Fort Chaffee in 1975 to 1976 became a processing center for the refugees from the Southeast Asia area. The fort helped the refugees with the medical screenings and later on helped the people their to grow accustomed to America and find a place to live. Chaffee would process 50,8009 people during the Vietnam era. In 1980, Chaffee became a Cuban resettlement center after Castro allowed the American Government to pick up refugees at the port of Mariel. What resulted from the Cubans being resettled at Chaffee was a riot led by some of the refugees and two buildings were burned. Arkansas state troopers dispersed the crowd with tear gas and made 84 arrests.
The 1980's and 1990's were hetic times for the fort. In 1987, Chaffee became the home of Joint Readiness Training Center for the army. The center was moved to Fort Polk, Louisiana, in 1993. The mid 1990's were rough for Chaffee when it wound up on the Base Closing List of the federal government. September 11, 2001 the fort was declared a closed post. The fort also in 2005 served as a temporary home for the refugees after Hurricane Katrina.
Chaffee has also had several films shot on location there. A Solider's Story was filmed there as Biloxi Blues and the Tuskegee Airmen. Chaffee was and is important of the local history of the Fort Smith area and its service will be remembered by the people that served there and by the kids that were playing in their grandfather's pasture and could hear the training going on. Chaffee has been there when America has needed it and in the future it is doubtful Chaffee will let anyone down.
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