FReeper Canteen ~ Road Trip: Fort Irwin, California ~ 21 APR 2015

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~

Road Trip: Fort Irwin, California

Fort Irwin & the National Training Center (NTC) is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of 2,454 feet. It is located 37 miles northeast of Barstow, in the Calico Mountains.

The base is part of the Installation Management Command (IMCOM). The opposing force at the NTC is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the Blackhorse Cavalry, who are stationed at the base to provide an enemy force to units on a training rotation at Fort Irwin.

Fort Irwin works within the R-2508 Special Use Airspace Complex.

On 9 August 1979, the Department of the Army announced that Fort Irwin had been selected as the site for the National Training Center. With over 1,000 square miles for maneuver and ranges, an uncluttered electromagnetic spectrum, airspace restricted to military use, and its isolation from densely populated areas, Fort Irwin was an ideal site for this facility. The National Training Center was officially activated 16 October 1980.

The National Training Center and Fort Irwin continue to serve as the Army's premier training center. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the National Training Center has transformed to focus on continuous counterinsurgency operations that reflect the ongoing and rapidly changing battlefield.

One of the unique aspects of the base is the presence of several mock "villages" which are used to train troops in urban warfare prior to their deployment. The villages are supposed to mimic real villages from Iraq and Afghanistan and have variety of buildings like mosques, hotels, traffic circles, etc. filled with Arabic-speaking actors playing villagers, street vendors, and insurgents.

The biggest two are known as Medina Wasl and Medina Jabal, and are located several miles from Fort Irwin. Most of the buildings are created using intermodal containers like lego, but some can be much more elaborate and are actually built using Iraqi building standards.

Learn More About Fort Irwin HERE!!

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.

Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun!

We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity.

We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon.

We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way.

God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always

To: Kathy in Alaska; y'all; Arrowhead1952; beachn4fun; E.G.C.; GodBlessUSA; ConorMacNessa; HiJinx; ...

Gooood Tuesday mornin', Early Birds!
Hope you all are having an easy day of it!
I'm off and I slept in a bit.
It was nice to wake up without the alarm!
I hate that thing! LOL!
All y'all have a GREAT day!
((((hugs))))

John...hurry back! We need to see the weather! :)

41 posted on 04/21/2015 7:25:56 AM PDT by luvie (All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris, Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL Vets, too!)

((HUGS))Good morning, LUV W. How’s it going?

42 posted on 04/21/2015 7:30:16 AM PDT by E.G.C.

Howdy, EGC! (((hugs)))

All is well here. I have a day off, and that’s a good thing. We’ve been really busy lately and I needed the break.

Hope you and Bo have gotten some Lake-time lately! :)

43 posted on 04/21/2015 8:01:55 AM PDT by luvie (All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris, Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL Vets, too!)

To: mylife; Kathy in Alaska; laurenmarlowe; SandRat

I was with the 101st MI in ‘81-’84; we did two rotations at the NTC. The one I missed out on was a roadtrip. We convoyed all of the wheeled vehicles in the battalion from Ft. Riley, KS to Ft. Irwin, CA via Ft. Huachuca, AZ; the BN overnighted at Army Reserve armories in Kansas and New Mexico.

While at Ft. Huachuca, we demonstrated the new Communications/Electronic Warfare/Intelligence (CEWI) Battalion concept to students at the Intelligence School. From what I heard, everyone had a great time; even the few inevitable breakdowns turned into adventures for the soldiers involved!

44 posted on 04/21/2015 9:36:30 AM PDT by HiJinx (I can see Mexico from my back porch...soon, so will you!)

I was a pre-schooler at the time, but I remember bits and pieces of the trip from Merced to Biloxi; we had a canvas bag filled with water that we placed in front of the radiator on the car to keep it from overheating as we passed through that desert.

45 posted on 04/21/2015 9:42:45 AM PDT by HiJinx (I can see Mexico from my back porch...soon, so will you!)

I can tell you 1st hand of those adventures. ☺

At least no one was killed.

46 posted on 04/21/2015 3:13:39 PM PDT by mylife ("The roar of the masses could be farts")

Yup, she gets hot hot hot.

47 posted on 04/21/2015 3:14:24 PM PDT by mylife ("The roar of the masses could be farts")

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