Darby Military Community is a United States military complex in Italy between Pisa and Livorno. It is under Italian military control and can be managed anytime by Italian authorities. The base was formally dedicated on 15 November 1952 as Camp Darby, and is named in memory of Brigadier General William O. Darby, Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Mountain Division, who was killed by enemy artillery on 30 April 1945on the shore of Lake Garda, Italy. The main square on Camp Darby is dedicated to the memory of Pvt. Masato “Curly” Nakae, a Japanese-American soldier who fought during World War II in the vicinity of Pisa with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts. Camp Darby is home to the Darby Military Community, the 731st Munitions Squadron, 405th Army Field Support Battalion- Africa, 839th Trans, Livorno Unit Schools, AAFES and DECA. Annual events open to the public include the Run to the Tower in September/October and the Italian-American Carnival in June. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the 7th Medical Command had its United States Army Europe Contingency Hospital warehoused here. The 100 bed USAREUR Contingency Hospital was Congressionally mandated after the bombing of the barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Its mission was to be prepared upon 18 hours' notice from Congress to respond to any terrorist or natural disaster in the eastern hemisphere. The unit drew its staff from hospitals throughout Europe and deployed in support of Display Determination exercises in Turkey and northern Italy. In 2012 the U.S. Army announced that the Garrison at Camp Darby would be realigned as a satellite installation of USAG Vicenza at Caserma Ederle with some reduction in staffing and would be referred to as Darby Military Community. As a result of this realignment Camp Darby has seen a dramatic reduction in services offered. Many MWR programs have been curtailed and are only available through USAG-Italy. Medical services for the majority of the community is handled on the economy by Italian-run hospitals and clinics. Currently, personnel stationed at Camp Darby can utilize patient liaison services to have a translator accompany them to their appointments. This service is currently under review by Army Medical Command and may be discontinued as soon as 2019. Overall, Camp Darby is a shell of what it once was offering very few amenities offered by other foreign Army posts.
