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FORT JACKSON (WACH) - Fort Jackson, in the business of training army recruits since 1917.  A lot has changed since then.

Today's army is a diverse force with people from all backgrounds holding various positions.  Base commander Major General James Milano says he's ready to meet the needs of his troops.

"A significant portion of our drill sergeant population are single parents, so this summer we are going to open up a 24-7 child development center, so we can support our workforce better here."

3,500 active military and 1,200 military members live on the sprawling base.  Milano says whether it's the rigors of combat or homesicknes; programs are in place to help these men and women get through it all.

"We opened a family life and resiliency center to help address some of the resiliency coping issues that our families have.  We're a very stressed out force, the army is overall, and that includes our family members."

The thousands of recruits that come through here each year are not off the hook either.  In addition to basic training exercises, their diet is free of fried foods. 

The meal plan is called "Fueling the Soldier."  First Lady Michelle Obama praised the program earlier this year during a visit to Fort Jackson.

"The bottom line is to treat soldiers as athletes, as a professional football team would have a training table," said Milano.  "We're controlling what we intake so we can get maximum physical and mental performance out of them."