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As a 92F this will be my 2nd duty station and I'm just looking for a few pointers about this area? Housing, shopping, etc?
Posted in these groups: 
PCS
Fort Irwin
PCS Fort Irwin
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 35
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LTC Paul Labrador
SPC Jeffrey Bly, thankfully I only ever went there for NTC and never had to stay.... ;o)
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LTC Paul Labrador
Sgt (Join to see) - IIRC 29 Palms is only over the mountain range from NTC...so yeah, they pretty much are the same place... ;o)
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Get ready for the suck! Cause the "suck train" is heading your way! Choo Choo!
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SFC Charles S.
SPC (Join to see) I've only been to it for NTC. And this is pretty much all there was when we were there. I hear stories of the OPH being nice. But Look at this map... it's forever away from anything. Bing Maps has a good image database.
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SPC Charles Brown
The one thing I can tell you about Fort Irwin @SPC Latasha Feaster is that you can expect to get sand in some very uncomfortable places, seriously.
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1LT (Join to see)
Mr. Staley! I was stationed here right out of Officer Basic in 2014. OPH is alright, a hell of a lot better than Fort Benning. PX/Commissary are very small. My only work related reference is from 11th ACR, we work a ton – usually in the field 10-14 days a month and usually only get 2 full weekends a month. Train the Force
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The post and particularly the Housing is top-notch. It is a long, long way to Barstow, though if you want anything not found in the Commissary/ PX. It is almost like an OCONUS base. Very isolated. But a drive to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, or LA is not too bad for a weekend.
There is an outlet mall in Barstow with a lot of good stuff in it.
There is an outlet mall in Barstow with a lot of good stuff in it.
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1LT William Clardy
1SG (Join to see), one of the bits of "common knowledge" back in the early days was that the front gate was positioned a couple of miles closer to town than the cantonment area to keep the post under the "mileage to nearest town" threshold for hardship duty.
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SSG (Join to see)
1LT William Clardy Sir, I was stationed at Ft. Irwin from 07-09 and the urban legend is that there was a SPC who masterminded moving the technical edge of the post to that distance (marked by the tanks on each side). Legend has it that he was "taken out" by people who didn't like the results.
There is literally 5 miles from the tanks on the side of the road until the access control gate, and then another 5 miles from the gate to the edge of the built up area (housing, shoppettes, crossroads, etc).
When I got stationed there I was under the impression that I would be assigned to the medevac unit, so I accepted housing on post. I was then assigned to the VIP/OPFOR aviation unit located at the Barstow-Daggett airport....so I got to do that commute every day for 2 years...in the opposite direction from everybody else. Fun times.
There is literally 5 miles from the tanks on the side of the road until the access control gate, and then another 5 miles from the gate to the edge of the built up area (housing, shoppettes, crossroads, etc).
When I got stationed there I was under the impression that I would be assigned to the medevac unit, so I accepted housing on post. I was then assigned to the VIP/OPFOR aviation unit located at the Barstow-Daggett airport....so I got to do that commute every day for 2 years...in the opposite direction from everybody else. Fun times.
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TSgt Frederick Horne
When you're a 1st SGT, housing is great. But for the lower enlisted it's the other side of the coin. Some of the lower enlisted housing is nice but most of it is horrible. It takes 35-45 minutes to get to Barstow going the speed limit. It takes a about a hour and a half to get to Victorville. This place is what you make of it. Have a poor attitude and become a hermit then you'll probably hate it. Good luck.
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
Basic load includes 'Visene' or equal eye product to moisten/wash your eyes, the dust is worse after it has been ground up by 1000's of tank treads!
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SGT Richard H.
CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 Not much difference in dust content from season to season!
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You will most likely be assignedto11thACR. If you're married fortirwin has someof the nicest housing I've had. There are several areas to travel and see, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San deigo.
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SGM Jeff Bullard
During the summer it's hot as hell and during g the winter it's cold as an igloo, but it's. A necessary evil
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
SPC Angela Bolster Just you try to sleep on top of a track in the summer, that is cold!
