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Originally posted by gariac
Medina Wasl
Not sure if this really qualifies as a base, but unlike Dulce, it's real. ;-)
There are 13 fake Iraqi (probably Middle Eastern is a better description) towns in the Calfornia desert used for training troop. They are located in "the box", which is short for "the sand box", for obvious reasons. They recently opened up on of the fake villages to the public.
You see a very small part of Ft. Irwin considering it is the size of Rhode Island. The tour comprises the museum, eating real base food, viewing the EOD department, and of course a street battle in a fake Iraqi village. Ear plugs are provided. No souvenirs allowed, even though the street is littered in casings.
If you ever wondered what Bicycle Lake airstrip looks like, you get to view it from the distance. There isn't much infrastructure there, though anyone who has camped out around the Nellis ranges would consider it heaven on earth. The housing is a "foam dome". The airstrip is dirt. It can handle a C130.
Originally posted by Zaphod58
There is or was a member on here that worked as an "Iraqi civilian" at these bases. He said the training they gave the troops was as real as they could make it, and it was an interesting job.