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Too easy for some, but can you guess....???



When (Significance of Time period?)

Where (Country/State)

What (landmark)

EXTRA CREDIT: ID the vehicles in the background...??



Don

Late 80"s, Whale Gap, Fort Irwin, CA. M113's and Vismods

close....

Hint: I was a member of 5th ID from Ft Polk...

Ah.. But what hill is it?

Okay, full disclosure - I only have one guess, Hill 781. I dont even though if thats in the same area, but its the hill I spent a grand total of one night on (one of my claims to fame as a former defense reporter) during the DCX in 1999.

Neil

Here it is...



A Note: 5th ID at Ft Polk was not 'force modernized' until mid to late 1991. Hence the Division was considered non-deployable for DS.

Many of the Infantry Bns were still mounted in M113A2's, The Armor Bns had 'slick' M-1's ( mainly repaint/reissued from Germany units ), and the Aviation Bn had Vietnam era Cobras.

4/6 Infantry was the Inf Bn which took part in the Panama 'Invasion'. They were the 'heavy' element that rolled into Panama City and secured the area around the Commendancia (sp?) while the Rangers assaulted.

Just a little bit of history....
Don

I went with the LAARNG to Fort Irwin in the summer of 87. We were a roundout brigade for 5th ID. Boy did we stink up the joint. When I get back home, I will dig out the photos.

Dontos,
After looking at my Ft Irwin map, and it being determined that you are on "Hill 800", then that would be "114 Wadi" in the upper right of the photo, with the "Iron Triangle" just out of view at the right edge. In the middle background would be "Granite Pass". Leading off to the west,(left in the picture) from Granite Pass would be the "Sawtooth" ridge. The open area where the red lettering M113A2 is written, would be "Hamby's Grave". Hill 800 sat at grid EG41251385. The "Whale Gap" sat south of Tiefort Mtn, just south of the "Valley of Death". I believe I have been on that exact spot more than once in my 4 years as OPFOR.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

Dontos,
After looking at my Ft Irwin map, and it being determined that you are on "Hill 800", then that would be "114 Wadi" in the upper right of the photo, with the "Iron Triangle" just out of view at the right edge. In the middle background would be "Granite Pass". Leading off to the west,(left in the picture) from Granite Pass would be the "Sawtooth" ridge. The open area where the red lettering M113A2 is written, would be "Hamby's Grave". Hill 800 sat at grid EG41251385. The "Whale Gap" sat south of Tiefort Mtn, just south of the "Valley of Death". I believe I have been on that exact spot more than once in my 4 years as OPFOR.

Actually I was looking for an opfor 'DRT' Team 'Spider hole'. Whenever 'nature called', I sought out such locations to leave a 'rememberance' to the cursed 'enemy'.

A favorite 'past-time' of mine whenever at NTC.

Regards....
1986 rotation ( Alpha-9-Alpha)
1990 rotation ( White-One Golf )
1993 rotation ( Red-three Golf )
1998 rotation ( Charger Zero-Three November )
1999 rotation ( Blue-Four )

Don

AAAAAAHHHH yes!!!!, the infamous "spider hole droppings" I had heard of and then later found! I did 6 rotations there myself between 1994-1996 and 1998-2001, before being OPFOR from 2002-2006. I actually found C-rations on a hill-top in 2003. The cans were all rusty but were still perfectly set upright and an old plastic yellow spoon was still sitting upright in one of the cans. I have those C-ration cans sitting on display in my garage right now as part of my little display of military memoribilia.
I did do one rotation as an OPFOR augmentee back in 1986 or 87. I was part of B Co. 1/166th Inf, 73rd BDE, Ohio National Guard at the time. We wore the old OD Green OPFOR uniforms at the time.
I can honestly say we kicked alot of Blufor behind EVERY rotation. Ahhhh the memories. How I miss the Infantry / Armor world and hate the Transportation world, (Emphasis on "hate").
Take care Dontos, I always look forward to your pictures and postings.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

Dontos,
After looking at my Ft Irwin map, and it being determined that you are on "Hill 800", then that would be "114 Wadi" in the upper right of the photo, with the "Iron Triangle" just out of view at the right edge. In the middle background would be "Granite Pass". Leading off to the west,(left in the picture) from Granite Pass would be the "Sawtooth" ridge. The open area where the red lettering M113A2 is written, would be "Hamby's Grave". Hill 800 sat at grid EG41251385. The "Whale Gap" sat south of Tiefort Mtn, just south of the "Valley of Death". I believe I have been on that exact spot more than once in my 4 years as OPFOR.

This is oriented North West (towards Granite Pass) The western side of the 'Central Corridor'....and your landmark IDs are dead on. Couldn't find my old NTC map, otherwise I would have posted the Grid coordinate

Don

Jeff (& anyone else who wants to take a stab at it...)

NTC 1990 (obviously)


Any idea where? I'll dig up the grid if that will help...





Don

OK, here's my guess, the setting sun is in your face so the background would be looking way out towards the "Flag Pole". I'm guessing that the hill mass coming from the left would be along the northern edge of central corridor. The part jutting out into the plain would be "The California".
"K-Bar Cut would be this side of "The California" while the "Passage To India" would be on the far side. These two passes would lead into "Bravo Pass" which leads to the northern corridor.
The open area that you are in might be within a few clicks of the "falg Pole and "Race Track"? That was an area dug into frequently by Engineer units for tank positions and barriers. The faint mountains in the backgground were my only real clues as to your position, but I might be wrong.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

OK, here's my guess, the setting sun is in your face so the background would be looking way out towards the "Flag Pole". I'm guessing that the hill mass coming from the left would be along the northern edge of central corridor. The part jutting out into the plain would be "The California".
"K-Bar Cut would be this side of "The California" while the "Passage To India" would be on the far side. These two passes would lead into "Bravo Pass" which leads to the northern corridor.
The open area that you are in might be within a few clicks of the "falg Pole and "Race Track"? That was an area dug into frequently by Engineer units for tank positions and barriers. The faint mountains in the backgground were my only real clues as to your position, but I might be wrong.

....ALMOST.... but.....WRONG !!...

Hint: NOT Central corridor !!


Don

This isn't a very good picture for trying to guess where I'm at so I'll tell you. It was taken early October 2002. I was actually looking at Hill 800, the "Amplitheater", "Peanut", and Hill 876 from the southern edge of the central corridor. We were in the grid EG45500970 area. It's about 1 click west of the southern tip of the "Road to Nowhere", over looking the "Killing Fields". I'd been with the OPFOR, (Mortar Platoon, HHD,1/11th ACR) about 3 months when this photo was taken by my platoon leader. He was running all over snapping pictures instead of observing the battle field. I actually had to ask him to calm down and be still before he gave away our position.

Would it be the "Chilly Bowl" area?