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SPC Angela Bolster
CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 I'm from Maine. I understand what cold is. Nothing on the west coast came close to the polar vortex crap we get from Canada, or a good ol fashioned Nor Eastah coming in off the ocean bringing 2 feet of snow. Lol
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Point blank: if you like training and learning, it's for you. If you are a shammer, you're out of luck; nothing but work out there.
This sanity of the soldiers there relies soley on the command, and or the support of the family. I was VERY relaxed with my subordinates because the climate needed my type of leadership. For that reason, I NEVER had issues with my soldiers. That's not to say you will be disappointed at your command. Right place right uniform covers alot, and go in with the mind set that you will work till 1800 or later everyday.
It gets VERY windy/cold, so pack right. Its gets Iraq (feel) hot, so pack right.
If you have more Questions, just DM. All in all, it's 40-50% what you make of it if you are single; WHOLE DIFFERENT ball game if you have dependents.
If single, be early, and when you have a chance, LEAVE IRWIN AND SEE CALI. Also, use the BOSS, it's awesome there, or can be.
If married, learn to communicate clearly about your schedule, if not, learn to walk away.... matter a fact..... Run, cool off, come back, apologize even if you were right. LEAVE IRWIN, even if it's just to laugh at the people in the Barstow Mall (Wal Mart).
This sanity of the soldiers there relies soley on the command, and or the support of the family. I was VERY relaxed with my subordinates because the climate needed my type of leadership. For that reason, I NEVER had issues with my soldiers. That's not to say you will be disappointed at your command. Right place right uniform covers alot, and go in with the mind set that you will work till 1800 or later everyday.
It gets VERY windy/cold, so pack right. Its gets Iraq (feel) hot, so pack right.
If you have more Questions, just DM. All in all, it's 40-50% what you make of it if you are single; WHOLE DIFFERENT ball game if you have dependents.
If single, be early, and when you have a chance, LEAVE IRWIN AND SEE CALI. Also, use the BOSS, it's awesome there, or can be.
If married, learn to communicate clearly about your schedule, if not, learn to walk away.... matter a fact..... Run, cool off, come back, apologize even if you were right. LEAVE IRWIN, even if it's just to laugh at the people in the Barstow Mall (Wal Mart).
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SPC (Join to see)
I will definitely have to learn my MOS so I am all for learning and progression thanks
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Was stationed at scenic Ft Irwin 1994-1998. The installation and housing have grown significantly. What has not changed is the following:
- Ft Irwin is 35 miles away from the edge of Barstow CA. There is one two-way road in and out. 80 miles to the nearest "mall" in Victorville CA. You will become intimately familiar with Interstate 15. 3 hours to LA. 2.5-3 hrs to Las Vegas NV.
- Irwin is not like other posts where you roll out the gate and you are in "town" and housing tracts right there. 35 miles of nearly uninhabited desert. If you live in Barstow, on the Marine Base (Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow), or out further in Victorville-Hesperia, it is a deliberate named operation to go to work everyday. I have lived on post and in Barstow. Advantages and disadvantages to both. Heavily consider fuel costs in this decision. CA gas is pricey.
- Summer temperatures get into the 120s. Winter it gets cold. It has snowed and been 90 degrees in the same day. Wide swings in temp between day and night. Hydrate and PT like crazy now to brace for that heat.
- What unit you are assigned to makes a significant difference in how a typical duty day will be.
- If you are assigned to the 11th ACR (OPFOR), you will be down range 2-3 weeks a month and fall in on a rotational schedule. The monthly 4 day comp weekend is in there too. You will have block leave in the summer and in the winter. Leave outside of those periods is on a case by case basis. The good news is you can buy plane tickets a year out and save $$$.
- If you are assigned to the Operations Group you may or may not live in the field, but you could.
- If assigned to anywhere else on Fort Irwin, you will have a more conventional duty schedule.
- My advice, run don't walk to the 11th ACR. Allons! You will learn a lot.
