Page 5 - Fort Irwin High Desert Warrior, September 2021

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September 2021
September 2021
Community News

Excerpts from “The National Training Center and Fort Irwin” From ARCHAEOLOGY, Page 4

A History of NTC and Fort Irwin the glaring sunlight, it felt like we were 1960 Fort Irwin Guidebook. Operation Devil Strike, Operation General Paul Funk, 5th commander after being observed overseas.
entering a blast furnace. We all stood
“People who have been to this
e possibility of armed con ict Red rust, Autumn Safari Exercise of the NTC. “But those people held
us all to a higher standard the we had ght understand what needs to hap-
there a few minutes with nobody escalating to the deployment of and Brave Shield 17.
By Kenneth Drylie Bitter Springs would become an ature at their Furnace Creek campsite where they spent the night. e fol- he was somewhat distressed by his talking. It was as if we had landed on nuclear weapons led the Army to During the 1970’s, there were ever been held to before.” pen at the National Training Center
important stop for travelers through was 109 degrees. lowing day they drove what would new wealth. another planet, and nobody could conduct a large-scale training mission several proposals on how to best make Also introduced into the training to be relevant and to lead change,” -
Author of “ e National Training nd words to describe it or even to called “Exercise Desert Strike.” use of the facilities still remaining, but was the Multiple Integrated Laser Gen. Robert Cone, 15th commander
Not trusting banks, he persuaded
Center and Fort Irwin” the Mojave Desert. Traveling with Wheeler, was later become Route 66, from Daggett, a local merchant to hold his funds at damn it.” –from a World War II Story Desert Strike, the largest joint unused on the post. Some of the ideas Engagement System or MILES. e of the NTC.
Mountain Man Jedediah Smith photographer Timothy O’Sullivan. down the Cajon Pass into San Ber-
At rst glance, the Mojave Desert passed through the area while search- O’Sullivan started his career as a nardino. From San Bernardino, they the store in Daggett. As the amount by Robert F. Gallagher. service exercise since World War II, that were considered were a training system used lasers to record weapons Training at e National Training
doesn’t look like much. Most travelers ing for the legendary river. Father photographer working with Mathew would head into Los Angeles, where of cash grew, the shopkeeper began Life at MAAR was tough, Soldiers would begin with the “invasion” facility for Native Americans, a JOB hits on people and vehicles. Center continues to evolve, the Army
see it out the window as they blast Graces, in his earlier trips into Alta Brady prior to the Civil War. He they would receive a hero’s welcome to worry that bandits or the rail-road lived six men to a tent, the sand of the ctional country of Calonia, Corps training site or a research facil- President George H.W. Bush is always looking to future threats
through in their air-conditioned cou- California, believed the San Joaquin would gain a measure of fame from and celebration at the Italian Club in workers in nearby Barstow might get colored canvas blending into the which stretched from the Colorado ity dedicated to “Ecology.” acknowledged the success of the train- and getting forces ready to win the
pés, heading for Las Vegas, Laughlin River originated over the Serra Ne- his photographs of the Civil War. downtown Los Angeles. word of the large amounts of cash In forbidding landscape. River to the Paci c Ocean, by the In 1973, the post was considered ing when he visited the installation rst ght.
or other points East of the desert. To vada Mountains in the Great Basin. Wheeler produced many pho- The Thomas would eventually his store. In 1942, the reservation received ctional country of Nezona, which for use as a temporary refugee center shortly before he ordered the U.S. “ e enduring quality of the NTC
the casual observer, it’s a vast waste- is belief and a mistake by cartogra- tographs during the expedition, win the race, after the German Probst e shopkeeper’s wife convinced its official name, Camp Irwin, reached from the Colorado River for Vietnamese refugees. Military into action after the Iraqi is that it continues to change with the
land, desolate, uninviting. phers at the time, reinforced the belief but many were lost when the ex- automobile received a time penalty for Lemoigne that he should allow her to in memory of Maj. Gen. George to Texas. e local congressional representa- invasion of Kuwait. times and the absolute commitment
e truth is the desert is full of by mountain men and trappers that pedition’s boats overturned in the shopping their car part way by rail. build him a large house at his Garlic LeRoy Irwin, World War I battle e exercise would involve over tive stated in an interview that Fort “Your work here at the NTC re- to focus on what their mission is,”
life, man has occupied this challeng- there was a river that owed from the Colorado River. Mining returned to the area in Springs site. commander of the 57th Field Artil- 100,000 men, 7000 vehicles, 1,000 Irwin was on the short list for a new ects the state of training throughout Gen. William Wallace 10th com-
ing landscape for thousands of years. Great Salt Lake to San Francisco. In Wheeler would eventually create the early 1900, and in 1909 the He agreed and construction be- lery Brigade. In 1944 the camp was tanks and over 800 aircraft, and secret research facility. Taylor called the Army, demanding, tough, and mander of the NTC.
