Fort Gillem was named in honor of Lt. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, Jr., who enlisted as a private in the 17th Infantry in 1910 at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, and after 37 years of service spanning the globe from China and Siberia to Europe and Mexico, returned to serve as Commanding General, Third U.S. Army from Dec. 1947 to Aug. 1950. He retired after forty years of active military service at Ft. McPherson, the same fort at which his distinguished career began. He then continued to serve his fellow man through national, state, and civic organizations for the remainder of his dedicated lifetime. Born in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 8, 1888, he died in Atlanta, Ga., on Feb. 13, 1973.