When land started to run out in central Massachusetts, the state's National Guard units began to search for sufficient space on which to hold their annual training. They found what they needed on Cape Cod. This land would become Camp Edwards and later the Massachusetts Military Reservation and the Otis Air National Guard Base. When World War II loomed, the reservation became a significant training area for units heading overseas, a proving ground for amphibious operations landing vehicles and equipment, and a major duty station in the lives of thousands of America's military men and women.