Animal life is abundant, just not easy 1826 Smith used Bitter Springs as a the rst accurate topographical maps town of Goldstone sprang from gan on what would be known as the deactivated. would take place in a battle space over the announcement “political” and remember you are, all of you, pre- Visitors – Political Figures and Hollywood
to see. camp site on his way to Los Angeles. of the Fort Irwin Area. the desert floor. The mines in Lemoigne Castle. e building was In 1951 the camp was reactivated ¼ of the United States. said the facility would go to China paring yourselves for combat and by e National Training Center at
Rabbits, squirrels, birds and other He returned again in 1827, before The Wheeler was one of four Goldstone remained in operation described as being a large, two-story and became the U.S. Army Armor 2nd Brigade, 40th Armored Divi- Lake, because of the poor condition doing so making a direct and lasting Fort Irwin is one of the most visited
small animals inhabit the desert oor, heading North to search for the river. extensive surveys being conducted until the mid 1930’s. square building with sported tur- and Desert Training Center, prepar- sion, part of Task Force Mojave, drew of Fort Irwin Road. contribution to the preservation of installations in the US Army.
perfectly camou aged to protect them At the end of the Mexican War, simultaneously by the U.S. Army. e Some of the more colorful min- rets, a spire and dormer window. A ing Soldiers for the war in Korea. all their equipment from the Fort In October 1980, the Army o - peace,” said Bush. The importance of the train-
from roving predators. Bighorn sheep a small group of Soldiers who had U.S. Congress felt that the surveys ers that occupied the area of Fort covered porch surrounded the bright Life was a little better in the Irwin Con-Site. Fort Irwin also sup- cially activated the National Training 9/11 and Beyond ing conducted at the NTC attracts
occupy the steep edges of the volcanic once been part of the Mormon Bat- were duplicating e orts and com- Irwin were John Lemoigne and red structure on all four sides and 1950s. More permanent facilities ported the units of the active Army Center at Fort Irwin. Taylor would After the attacks on the United Military and Civilian leaders from the
mountains rising above the sizzling talion, remained in California and bined them into one organization, Adrian Egbert. the building sported green trimmed had been built, the sand colored with logistics and repair support. remain as commander of Fort Irwin States on Sept. 11, 2001, and the in- United States and Allied Countries.
sand of the desert oor. Burros and were assigned to patrol the area from the U.S. Geological Survey. Egbert moved into the Cave windows with blue shutters. tents giving way to rows of white After the dust settled, it took the me- until the Regular Army assumed com- vasion of Afghanistan, training at the e close proximity to the enter-
wild horses, descended from those left San Diego to Los Angeles and sur- In 1881 borax was discovered in Spring area in 1925, creating a small Lemoigne found the building wooden barracks. chanics of Ft Irwin over eight months mand of the post in July 1981. National Training Center began to tainment industry, make Fort Irwin a
behind in the days of the old west, still rounding areas. In 1848, 35 Mormon Death Valley by Rosie and Aaron fuel and supply shop in one of the and the heavy oak furnishings inside ings at the remote post would to recover all the disabled vehicles. e National Training Center change from the tank on tank clashes natural choice to support production
roam free. Mountain lions, bobcats volunteers, headed home to Salt Lake Winters. Large borax smelting plants caves in the area. to be a bit more that what a simple continue to improve, more perma- e tradition of painting a rock e Army had realized that they of the past, to a more hybrid threat as of movies and television shows about
and coyotes watch the old or weak, City. They would camp at Bitter were established in the valley creating At the time, Cave Spring was the miner required. So he did what any nent facilities would be built and with unit distinct insignia started in needed an installation where they the Army experienced in the Middle the Army.