- Shopping: there is an outlet mall in Linwood, on the other side of Barstow on the interstate. There is a huge commissary at Irwin and a tiny one at MCLB. There is a massive PX at Irwin. Nearest Walmart is in Barstow.
- Schools: There is elementary and middle schools on Irwin. High School is in Barstow. You may get tasked for bus monitoring duty at some point if you have a HS student.
- Dust: if you have allergies, better stock up on stuff for it. Dust is everywhere and gets in everything.
- Car: At some point, you will have a tumbleweed go down the side of your car. Cost of doing business. Your windshield and car finish will suffer. Lots of pitting. If this is a concern for you get a California dust mop for your car to wipe off dust. Wash and wax. Good tires will be essential as nearly all your driving will be highway driving.
- Lots to see and do in the area. Hit MWR ITT to check it out. Discounted tickets to Disneyland if you are into that. I loath Disney and would rather be on a patrol in Paktika Province getting shot at.
- The vastness of it will weird you out at first, especially if you are an East coast person. You get used to it. All distances are three times what you think they are by visual estimation. Check the map before moving dismounted ANYWHERE. Water, Water, Water, Map.
- Rain: the desert typically gets a few inches of rain a year....but it comes all at once. When it does rain it will come with the risk of flash floods. Upside, sleeping outside not a big deal.
- Ft Irwin is 35 miles away from the edge of Barstow CA. There is one two-way road in and out. 80 miles to the nearest "mall" in Victorville CA. You will become intimately familiar with Interstate 15. 3 hours to LA. 2.5-3 hrs to Las Vegas NV.
- Irwin is not like other posts where you roll out the gate and you are in "town" and housing tracts right there. 35 miles of nearly uninhabited desert. If you live in Barstow, on the Marine Base (Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow), or out further in Victorville-Hesperia, it is a deliberate named operation to go to work everyday. I have lived on post and in Barstow. Advantages and disadvantages to both. Heavily consider fuel costs in this decision. CA gas is pricey.
- Summer temperatures get into the 120s. Winter it gets cold. It has snowed and been 90 degrees in the same day. Wide swings in temp between day and night. Hydrate and PT like crazy now to brace for that heat.
- What unit you are assigned to makes a significant difference in how a typical duty day will be.
- If you are assigned to the 11th ACR (OPFOR), you will be down range 2-3 weeks a month and fall in on a rotational schedule. The monthly 4 day comp weekend is in there too. You will have block leave in the summer and in the winter. Leave outside of those periods is on a case by case basis. The good news is you can buy plane tickets a year out and save $$$.
- If you are assigned to the Operations Group you may or may not live in the field, but you could.
- If assigned to anywhere else on Fort Irwin, you will have a more conventional duty schedule.
- My advice, run don't walk to the 11th ACR. Allons! You will learn a lot.
- Shopping: there is an outlet mall in Linwood, on the other side of Barstow on the interstate. There is a huge commissary at Irwin and a tiny one at MCLB. There is a massive PX at Irwin. Nearest Walmart is in Barstow.
- Schools: There is elementary and middle schools on Irwin. High School is in Barstow. You may get tasked for bus monitoring duty at some point if you have a HS student.
- Dust: if you have allergies, better stock up on stuff for it. Dust is everywhere and gets in everything.
- Car: At some point, you will have a tumbleweed go down the side of your car. Cost of doing business. Your windshield and car finish will suffer. Lots of pitting. If this is a concern for you get a California dust mop for your car to wipe off dust. Wash and wax. Good tires will be essential as nearly all your driving will be highway driving.
- Lots to see and do in the area. Hit MWR ITT to check it out. Discounted tickets to Disneyland if you are into that. I loath Disney and would rather be on a patrol in Paktika Province getting shot at.
- The vastness of it will weird you out at first, especially if you are an East coast person. You get used to it. All distances are three times what you think they are by visual estimation. Check the map before moving dismounted ANYWHERE. Water, Water, Water, Map.
- Rain: the desert typically gets a few inches of rain a year....but it comes all at once. When it does rain it will come with the risk of flash floods. Upside, sleeping outside not a big deal.
(4)
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