Page 4 - Fort Irwin High Desert Warrior, January 2021

4 High Desert Warrior www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin
January 2021
Community

Mission Accomplished: NTC staple retires

after 36 years in range operations

by Janell J. Lewis Ford biggest thing is, technically I started out here
when the Army and everybody was still in the
NTC/Fort Irwin Garrison Public A airs
analog era,” Peck said. “ is was before digital
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — When George and computers and everything else.”
Peck rst came to Fort Irwin, it wasn’t even When Peck began working as a scheduler in
called “Fort Irwin,” and “ e National Training the 1980’s, he said there were no computers.
Center” wasn’t heard of yet. ey had typewriters, mini fax machines and
“ ey called it Camp Irwin but it was just sometimes made copies o of mini graphics
a little base.” Peck said. “All the troop housing machines.
was all temporary because they didn’t have “And all correspondence around the instal-
full-time units stationed out here.” lation between the organizations, you used
Peck, 65, rst came to “Camp” Irwin in what they called routing envelopes,” Peck
1978 when he joined the National Guard’s said. “If you want to send something over to
1/185 Armored Battalion, 40th Infantry Divi- the post headquarters or a unit or something,
sion. Now, 42 years later, he’s nally leaving. you’d stick the memo or form in the routing
“I got a job out here in 1984, and that was envelope, put the address and then somebody
back in, I believe it was, the DynCorp days, came around every day and picked up all the
base contractor, and they had some openings routing envelopes, then they’d take ‘em and
out here for some o -hours, o -duty, supervi- drop them o at the other organization, that
sor personnel and I got a job with that.” was your ‘email.’”
In 1986, Peck was transferred to the Ranges Peck said the 30-plus years of change hap-
Operations department (referred to as Range pened gradually.
Control back then) as a range scheduler. at’s “Of course, everything happens slowly, you
where he worked for the next 36 years, barring don’t notice a whole lot of change all at once
three years in the Installation Post Safety O ce but step-by-step-by-step, then we got the rst
from 1990-1993. sets of computers,” Peck said.
On Dec. 30, 2020, Peck o cially retired Peck also talked about the first target-
from his position in Range Ops Safety. practice equipment at NTC in the 1980s.
Early Life “When I started working here, the only tank
Peck was born in Iowa but his family moved gunnery range we had was up in the middle of
to Southern California in 1962 after his dad the installation and we were still using a vehicle
graduated. Peck joined the Army in 1972, after that had been mounted on railroad wheels and
graduating from Eisenhower High School in it pulled a target around a railroad track,” Peck
Rialto. said. “ at was the moving target for tank gun-
“I was originally stationed at Fort Hood, nery back in those days.”
Texas, for two years, and then I was stationed Today, everything is digital and electronic
at Fort Lewis, Washington, for two years until and run from the tower. lot of the projects you work on here.” I hate snow.”
I got out,” he said. “Yea, back in the old days, we didn’t even Peck said the feeling of accomplishment Although he’ll miss the sun, shores and
He joined the National Guard in 1978 have uniforms at rst in Range Operations,” never gets old. sand, there’s one thing he’s happy to leave
in Southern California and retired from the Peck said. “Everybody was running around in “Working with Soldiers, I’ve always liked behind.
Guard in 2001. T-shirts and cowboy hats mostly down range.” that,” he said. “Trying to give them training, “What I won’t miss is the drive,” he said.
Biggest Changes he’s seen at NTC Peck said he never really noticed all the so they can improve their skills as they move “I’ve got about a 40-minute drive. I’m pretty
When asked about the most signi cant dif- changes over the years at rst, “But then one up through the ranks, also, you get a sense of well tired of the scenery. It has literally not
ferences between when he rst came to NTC day you stop and look back and you go ‘wow, satisfaction out of that.” changed in 30 years between Barstow and
versus now, Peck said, “Pretty much everything all of this is di erent.’” What’s Next Fort Irwin.”
has changed, I’d guess.” Why stay for three decades? Peck started his life, living with his mother Overall, Peck said his experiences and time
He said the base he described as a “little In a world where Americans spend an aver- and father and when he retires, he’s fortunate spent at NTC and Fort Irwin have all been
base” 40-plus years ago, has expanded and had age of only ve years in one job (thebalanceca- to have his mother’s home to return to live. memorable.
everything rebuilt. reers.com), remaining at the same occupation “I’m moving back to Oklahoma,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the work, I’ve enjoyed the
“I think my biggest memory looking back for nearly 40 years is unheard of but Peck said “I’m going to live with my mother, she’s 88 people out here,” he said. “Not too many
now is that rst 10 years working out here he loved what he did. years old now.” people I started working with are still out here,
with the Range Ops and the Safety,” Peck said. “I found a job that I liked and I was in- Pecks mother lives alone in Edmond, Okla- of course, but there’s a few people here.”
“ at’s when they were guring out how to do terested in,” he said. “I liked the variety of homa, in the same town as Peck’s sister.
things out here and they were expanding and things— you’re never doing the same thing Peck also has a 30-year-old son who lives in Peck said through it all, he remained steady
building and putting infrastructure.” week after week when you work for Range Lawton, Oklahoma, and a 32-year-old daugh- on the Army’s goals.
He said the Rotational Units Bivouac Area Operations, that’s for sure. You just have ter who is married to a Coast Guard o cer with “We’re all focused on accomplishing the
(RUBA) had no buildings at rst—just pop-up Soldiers continuously coming in here and you relatives living in Oklahoma. mission and supporting the soldiers,” he said.
tent cities with no over-cover shades. take it and get them a plan and work through Misses and Not-so-much misses “ at’s one thing that hasn’t changed and I en-
Peck was also a part of the transition into their issues and then you get them organized When it comes to Southern California, joyed working with the soldiers, even the new
the digital age. and scheduled and set something up and then Peck, who lives in Barstow, said, “I like the guys who don’t even know what a typewriter
“Back in the old days, I guess maybe the you’ve kind of got a start-to- nish feeling to a weather out here, I don’t have to shovel snow, is, but that’s ne.”

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