while bird of prey circle, each one Springs. Because of the alkali in the borax soap and for industrial uses. e main entrance into Death Valley and good miner would do, lled it with little by little, the desert camp would the 1967 when the 36th Engineer could train full Armored Brigades. East. Villages were hastily built, rst One of the earliest movies to
looking for their next meal. water of the spring, member of the nished product had to be moved was a fairly well traveled but di cult, dynamite and blew the building and be come home for the Soldiers and Battalion painted their Seahorse Patch Some place with just not the land, out of storage sheds and later using use Fort Irwin was the 1979 Movie
When man rst wandered into party, Je erson Hunt, would note on by wagon to the rail head in either road. Egbert met a wealthy widow, its contents into dust. families that would train the Nations on the Painted Rocks before they but open air-space, free of electronic stacked land-sea containers, with “Hair.” Although most of the movie
the Mojave, the landscape was much his map, calling it Bitter Spring. e Mojave or Daggett. Ira Sweatman, who became Egberts e mining years were coming Armed Forces. deployed to Vietnam. interference. ey found all of that holes cut into them for doors and is set in New York, the nal scenes are
di erent. Pleistocene lakes, now just name stuck. The borax was transported by business partner. Egbert built sev- to in the area, not that the mine had Camp Irwin Becomes a Fort e Guard Takes Over at Fort Irwin. windows. supposed to be at a U.S. Army base
dry lake beds, still lled at least season- James Marshall’s discovery of gold 20-mule-team wagons (actually made eral buildings at Cave Spring. Egbert dried up, but the U.S. Army was Until the 1960’s, the U.S. Army In 1971 Fort Irwin was deactivat- But after 10 years of laying The opposing force, now the in Nevada. e production team was
ally, providing much needed water for at Sutter’s Mill began an in ux of trea- up or 18 mules and two horses) de- spent his time prospecting or running looking for an area where they could presence in the Mojave Desert was ed and put into a surplus status, 40th mostly dormant, most of the post famed 11th Armored Cavalry Regi- allowed to use barracks at Fort Irwin
native camps. sure seekers to California. Although signed to move nine metric tons of ore the service station and he began to train Soldier on large weapon systems. considered a temporary solution. Armored Brigade assumed command was in disrepair. ment, would ll many roles during and the air eld at Daggett for the
For thousands of years, Native most went North to the gold elds in at a time. With teams hitched to the place food and water along the route ey found it in the middle of the e Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range and of the post, with Col. Irwin J. Taylor “ e living was tough, but the the simulations. e would still form departure of one of the main charac-
Americans flourished throughout the Serra Nevada Mountains, some wagon, the total length of the vehicle from Daggett to Death Valley. Mojave Desert. the Army Armor and Desert Train- as commander. In 1974 the National Soldiers understood what is was they the opposing military force, but now ters, as he deploys to Vietnam. e
California, even in the harsh environ- of the ‘49ers set up camp in the Fort was over 180 feet in length. Egbert would receive a visit from Camp Irwin – e Early Years ing Center were used by Soldiers Guard was reorganized and the 40th were doing and what they were do- would also represent an insurgent production unit also employee over
ment of the Mojave. Irwin area. On the Daggett run, the team famed author Ernie Pyle, who was On Aug. 8, 1940, President stationed at Camp Haan for training Armored Brigade and the 40th In- ing was important,” said Maj. Gen. population, criminal organizations, 1000 Soldiers for the scene.
e rst European to pass through Camel Expedition 1857 would leave Death Valley via Cave on his way to Death Valley to meet Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legisla- on crew-served weapons, artillery and fantry Brigade would become part of omas Cole, 2nd commander of local and regional governments, and Fort Irwin’s Bicycle Lake was the
the Mojave was Father Francisco One of the most ambitious under- Springs, travel around Bicycle Lake Death Valley Scotty. Pyle was working tion creating the Mojave Anti-Aircraft armored vehicles. the reformed 40th Infantry Division. the NTC. the local civilian population. testing ground in the opening scene
Garces in 1776. takings of the 1870’s was the Wheeler and head towards town along what for the Scripps-Howard Newspapers, Range on 1,000 acres of desolate e Army was preparing for the Fort Irwin would become the The process for repairing and In 2004, the NTC began to hire of the movie “GI Joe.” In the open-
After leading Capt. Juan Bautista Survey, o cially “the U.S. Geological is now the Mannix tank trail. traveling the country writing about terrain in the Mojave Desert, chosen worst, the possibility of open con ict home for summer training for the replacing the decaying infrastructure contract employees who had grown- ing, an experimental “nano-probe”
de Anza and his expedition from Rio Survey West of the 100th Meridian.” In 1908, a similar path was taken Americans, some famous, some just for the remote location that allowed with communist forces in Europe. It Division, brining life to the otherwise would take years, but the business up in the Middle East to play many of weapon is red at a moving tank. e
San Miguel, Mexico to the Colorado Lt. George Wheeler estimated that it by Antonio Scarfoglio when he regular people. the Army to train on the weapons that was apparent that the AADTC was quiet post. of training the Army got under way. the key civilian roles. ese new play- tank “dissolves” when attacked by the
River along the Gila River, Garces left would be a 15-year project. e goal passed through the area during the Pyle’s stories would be published would become the rst line of defense going to be needed for a long time. “Most of the year there is solitude By the mid-1980’s training rota- ers were able to bring a new level of Nano-probes.
