Mission Transition

Fort McPherson – founded in September, 1885 -- is a U.S. Army installation located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of Atlanta. It is home to the U.S. Army Central, U.S Army Reserve Command (USARC) and U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). It was named for Maj. Gen. James “Birdseye” McPherson.

During the American Civil War, it was the site of a Confederate post. During the Reconstruction era, it was named McPherson Barracks and served as a base for federal troops occupying Atlanta. Although the barracks was closed and sold in 1881, the site continued to be used during summer months to house troops stationed in Florida. The Army purchased the land again in 1885 to house 10 companies.

Fort McPherson was used to house German naval prisoners of war during World War I. In 1934, it was used as a detention center to hold picketers who were arrested while striking at the Newman, Georgia mill during the General Textile Workers Strike.

On May 13, 2005 the Base Realignment and Closure commission recommended that this base be closed. The recommendation became law in November of that year, and full closure should occur by 2011.

How The Transition Assistance Program Works Here

According to Transition Services Manager/TAP Manager Mr. James Scarborough, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshops are held approximately every two weeks. They are three day workshops with an additional half day of Department of Veterans Affairs briefings.

“We have 22 of them a year, and we average between 20 and 30 people attending, which results in about six or seven hundred a year,” he tells us. “As Army bases go, ours is pretty small and about 30 percent of our tenants are other than Army personnel.”

Mr. Scarborough is himself a retired Army lieutenant colonel, with 22 years of service. He says he retired in 1992 out of Fort McClellen in Alabama.

Regarding TAP at Fort McPherson, he remarks, “We sponsor job fairs with the Army Community Services on a quarterly basis here on the base. Our staff hosts the workshops, coordinates the facilities, does the scheduling, and markets our Transition programs to the attendees – Army, Navy and Air Force.

“I welcome the people and the Installation Commander or her representative comes in to welcome them. A lot of them aren’t from here. We tell them what services are available to them while they are here. Some lodge here and some lodge commercially outside. We have some people come from as far as a hundred miles away. Some of them come here because they want to end up here in the Atlanta area for economic reasons.

“I’m the only government employee on the staff, but we have a contract staff of three and we are probably one of the few ACAP Centers that have on site two Georgia Department of Labor TAP facilitators and what’s called Local Veterans’ Representatives (LVR’s) that are here full time.

“Our staff likes to think we provide the full range of job assistance short of placement. We bring employers in individually or in groups on employer days as well as at job fairs. The Army Pre-Alumni
System is a large worldwide one. It has its own website where people can go in and do job searches all over the world, with employers linked into it.

“What we do is help our clients market themselves. I like to say we teach them a lifetime skill. We don’t get them a job. We teach them how to get their own job.

“At our job fairs, we can handle 50 employers. We have national employers and a lot of Fortune 500 companies have corporate headquarters in Atlanta.

“Because of the types of jobs here, we probably have about 60 percent retirees. They need assistance as much as anyone because the job search process is the same for everybody. But the expectations are different. Part of our job is to help them have realistic expectations.”

Fort McPherson TAP Has Many Advantages for Its Clients By Shirley Lee
	Fort McPherson – founded in September, 1885 -- is a U.S. Army installation located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of Atlanta. It is home to the U.S. Army Central, U.S Army Reserve Command (USARC) and U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). It was named for Maj. Gen. James “Birdseye” McPherson. During the American Civil War, it was the site of a Confederate post. During the Reconstruction era, it was named McPherson Barracks and served as a base for federal troops occupying Atlanta. Although the barracks was closed and sold in 1881, the site continued to be used during summer months to house troops stationed in Florida. The Army purchased the land again in 1885 to house 10 companies. Fort McPherson was used to house German naval prisoners of war during World War I. In 1934, it was used as a detention center to hold picketers who were arrested while striking at the Newman, Georgia mill during the General Textile Workers Strike. On May 13, 2005 the Base Realignment and Closure commission recommended that this base be closed. The recommendation became law in November of that year, and full closure should occur by 2011. How The Transition Assistance Program Works Here According to Transition Services Manager/TAP Manager Mr. James Scarborough, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshops are held approximately every two weeks. They are three day workshops with an additional half day of Department of Veterans Affairs briefings. “We have 22 of them a year, and we average between 20 and 30 people attending, which results in about six or seven hundred a year,” he tells us. “As Army bases go, ours is pretty small and about 30 percent of our tenants are other than Army personnel.” Mr. Scarborough is himself a retired Army lieutenant colonel, with 22 years of service. He says he retired in 1992 out of Fort McClellen in Alabama. Regarding TAP at Fort McPherson, he remarks, “We sponsor job fairs with the Army Community Services on a quarterly basis here on the base. Our staff hosts the workshops, coordinates the facilities, does the scheduling, and markets our Transition programs to the attendees – Army, Navy and Air Force. “I welcome the people and the Installation Commander or her representative comes in to welcome them. A lot of them aren’t from here. We tell them what services are available to them while they are here. Some lodge here and some lodge commercially outside. We have some people come from as far as a hundred miles away. Some of them come here because they want to end up here in the Atlanta area for economic reasons. “I’m the only government employee on the staff, but we have a contract staff of three and we are probably one of the few ACAP Centers that have on site two Georgia Department of Labor TAP facilitators and what’s called Local Veterans’ Representatives (LVR’s) that are here full time. “Our staff likes to think we provide the full range of job assistance short of placement. We bring employers in individually or in groups on employer days as well as at job fairs. The Army Pre-Alumni System is a large worldwide one. It has its own website where people can go in and do job searches all over the world, with employers linked into it. “What we do is help our clients market themselves. I like to say we teach them a lifetime skill. We don’t get them a job. We teach them how to get their own job. “At our job fairs, we can handle 50 employers. We have national employers and a lot of Fortune 500 companies have corporate headquarters in Atlanta. “Because of the types of jobs here, we probably have about 60 percent retirees. They need assistance as much as anyone because the job search process is the same for everybody. But the expectations are different. Part of our job is to help them have realistic expectations.”