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'''Camp Shelby''' is a military post approximately 15 miles south of [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]], on [[United States Highway 49]]. It is the largest state owned training site in the nation, has a long history of serving the country and is considered by many as “a national treasure.” During wartime, the camp's mission is to serve as a major, independent mobilization station of the [[U.S. Army Forces Command]] (FORSCOM). Camp Shelby Training Site is the largest reserve component training site, covering 136,000 acres, allowing up to battalion level maneuver training, Gunnery Table 8-12, excellent FA Firing Points and a wide range of support facilities. This is the normal Annual Training ___location for [[National Guard]] and Reserve units located in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennesse. However, units from accross the country use its excellent assets to support a varity of missions. The 2nd BN, 114th FA conducts its gunnery and has the bulk of its combat equipment stored in the Mobilization and Annual Training Equipment Site (MATES) located there.
[[image:garydoer.jpg|right]]
Camp Shelby Training Site (CSTS), encompassing over 525 square kilometers, is located in portions of [[Perry County, Mississippi|Perry]] and [[Forrest County, Mississippi|Forrest]] Counties, in south Mississippi. The training site was established during [[World War I]] and it has served almost continuously since then as a training site, not only for the Reserve Components of the Army, but also for the Active Components of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The training site consists of a mix of State, [[Department of Defense]], and [[U.S. Forest Service]] lands in the [[DeSoto National Forest]].
'''Gary Doer''' ([[March 31]], [[1948]]-) is a [[politician]] in [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]]. He has been the province's [[Premier]] since [[1999]], leading a [[New Democratic Party of Manitoba|New Democratic Party]] government.
Encompassing more than 134,820 acres, Camp Shelby, Mississippi is the largest state-owned and operated field training site in the United States. It is a training ground for the [[M1 Abrams|Abrams M1 Tank]], [[Paladin Howitzers]] and home to the 3rd Brigade 87th Division Training Support. Camp Shelby serves as a training site for National Guardsmen and Reservists from throughout the country hosting as many as 100,000 personnel annually.
Born in [[Winnipeg, Manitoba|Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Doer worked as a Deputy Superintendent at the [[Vaughan Street Detention Centre]] before entering political life. He was also the President of the [[Manitoba Government Employees Union]] for seven years.
Camp Shelby was established in 1917. The Post was named in honor of [[Isaac Shelby]], Indian fighter, Revolutionary War hero and 1st Governor of Kentucky, by the first troops to train here, the [[38th Division]].
Doer was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in [[1986]], for the north [[Winnipeg, Manitoba|Winnipeg]] riding of [[Concordia (Manitoba riding)|Concordia]]. He joined the government of [[Premier]] [[Howard Pawley]] on [[April 17]], [[1986]], serving as [[Manitoba Minister of Urban Affairs|Minister of Urban Affairs]]. Subsequently, he was given the additional portfolios of [[Manitoba Minister of Crown Investments|Minister of Crown Investments]] and [[Minister of the Manitoba Telephone System]] ([[February 4]], [[1987]]), [[Minister responsible for the Accountability of Crown Corporations]] ([[August 19]], [[1987]]), and [[Minister responsible for the Liquor Control Act]] ([[September 21]], [[1987]]).
In 1934, the State of Mississippi acquired the site for use as a summer camp by the National Guard. Because of Camp Shelby's natural advantages of climate, terrain and ___location, it was reopened in 1940 as a federal installation. Some of the divisions that have trained in Mississippi include the 31st, 37th, 38th, 43rd, 63rd, 65th, 69th, 85th, 94th, and the 99th Divisions.
Pawley's government was sustained by a bare majority in the house, and was defeated on [[March 8]], [[1988]] when a disgruntled NDP backbencher voted with the opposition on a [[Motion of No Confidence|motion of non-confidence]]. Pawley resigned as NDP leader the next day, and set the date for a general election.
