On March 17, 1827, Col. Henry Leavenworth received orders from Washington. Along with four companies of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, he departed from the Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis, traveled up the Missouri River, and selected a site for a permanent settlement. Cantonment Leavenworth was established on May 8, 1827, and renamed Fort Leavenworth on February 8, 1832. Since then, it has grown and met the demands of the U.S. Army. From the protection of pioneers along the Santa Fe Trail to peacekeeping missions among the Native Americans, the fort's role in the nation's expansion westward is second to none. Fort Leavenworth has continually reinvented itself to meet the challenges facing the nation. From training units during the Civil War to army education during Operation Enduring Freedom, the fort's many schools have stood true to their motto: Ad bellum pace parati (prepared in peace for war).

Kenneth M. LaMaster served at Fort Leavenworth from August 1979 until April 1982. Assigned to the United States Disciplinary Barracks, LaMaster found the rich tradition and history linking the fort to its past laid the foundations for its future, a future that supports not only an army of one but a community of one.