Fort Drum

Fort Drum lies about 70 miles north of Syracuse and 10 miles north of Watertown in northern New York, and it has been home to the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) since the division was reactivated there on Feb. 13, 1985, according to the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS overview of Fort Drum.

Getting there: call Reception Activity before you pay for a ride

Hancock International Airport in Syracuse is the closest major airport. The Fort Drum Reception Activity shuttle makes free runs to the Syracuse and Watertown airports and the Watertown bus station as needed, weather permitting, and the overview’s advice is direct: “Please check with Reception Activity before paying for any services. They will come and get you.” A taxi from Syracuse averages $150, and you must ask for a receipt to claim it, per the Fort Drum MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page. Volunteers at the CPL Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room, next to baggage claim at the Syracuse airport, help with hotels and rides, daily from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. (315-455-3440).

Signing in

All Soldiers sign in at the Reception Activity Barracks, 4412 Camp Swift Road, where Staff Duty is on hand 24 hours a day, every day of the year (315-772-0423 or 800-661-7158), per the Fort Drum check-in page. Bring your ID card, orders and medical and dental records. You may sign in in civilian clothes, but you wear your uniform for in-processing. Day 0 is at your unit; Day 1 is at Clark Hall, where you file your travel voucher (DD Form 1351-2) and receive briefs from TRICARE, Child and Youth Services and Army Community Service. Spouses are encouraged to attend, even after the Soldier has finished. The rest of in-processing is spread over 8 to 12 business days.

If you are married or have custody of your children, make sure your orders list dependents as yes, and if they do not, ask your losing unit to amend them. Concurrent travel must be authorized on your PCS orders, or the military will not pay for your family to travel.

Temporary lodging

Temporary lodging on Fort Drum is privatized and managed by the InterContinental Hotels Group, and a Statement of Non-Availability is no longer needed to stay off post. Reserve as far in advance as possible through IHG Army Hotels (877-771-8326 or 315-773-7777). Rooms for pets are limited: IHG charges a $75 nonrefundable fee per pet for one to six nights and $10 per night per pet after that, allows no more than two pets per room, accepts only cats and dogs and requires vaccination records at check-in.

Housing on post

Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes, a privatized partnership with the U.S. Army, maintains 3,793 homes on post with two to five bedrooms; rent covers utilities, trash and recycling pickup and 24-hour emergency maintenance, per the Fort Drum housing page. Every applicant is encouraged to start the advanced application process early (315-955-6644).

All Soldiers in the rank of sergeant (E-5) and below who are not entitled to BAH at the with-dependents rate must live in the barracks, and so must dual-military Soldiers E-5 and below without other dependents whose spouse is assigned to a different duty station. Soldiers E-6 and above, including officers, are entitled to BAH and are not eligible for the barracks, per the Fort Drum government housing page. Single and unaccompanied Soldiers E-6 and above can apply to The Timbers, 192 one- and two-bedroom apartments on post next to the Rhicard Hills housing area (315-777-8000); advance applications are accepted.

Housing off post: start early if you need three or more bedrooms

The installation warns that three-, four- and five-bedroom apartments “are not always readily available”, and that newly arriving Soldiers seeking larger homes should plan more time and look at rentals farther from Fort Drum. Most off-post homes are unfurnished with a 12-month lease, and you should expect a security deposit, first month’s rent and a pet deposit. The housing page calls it “extremely important” that your lease contain a military clause that lets you terminate early under the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act if you deploy or receive PCS orders, and it advises having the Housing Services Office or the Legal Assistance Office review the lease before you sign. The Housing Services Office is in Clark Hall, Room A2-54, next to the Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes Welcome Home Center, and keeps a weekly list of available rentals.

Medical care: no hospital on post

“There are no hospital facilities on Fort Drum”, the Fort Drum health care page says. Inpatient and emergency care are provided at civilian hospitals; the closest emergency rooms are Samaritan Medical Center, 830 Washington Street in Watertown, and Carthage Area Hospital, 1001 West Street Road in Carthage. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Family members and retirees are seen at Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic (appointments 315-772-2778 or 888-838-1303); the troop medical clinics see service members only. Care is given by priority to TRICARE Prime enrollees, and patients not enrolled in Prime are seen on a space-available basis. If you need care off post, contact the TRICARE office before making the appointment, or you may face out-of-pocket costs. Families who choose the US Family Health Plan at Martin’s Point instead of TRICARE Prime receive all their care from civilian providers and have no access to treatment on post. Routine dental care on post is for active-duty members only; families use the TRICARE Dental Program (844-653-4061).

Schools: your housing area picks the district

There are no school districts on Fort Drum, the Fort Drum education page says. Students living in the Rhicard Hills housing community attend the Carthage Central School District, and students in Adirondack Creek, Crescent Woods or Monument Ridge attend the Indian River Central School District. You may enroll while you are in temporary lodging. Carthage Middle School serves grades 5 to 8 and Indian River Middle School grades 6 to 8.

Child care

Children must be registered with CYS Parent Central Services before joining any program; registration is free and by appointment (315-772-8675), per the Fort Drum child care page. Care is requested through MilitaryChildCare.com, there are waiting lists, and priority goes to CYS employees, single Soldiers and dual-military couples. A CYS health assessment, including an up-to-date physical, is due within 30 days of registration.

Pets: 30 days, two per home and a breed ban

Pets living on Fort Drum must be registered with the Veterinary Clinic and microchipped within 30 days of arrival, under garrison policy, and licensed with the Town of LeRay, per the Fort Drum MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page. Residents of privatized or government housing are limited to two dogs or cats per household. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, Chows, wolf hybrids and mixes of those breeds are not permitted, along with any dog that shows dominant or aggressive behavior, unless it is a certified military working dog boarded by its handler. New York requires rabies vaccination for dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets; pets are not quarantined on arrival at Fort Drum, and you must give the Mountain Community Homes office a copy of your dog’s license within 45 days of assignment, per the Fort Drum shipping pets page.

Winter and the rules of the road

Fort Drum gets below-zero temperatures from time to time, and snow can begin as early as October and last into April. Arrive with winter jackets, snow boots, thick gloves, hats, a snow brush and an ice scraper, or plan to buy them on arrival. New York law and Fort Drum forbid using a hand-held phone while driving. On post, the speed limit is 35 mph unless posted, with lower limits in housing areas, and parking on post roadways is prohibited from November 1 to April 1 for snow removal, per the Fort Drum motor vehicles page. New York requires a new resident to apply for a New York driver’s license within 30 days of becoming a resident; ask the legal office whether that applies to you.

Legal assistance

The Legal Assistance Office is on the second floor of Clark Hall, Room A2-68 (315-772-3067), and provides free advice to Soldiers and family members; powers of attorney and notarizations are available on a walk-in basis, per the Fort Drum legal assistance page. The page adds that the Fort Drum Claims Office no longer processes household goods claims and sends questions to the Fort Knox Claims Office (502-626-3000). If your household goods arrive damaged or with items missing, the Military OneSource moving claims guide gives you 180 calendar days from delivery to send the moving company a written notice of loss or damage, for shipments picked up on or after May 15, 2020; the itemized claim then goes in the Defense Personal Property System within 12 months of delivery if the shipment was picked up on or after May 15, 2026, or within nine months if it was picked up earlier.

Before you arrive

Call Reception Activity about your ride from Syracuse, start the on-post housing application or your off-post search early if you need three or more bedrooms, and pack for winter. Know that the closest emergency rooms are in Watertown and Carthage, not on post.