One of the largest peacetime military exercises ever implemented in the United States, Operation Longhorn took place in March and April 1952, and cost an estimated $3.3 million, according to the Lampasas County Historical Commission book “Lampasas County: Its History and Its People.” The operation featured the dropping of about 2,500 paratroopers, as well as staged “battles” between the “Aggressor Force” — led by troops from the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C. — and U.S. forces represented by several Army divisions from Fort Hood.