the expedition in December 1775 and to map the entire Western United New York to Paris Automobile race. in a book, “Home Country,” after his during the coming war. After operating as a temporary facil- at the camp, this is relaxed living,” tions were in full swing. One of the cultural understanding to the exercise Personnel from Fort Irwin have
wandered North and West into the State to a scale of eight miles to one Scarfoglio, the driver of the Italian death in World War II. e story of e installation was a subsidiary of ity since 1941, Camp Irwin became Taylor told the San Bernardino Sun many training innovations at Fort and gave training units a much better also helped train actors for their
Mojave Desert. De Anza would con- inch. Zust car, was the only one of the four his night in Cave Springs is included Camp Haan in Riverside, California, a permanent U.S. Army facility on newspaper. “There are no urban Irwin was the creation of the profes- idea of the possible pitfalls of religious upcoming roles to add realism and
tinue to Monterey and San Francisco. Wheeler believe that quality maps cars remaining in the race to take a in the book. next to what is now March Reserve August 1, 1961, and the name was problems, you turn on you radio and sional, dedicated Opposing Force, and cultural di erences when operat- accuracy to the movies.
Garces would stop in the area would aid in the settlement of the Southern route out of Death Valley. John Lemoigne was something Air Field. changed to Fort Irwin. hear tra c jams outside of LA and which became the 177th Armored ing in a foreign land.
now known as Bitter Springs on his West by showing where roads, settle- After pausing at Stove Pipe well, the of a mystery, a tall, well-educated The trip up the Cajon Pass to “ is training mecca for tankers you chuckle to yourself.” Brigade. To add additional realism, Fort Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf came
way through the Cajon Pass, nding ments, railroads, dams and agriculture lead car, the American omas Flyer, Frenchman, he became a well-liked MAAR was not a pleasant one. As the presents a cross section of terrain that Taylor, who commanded the e 177th wore Soviet style uni- Irwin turned to near-by Hollywood to the post to meet real Army tank-
a new path to Los Angeles. could exist. would head South, cut through the member of the desert mining com- vehicles crossed into the desert, the o ers a sample of every natural topo- National Guard troops during the forms and used specially modi ed to make the containers look more ers and get up close with military
Another early visitor to the Bitter One of Wheeler’s early expeditions Panamint Mountains and head passed munity. One story has it that Lem- heat would become almost unbear- graphical feature to be found in the Watts Riots, stayed in command of vehicles made to look similar to the realistic, and add special e ects to the equipment prior to filming the
Springs area was Capt. John Fremont examined Death Valley, looking for Tehachapi on the way to San Fran- oigne had grub-staked a couple of able, but it would get worse by the battle elds of the world. e rugged Fort Irwin for 10 years. Soviet vehicles of the time. training simulations. movie “Fury.”
and Kit Carson. Fremont established a passage way across the dangerous cisco, the next major checkpoint. e fellow miners, who started to make time the Soldiers o -loaded in the land consists of at desert abruptly e fort was used for more than The OPFOR proved to be an Fort Irwin would continue to For the movie “Transformers,”
a camp in the area that would be used expanse and attempting to locate vital next cars would follow a similar path. a good bit of money. ey began High Mojave. rising to steep mountains, extreme just National Guard training. e incredibly tough opponent for the change and adapt training to re ect Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and
by travelers along the Old Spanish water sources in the area. Wheeler’s e Zust car chose to drive South, making payments to Lemoigne, “It had been hot riding in the temperature readings between 130 active Army would also use the training forces. the evolving situation in both Af- Zack Ward all received several days
and Mormon trails. team reported the night time temper- over Cave Spring and into Daggett who, preferring a simple life style, truck, but when we jumped out into and 25 degrees, all in all a formidable vast expanse of Fort Irwin for large “ e opposing force became ter- ghanistan and Iraq. At the peak of of military training by Soldiers of the
testing ground for the metal of armor scale exercises. ribly e cient and there weren’t very the wars, new enemy tactics could be 11th Armored Cavalry, to make the
See ARCHAEOLOGY, Page 5 and the mettle of man,” from the Some of the exercises included many wins by blue force units,” said inserted into training about three days battle scenes more believable.

For more information go to home.army.mil/irwin For more information go to home.army.mil/irwin