Rumor Doctor: Fort Irwin’s front gate
I think it was 1983 when I went to Fort Irwin with 2d Armored Division’s 1/41st infantry as the first rotation of a Bradley unit through the National Training Center’s grueling and realistic combat simulation two week deployment. Just the trip there was grueling enough. We flew into some air base in San Bernadino and then took buses for more than three hours to Barstow, CA, jsut outside of Fort Irwin – we were relieved when we finally drove through the main gate. Little did we know that it was still a half hour more to the main post.
The Rumor Doctor,Jeff Schogol, our newly-minted tip ninja, investigates whether the main gate was so far from the main post in an attempt by the Army to screw soldiers out of travel pay which has been a rumor that I’ve heard since that trip.
Those who’ve been there may have heard that the base front gate was moved closer to the nearest city so that soldiers would not be eligible for a special pay to compensate them for being in the middle of nowhere.
Category: Military issues
I read that yesterday, and noticed that it was 100% rumor, and that “remote location” pay is non-existent in CONUS locations. I did consider however, that one could make a case for “hardship” pay for having to be stationed at lib heavy locations such as the Presidio, etc.
I think we shared a Plane ride. I was part of a Contact team from 124th Maint. Bn. that rotation. I remember Brads being painted a desert pattern MERDC camo before rail loading at Hood, and a semi Afrika Korps insignia painted on (Palm Tree with 2AD triangle instead of swastika) it was my first experience with the MRE as well.
The AF base was Norton. Did 4 tours at NTC back in the day (same time frame as you) with the 24th ID, except my stays were usually 30-45 days, since we were usually a task force that worked with Division and Corps (XVIII Airborne) elements.
Now that you mention it Sean, I ate my first MREs there, too. Good to “see” ya again.
Sean:
A brother wrench turner! 502FSB in the 2AD. Saw many nights and in the desert at Ft. Irwin. I don’t miss that sand pile or the “dust bowl”. GP tinies anyone (shelter halves)? I understand they have real barracks there now.
When I was privileged to be a member of the OPFOR (Long live the Regiment) for 36 rotations this whole gate thing was a persistent rumor along with the north western impact area having nerve agent in it. But as someone stated, I don’t think you can get pay in CONUS for remote locations. Nonetheless, a fun rumor to talk about but too clever by half for the Army LOL.
That’s one place I won’t miss. We were supposed to fly back the day we went into Panama….all flights got re-routed and we had no ride to Ft. Hood. Just my luck to be on baggage detail because they ended up with a C-5 going to Ft. Hood empty first so the baggage detail got to go home first and the rest of my unit was stuck for another day….
5 miles? What? Your introduction to Ft Irwin begins with counting the many white crosses along the road, where stupid, or drunk, or stupid drunk drivers crashed and died. They have significantly widened and improved the road since 2000, adding loooong passing lanes and fairly wide shoulders. No longer do you need to traverse some of the more “colorful” ares of Barstow, as the road has by-passed the town completely, and scored it’s own on/offramp on the highway. Also added is a cute little 1 foot tall fence to keep the desert tortoise off the road, and herd it into pipes running beneath the road so they can get to the other side, without a loud pop of wheels crushing them to the pavement. The crosses are still there. After a mind numbing, straight line crossing of the valley, and just before the road thankfully makes a curve, you come upon an M1 tank welcoming you to the paradise known as Ft Irwin…enjoy your stay! Soon after, the rainbow assortment of giant unit patches looms in the windshield as the famous painted “Rockpile” passes by (try not to stare, you’ll look like a tourist or worse, a FNG). Topping the rise, you finally see the actual gate, glistening in its brick and glass and steel, and manned by private security most of the time. One big improvement, is that you can quickly register you vehicle right there, rather than wait for an indifferent civilian clerk and the very slow lines at the regular registration office. The latrine is nicer too. Now, passing through the gate, you are less than 1.5 miles from the Popeyes Chicken and PX complex, about 2 miles from the Dust Bowl, and still 100 miles from nowhere in the middle of the Mojave desert. For those who were stationed there prior to 9/11, FI has been rebuilt from the ground up. Yes, the heat is still there. Yes, the dust is still there. Yes, the long rotations are still there. But with new barracks, PX complex, schools, food court, museum, on-post housing, and decently paved roads…..… Read more »
One of the units I supported 2/41 had the distinction of hitting the support for the overpass on the route from Yermo to Ft. Irwin and closing the interstate. One of your sister units John. I actually never came in the front gate at Ft. Irwin, always the backway from the railhead.
I was there in Feb of 2008 for NTC. It reminded me of the prison from Star Trek 6 where there was no walls, gates or guards. It was two blocks in any direction and endless nothing. There was a great guy that had a phly cheese steak that was out of this world. I would be willing to go back to NTC if I knew he would still be there.
But what was funny was while we were there the CG told OPfour to leave us alone in certain areas because we were doing real world improvements. The cop near the live fire convoy range. We built that.
The BC LTC Cross (a student under Jonn) had all the command staff run with him to the gate and back. A few days before we returned home.
Never had the pleasure of training at Ft. Irwin but from anyone describing it, I think that was a good thing…but there’s a railhead at Ft. Hood we used to run…
New barracks? Only if you’re privileged to be assigned to 2/11. 1/11 is voluntary confinement. And here’s a fun fact about Irwin is its still Force COM never deploying more than a linguist while it pulls TRADOC duties. So if you’re stationed there you got 2 weeks of box work then 2 weeks of checking the box for a deployment that will never come.
I was part of Operations Group with the Observers. We provided mogas and diesel for the vehicles. Goat Mountain is etched in my mind, because I lost a jeep leaving a resupply point. Report Of Survey (Totaled)!
I went to NTC so many times from 1989 to 1995 with the 48th FSB 2AD and 215th FSB 1Cav.
I couldnt stand NTC after awhile and was told it was training blah blah. After the 8th time it was not training for me.
The OPFOR at NTC were some cheating bastards while we rotated through there.