For those stationed at Fort Irwin, 11th ACR, what was a typical month for an infantryman?

2015-06-23T18:31:38-04:00

I'm pcsing here soon and want to hear what the Fort Irwin infantryman were doing while they were out here. I'm aware there's OPFOR rotations (18 days), foreign vehicles, and miles of desert. Leaders feel free to lend your voice to this discussion.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2015 6:33 PM

2015-06-23T18:33:23-04:00

I have never been and I heard that you either love it or you hate it, there is no middle ground. A lot of people I know can only provide experiences based off of NTC rotations. My only advice is to perform well in duty and get of post when you can and get involved with the community and make the best of it any way you can.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2015 6:41 PM

2015-06-23T18:41:21-04:00

It depends. We don't have 18 day rotations. It's 14 days. 1/11 & 2/11. We get a 4 day after each rotation.

Do you have a sponsor?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2015 6:44 PM

2015-06-23T18:44:44-04:00

I was stationed there for 35 months (not as an 11B) it is in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest town (Barstow), an hour drive to the nearest mall (Victorville), 1.5 hours from Las Vegas and 2.5 hours to LA. Either you like it or hate it and make sure that you have either Verizon, AT&T or Sprint cell phone service.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2015 8:23 PM

2015-06-23T20:23:15-04:00

Shoulda come to Hood there Sergeant!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2015 8:40 PM

2015-06-23T20:40:51-04:00

You'll probably be assigned to either 1/11th Ironhorse or 2/11th Eaglehorse Squadron. I was in RSS and 2/11th from 2010-2013.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jun 23 at 2015 8:41 PM

2015-06-23T20:41:57-04:00

Four years in the OPFOR, 94-98. Was loggie not an infantryman. A lot has changed. I ended up learning a lot compared to peers

Response by SGT Thomas Lucken made Jun 23 at 2015 9:49 PM

2015-06-23T21:49:27-04:00

When I left in 1991, was still 177th BDE! 11th ACR was still in Fulda Gap!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2015 3:00 AM

2015-06-24T03:00:29-04:00

I loved being at Fort Irwin. I enjoyed it more than my current station in Hawaii. You can drive 2.5 hours to Vegas, or 2 hrs to L.A. when you have your 4day each month. I did not mind it being away from everything. It kept me grounded and able to concentrate on the task at hand: Training! What is great is the structure Fort Irwin has. SOPs were followed and the training you did was precise. Not this "Do as I say, Not as I do" or "because I outrank you" attitude when it is not procedure or in keeping with standards. Of course, I have not been there in 4 years so I hope it did not change. It is a small community and everything is easily accessible. You can learn new things every day from the training. And while you do have that extreme dry heat in the summer (reaching 120F), it will get just as cold in the winter and the wind will pick up to 40/50mph in 40 degree temps. I miss those run days in pt shorts....

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2015 12:47 PM

2015-06-24T12:47:43-04:00

Irwin is the best kept secret in the Army if you are compatible with or can adapt to the isolation. Successive OPFOR training missions conducted simultaneously alongside of BLUFOR training missions increase the stress level of Iron Horse and Eagle Horse soldiers. The stress level for all training missions resemble a pulse on a medical monitor. I spent some of my long recovery weekends on the beach in Coronado, Santa Barbara, Temecula, and the Bay Area. On the long weekends I did not travel, I spent hours in the Barnes and Noble in Victorville or just driving in the desert. The drive to Vegas is particularly memorable: for miles the brown desert consumes four lane I 15. Stop in Baker at the Mad Greek for a gyro and a milkshake, play cards in Primm, and continue on into Vegas for the shows. You'll see I 15 open up a few miles after Primm and the road descends into Sin City. It's kinda awesome. For someone like me, that drive never gets old.

Response by SFC Jason Heritage made Jun 24 at 2015 4:34 PM

2015-06-24T16:34:04-04:00

The rotations as I remember there is RSOI week and that is getting everything ready, then rollout either Thursday or Friday. The first week of training is all STX so there is opportunity to come in at night, also when there is a Suspension of Battlefield Effects (SOBE). The second week is force on force and out the whole time. 1/11 and 2/11 switch off as leads for the rotation but augment from the non-lead unit. So it's 19 days straight of work then a 2 day weekend come back for 2.5 days to do recovery and such then off for the 4 day. There are 10 rotations a year, nothing in December and either June or July. Fort Irwin is 35 miles from the nearest "town" but 70 miles from the nearest REAL town. LA, Las Vegas, and San Diego are all roughly 2-3 houra away. San Francisco is 6-7 hours. In the early spring you can go to the beach in San Diego or go snowboarding at Big Bear. You have the best of everything as long as you are willing to travel. Living on post isn't bad, I could go a month on one fill up if I never left post. In the end it is what you make of it that will make you happy or miserable. Hope this helps.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Jun 25 at 2015 12:41 AM

2015-06-25T00:41:14-04:00

Beware of Goldstone Tracking Station while on night manuvers, it ruins your night vision!

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Jun 26 at 2015 11:46 PM

2015-06-26T23:46:49-04:00

SGT C. J. Di Mino, If you ever have a map, down time and wheels; you can always practice map reading by plotting and seeking out survey monuments @ Ft Irwin. One slow afternoon I located 4 of them. Vandals had pilfered the brass plaques from all of them.

Response by COL Robert Davies made Jun 30 at 2015 3:27 PM

2015-06-30T15:27:44-04:00

Spent 4 1/2 years in 04-08 with Theater Support Command and loved it. Part of that time 11th was down range. All the comments have been right on.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2015 5:27 PM

2015-09-22T17:27:47-04:00

Ok let me answer your question with the insight of an 11B team leader who has been here (still am) for 3 years and not some desk jockey who sits on FOB miami or at their desk the entire rotation. It's a lot of bullshit and not enough time to do it. There is little structure, more fragos than you can keep track of and even more taskings. As an infantryman you will be tasked for numerous details that involve doing other peoples jobs. You will be every mos on this post. You will have vehicles that break down every other time you take them because the mechanics have too much work with not enough staff. You will be tasked with providing 6 tracks the day before rollout even though you only have 15 guys and can not possibly man that many. You will rollout with a broken track and have to leave crews at the UMCP while they get fixed. You will be in a cavalry unit that does not give two shits about it's infantryman and will give cooks awards for mixing eggs with water but not our infantryman who kill multiple bradleys with a vietnam era m113 with a vismod on it. Also, this past eib the command groups said and i quote "i dont give a shit about your eib".

TL:DR - horrible place for an infantryman. No time to develop soldiers like a normal line unit. Infinite bullshit details because the pogs here who don't go to the field can't do their job

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Apr 17 at 2017 9:13 AM

2017-04-17T09:13:01-04:00

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 7 at 2018 2:51 PM

2018-02-07T14:51:09-05:00

Fort Irwin? Do they deploy?

Response by SSG Greg Miech made Jan 21 at 2021 10:28 PM

2021-01-21T22:28:46-05:00

I will never understand why our company stationed in Panama was sent there to be attached to a unit in rotation and fight the OPFOR. We got a few of the OPFOR which was a big deal then.