Choosing Service: Fort Ord National Monument Celebrates 250 Years of American Legacy

As America prepares to mark 250 years of democracy, few places tell that story better than Fort Ord National Monument on California's Central Coast. During Memorial Day weekend, BLM staff, Color Guard, veterans, community members, local school children, and two wild horse and burro ambassadors gathered on these historic grounds to honor not just a nation's anniversary, but the generations of Americans who served to make it possible.

Fort Ord's transformation is a testament to public land stewardship at its best.  From the early 1900s into the early 1990s, the installation served as a major U.S. Army training ground, preparing as many as 1.5 million American soldiers for service.  More than 1,400 horses and cavalry units trained across its expansive terrain, and soldiers bound for battlefields around the world shipped through its gates. 

In 2012, Fort Ord was designated Fort Ord National Monument, and today, those same grounds welcome all Americans, with 86 miles of trails managed by BLM for hikers, equestrians, cyclists, and families.

 “The Army trained Americans here to protect our nation”, said BLM Central Coast Field Manager Zachary Ormsby. “Today, the Bureau of Land Management manages these lands so future generations may experience them, learn from them, and find connection here.”

The ceremony honored both the past and the future. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center joint Service Color Guard opened the event in tribute to Fort Ord's military heritage, while a local elementary school choir from Toro Park School performed on the same grounds where soldiers once trained, a reminder that these lands now belong to the next generation. “The motto of the 11^th Cavalry is ‘Keeping the Tradition Alive,’” Ormsby said, “Today, we do exactly that.”

The ceremony also marked the dedication of a new interpretive sign at the gravesite of Comanche I, the beloved BLM mustang who belonged to U.S. Army veteran and member of the 5^th Cavalry Regiment, Sergeant Alan MacDonald. Together, MacDonald and Comanche I actively worked alongside the 11^th Cavalry Blackhorse Regiment at Fort Ord. When Comanche I passed, Sergeant MacDonald adopted a second horse, named Comanche II through BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program, and the two rode together in Monterey community parades for 23 years, well into Sergeant MacDonald’s nineties.

Despite its significance, the story behind Comanche I remained largely unknown to most visitors. Wanting to bring that history forward, BLM Park Ranger Tammy Jakl—who has served at Fort Ord since 2001—set out to change that.

“No one was telling that story unless I happened to be leading a hike that day," she said. "It was time to educate the public, to let them know this is a special spot, and Comanche I was special to Sergeant MacDonald, his family, and this whole community."

Known in the community as Ranger Tammy, she worked closely with Sergeant MacDonald's daughter to design the sign and bring dedication to life, a process years in the making.

"I've known Sergeant MacDonald since I started here in 2001, and I've worked with his daughter through this whole process," she said. "To be able to give this to them, that's really important.  I feel honored to be a part of it."

BLM Wild Horse and Burro Ambassadors Freedom and Liberty greeted visitors throughout the day, connecting the animals that helped build this country to the program that cares for them today.

"I get to tie together the history of the Wild Horse and Burro program with the history of America," said June Wendlandt, BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist traveling across America with the pair. "The backs of these animals are the reason our country is what it is today. Standing here at Fort Ord and talking to people about that connection, it's just amazing."

That spirit runs through everything at Fort Ord, from the cavalry soldiers to the color guard to the children singing on the lawn. 

Ormsby closed the ceremony with a message that tied the day’s theme together:

"Democracy, freedom, and stewardship endure because people choose service," he said. "Sergeant Alan MacDonald chose service. The soldiers who trained here chose service. The public servants who manage these lands choose service. And through those choices, generation after generation, America endures."

Fort Ord National Monument is open year-round. For more information, visit https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/california/fort-ord-national-monument