3rd Commander

COLONEL GEORGE M. COUPER - Served from 11/8/1943 to 12/15/1943

He was appointed Commanding Officer on 11/7/1944. He succeeded Col. Zim E. Lawhon who died unexpectedly on 11/7/43 at the camp hospital. He continued as Commander until he was replaced by Brigadier Gen. Ladd on 12/23/1943. He served for a little over a month. He had been the commanding officer of the Training Section at the camp before becoming Commander. He had 26 years of continuous service in continental and overseas Army stations.

Notes: Colonel Couper, was born in Marietta, Ga., July 18, 1890. He served with the Georgia National Guard for several years, having joined as a private Beginning his career as an Army officer as a second lieutenant in the Infantry, August 15, 1917, he served with the 82nd Division in France during World War I. Moving upward in the ranks, he was promoted to first lieutenant July 30, 1918. He advanced to captain on July 1, 1920. His overseas service includes two years in the Philippines, during 1926 and 1927, where he was on duty at Camp William McKinley. In 1934 and 1935 he was stationed in Puerto Rico, where he was commander of Henry Barracks, at Cayey, for more than a year. He was promoted to major on August 1, 1935> He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in August, 1940> He was promoted to full colonel in December, 1941. He attended the Officers' Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Ga., and spent four years as professor of military science and tactics at Carlish School, Bamberg, S. C. He was district commander of the Civilian Conservation Corps from January to July, 1942. He was next stationed at Camp Roberts, Cal., where he was a regimental commander with the Infantry Replacement Training Center from August 1942 to April 1943. Other camps at which the colonel has been stationed include Ft. Williams, Me.; Ft. Moultrie, S. C.: Ft. Jackson, S.C. Ft. Bragg, N. C.; and Eagle Pass, Tex. He was named Director of the Training Division at Camp Reynolds in June of 1943. He was appointed Commanding Officer at Camp Reynolds on 11/7/1944.

Other: His wife was Mrs. Margaret C. Couper, a native of Charleston, S. C. resided in Greenville. They had one son, George M., Jr., who was thirteen years old at the time he became commander.