What's your favorite story from "The Box" at NTC Ft. Irwin?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 15:32:15 -0400

You may have been to NTC once , several times or none at all. If you've been, what is your favorite story?

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made Apr 24 at 2015 4:36 PM

1LT Nick Kidwell — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 16:36:37 -0400

That I've never been there? ;)

I know some WAAARNG folks did their MOB training there, but we were lucky...we trained in Fort Lewis and Yakistan, AKA Yakima Training Center.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 5:13 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:13:17 -0400

I have been three times. Gave myself and my team leader a JP-8 bath due to not properly fueling up our truck. He was pissed. And had every right to be. It was day 4.

The hardest thing in that area is digging a fighting position in the middle of that damn potato field...anyone remember that?

Response by SGT James Elphick made Apr 24 at 2015 5:21 PM

SGT James Elphick — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:21:25 -0400

That I never went! HA!

Response by SGT James Elphick made Apr 24 at 2015 5:26 PM

SGT James Elphick — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:26:03 -0400

I did hear some funny ones though.

One guy I knew was KIA by a tank while trying to take a dump. He said his MILES went off and he looked around and up on a hill was a tank and the crew were out their hatches laughing their asses off.

Another one I heard from the same guy was a tank in their own unit driving down the road while the grunts were humping it and they had a toilet seat hanging from the barrel, which was turned 90 degrees from front, and one of the crew sitting in it pretending to shit on the infantry.

Those are the 2 best I had heard.

Response by SPC John Debolt made Apr 24 at 2015 5:34 PM

SPC John Debolt — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:34:09 -0400

Spent 2 yrs there...best time was killing 13 113s 1 kiowa and 2 557s with a dragon. my whole squad had been killed by the copntrollers for inproperly built foxholes so it was just me and my battle buddy. he covered me with a saw why i fired away..was a great ambush. although the last 113 i killed was about 50ft away firing his .50 when i hit him..which would have killed me as well. Thank God it was just war games and not war..

Response by SPC Donte Hill made Apr 24 at 2015 7:53 PM

SPC Donte Hill — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 19:53:15 -0400

I was about to go to the gut truck one evening the OC for the Fest Ateam stops me from leaving my shelter 30 seconds later mass casualties at the gut truck.

Response by CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 10:10 PM

CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 22:10:44 -0400

Nothing. I've only been back for two weeks. It's too soon. Too soon. Lol.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Apr 24 at 2015 11:33 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 23:33:05 -0400

I have over 40 rotations. Was OPFOR 94-98. In Feb 97(?) the Support Squadron S2 and I (Support Squadron S3A) hopped on with the DIV Recon on a Scout rKh. Our Boss the Squadron S3 was an Infantryman and let us go "play" with the scouts. It was cold as hell. We had on every piece of gear CIF issued and we're still cold. We let the NCO run his mission...until it was obvious he had no clue where he was.

Sun coming up soon and hopelessly out of position the 2 took over. We went up Nicademis cut (I think), just west of Barstow Rd. We ended up in a series of wadis up on the high ground. Seemed like everything was getting better. We were close to our set location. We came around a spur and were nose to nose with a Bradley. We slammed on the brakes and scooted back behind cover. The 2 scooted up dismounted while I covered. They were in there sound asleep. We were about to kill it, but the NCO didn't have ATWES rounds for the Viper. We decided to blow by and find a place to hide. It was in the egress that the Brad's platoon mates found us, top down shots, disaster imminent.

We knew we were on borrowed time. We also knew we were likely to get catastrophic killed. The 2 and I start throwing food, water, gear, rucks, etc off the vehicle. We then jumped off. Told the crew to make a break for it and come back for us later. We melted into the desert and sage brush in enough time to see the demise of the rKH. The Bradley's cruised around but no one dismounted to look for us. They eventually left.

After a few hours we linked up and moved dismounted to the set. It was a crag on the edge of a cliff to observe 4 corners and Barstow Rd. Dumb luck, we found an abandoned fighting position. We hauled all the crap to it and stuck up a camo diamond. That night was uneventful. We traded watches every few hours. The next morning the Krasnovian gods smiled on us. A BDE TAC CP set up right under our hide. There was a small bump hill they used as cover. As the last 254 antenna went up, we requested RAG and DAG fires. To our surprise, it was granted. The fire markers drove right in the middle and laid it down. They jumped...a whole 50 meters to the opposite side of the bump. Sadism And tactical patience, we waited until the set up and re-tied hammocks. The 2 handed me the hand mike and let me call the fire mission ( you have to picture two 25 year old LTs , one MI and one OD, laughing like evil bastards). In came the fire markers...we kicked over the ant hill again. They jumped to, you guessed it, the first side of the hill. We called for fire again. Denied by the Division (OPS Group by our guess).

A few hours later, every fuel tanker in the FSB drove to 4 corners. Tried to call for fire. Denied! We had been there almost 72hrs. Eventually we got change of mission, our rKH was re-keyed and we drove off our hide.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Apr 24 at 2015 11:52 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 23:52:01 -0400

LTC Jason Mackay, Before NTC was established. Many, dark (little/no moon), nights ago. BN FTX, "Ozone Convert 6", to new E-9, "jump in your jeep, go to 4 corners?, guide the Co Cdrs to the TOC". Yes Sir!

New E-9; Co Cdrs trailing, up the westerly road North of BDE Hill. DARK!

Black- out lights on, new E-9's sidekick watching the white line on right edge of road. New E-9 stayed in the center of the road, until his front encountered the telephone pole in the middle of the "doughnut". New E-9 calls TOC use your lights, get those commanders here!"

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 25 at 2015 12:01 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 00:01:16 -0400

The gut truck saved my platoon's lives after we were "forced" to go without a resupply for about a week. The following week was the week of the gut truck.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 25 at 2015 12:03 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 00:03:24 -0400

Funny you should post this question. I was once stationed at FT Irwin and was part of the 11th ACR..........ALLONS!!!!!!

So there we were. Getting ready for the rotation to start. Word was passed down thru the Regiment that the original unit that was slated to come had to back out. So, given that the monies was already in place, another unit had to fill in. So, the 101 said they would come and play. They were augmented by a tank company from Hood. All we thought was....okay, lets play...

So, the Force on Force starts. Its the first day of the battle and the 58th Combat Engineer Company Red Devils (my unit) was given an SP time to cross the Ready Line at 0600. At 0700 or approx. there of, we heard on the comms that it was COM (Change of Mission). Battle was over and we didn't even get to our destination to set the mine field. A few hours later, we got the order to rest the battle and we were to redo the entire battle in 2 days. So we did and the end result was the same.

To make a long story short, we were hurting the Screaming Eagles so bad, that we had to redo 3 battles....postpone 1 so their engineers can walk to their obstacle sites to put them in. And, the base CG actually told the Regiment to back up the number of our ADA since their rotors were getting "shot down" too soon too often.

Great times