The famous [[Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team]] and the [[100th Battalion]] trained here in preparation for [[World War II]]. [[Women's Army Corps]] (WAC) units also trained here. The Post contained a large convalescent hospital and had a prisoner of war camp which housed members of the German Afrika Corps.
The New Democratic Party's convention to determine a successor for Pawley was scheduled for [[March 30]], in the middle of the campaign. Doer, supported by the party establishment and organized labour, narrowly defeated [[Len Harapiak]] to become the party's new leader. (See [[New Democratic Party of Manitoba leadership conventions]].)
The post closed shortly after the end of World War II. During the [[Korean Conflict]], Camp Shelby was established as an Emergency Railhead Facility.
Doer became leader of the Manitoba NDP at a time when the party was experiencing record levels of unpopularity. The Pawley government had increased auto insurance premiums very significantly, and had been forced to raise taxes following a failed investment by the [[Manitoba Telephone System]] in [[Saudi Arabia]], which resulted in the loss of millions of dollars.
In the summer of 1954, non-divisional National Guard units trained at Camp Shelby and in 1956, it was designated a permanent training site by Continental Army Command (now Forces Command). Over 5,000 troops were processed through Camp Shelby during Desert Storm Operations.
Doer later claimed that the party had fallen to 6% support in its internal polling. This may be an exaggeration, but the NDP's unpopularity at the time was genuine, and was recognized by the party leadership. It was partly for this reason that Doer did not swear himself in as Premier, seeking to distance himself from the outgoing Pawley government.
Camp Shelby is also home to the [[Youth Challenge Program]] (a boot camp for troubled youths)and the [[Mississippi Armed Forces Museum]].
The NDP won 12 seats (out of 57) in the [[1988]] election. [[Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba|Progressive Conservative]] leader [[Gary Filmon]] was able to form a minority government, with the [[Manitoba Liberal Party|Liberals]] under [[Sharon Carstairs]] as the official opposition. Doer, re-elected in Concordia by a reduced margin, was not personally blamed for the loss and remained as party leader.
Filmon's government called another election in [[1990]]. They won a majority, but Doer's New Democrats recovered their standing to 20 seats and replaced the Liberals as the official opposition. The NDP further increased its standing to 23 seats in [[1995]], and might have won the election had it not been for the unpopularity of [[Bob Rae]]'s NDP government in neighbouring [[Ontario]].
In [[1999]], the previously moderate Filmon government announced that it would take a right-wing policy turn if elected to a fourth mandate. This announcement was greeted with suspicion by many Manitoba voters, and allowed Doer (himself running as a moderate) to present his party as a safe alternative. In a campaign that was considered "too close to call" until polling day, the NDP won 32 seats against 24 for the Tories and 1 for the Liberals. More than eleven years after first declining the option, Doer was sworn in a [[Premier]] on [[October 5]], [[1999]].
Doer's government has been moderate and pragmatic in tone, and free of the more dramatic sort of reforms undertaken by previous NDP governments, though it has continued the NDP's traditional support of organized labour. Manitoba's economy has remained prosperous, and its 4.8% unemployment rate ([[2004]] figure) is the lowest in the country. Auto insurance rates are also significantly lower in Manitoba than in any other Canadian province.
In [[2003]], Doer supported Manitoba [[MP]] [[Bill Blaikie]]'s campaign to lead the federal [[New Democratic Party]].
Doer's government was elected to a second mandate in [[2003]], receiving 35 seats and 49.39% of all votes cast (an impressive total in a three-party system). Doer was personally re-elected in Concordia with support from over 75% of the electorate.
Doer emerged as a defender of Manitoba's internet pharmaceutical industry in early [[2005]], opposing efforts by the federal government to shut down the practice.
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[[Category:1948 births|Doer, Gary]]
[[Category:Manitoba premiers|Doer, Gary]]
[[Category:Canadian socialists|Doer, Gary]]
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