On May 7, 1942, at Camp Claiborne, Sergeant Alvin C. York, the most decorated soldier of World War I, addressed the 82nd Infantry Division under the command of General Omar Bradley. The division later became the 82nd Airborne Division and furnished personnel to form the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Claiborne, making Camp Claiborne the birthplace of both airborne divisions. York had served in the 82nd Infantry Division during World War I, and for his heroism on October 8, 1918, in the Argonne forest of France, he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Congressional Medal of Honor, and the French Croix de Guerre. During World War II, he visited military camps in support of the war. Bradley was later transferred to Camp Livingston, and General Ridgeway assumed command of the 82nd Airborne Division while General Lee assumed command of the 101st Airborne Division. The original headquarters buildings of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions stood directly behind this location.