the United States in Italy 1952 establishments in Italy