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Former educator, now turned historian Dr. Elizabeth Taylor has released her third book titled “Images of America: Camp Forrest and Its Legacy”. With over 125 rare photos from archives and personal collections, the book offers a visual guide to the impact that Camp Forrest had in the American war effort during World War II and the legacy that it still has in the Coffee County region to this day.

Taylor said, “Camp Forrest shaped the identity of this region during World War II […] its legacy lives on through the people who trained, worked, and lived here, and through the communities that continue to honor their service.”

When asked what she focuses on in this book, she said for this book she focused on the leaders.

“You only hear a few names in the military,” she said. “There are so many other names that have passed with time.”

With over 70,000 military personnel having been trained at Camp Forrest and another 20,000 civilians hired by it, the effect that it has had on the Middle Tennessee area can still visibly be seen today. While the physical camp no longer exists, the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) occupies the place that Camp Forrest once operated during the pivotal years of the war.

Taylor will host two book signing events in Tullahoma for the release of “Images of America: Camp Forrest and Its Legacy”.

The first book signing will be on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the American Legion Post 43, located at 109 NW Atlantic St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and The Book Shelf, located at 114 SW Atlantic St., from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Taylor’s book catalog can found and purchased on Amazon and at local bookstores.