In the desert with artillery

[Old School 8]

> Subject: haha "Being lost in the desert is bad. Being lost in the desert with artillery . . ."
> Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2011 16:26:27 -0800
>
> Live-ammo exercises bring Marine warning to race fans
> By Wesley G. Hughes Staff Writer
>
>
> TWENTYNINE PALMS - Don't go wandering around without your GPS if you
> plan on attending the King of the Hammer off-road vehicle races in
> Johnson Valley Sunday through Saturday.
>
> That's the advice of Capt. Nicholas C. Mannweiler, spokesman for the
> Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center here. He says the base and the
> race area are adjacent and he's heard estimates of 60,000 fans at each
> of the last two Hammers. And people have been known to wander onto the
> base by accident.
>
> The Marines will be using every inch of the base right up to the edge
> during live-ammo exercises being held during the races, the captain
> says.
>
> They do it all the time, Mannweiler says but not always with 60,000
> party animals next door. The Marines use everything from M-16 carbines,
> machine guns, tanks, air-dropped bombs, mortars and howitzers.
>
> The exercise called Enhanced Mojave Viper is conducted at the Twentynine
> Palms base 11 times a year because "This is the only base (big enough)
> where we can get air, ground, logistics and command elements together at
> the same time.
>
> "A 155mm howitzer has a kill radius of 50 meters and can wound in a
> radius of 100 meters," Mannweiler says. And that's from a distance of 15
> to 25 miles.
>
> A meter is just more than one yard, so if a 155 round hits in the middle
> of a football field, it can kill you if you are standing in the end zone
> and probably 10 or 12 rows up in the good seats - on both sides.
>
> If you just scored a touchdown and you are doing your victory dance, a 155 shell landing
> in the opposite end zone can send you to the hospital with major wounds.
>
> Ninety percent of all U.S. Marines preparing for deployment to the
> Afghanistan War train here and they train with live ammo just like they
> use in real combat. Keep that in mind.
>
> "We've found people on the base who are lost," said Mannweiler. "Being
> lost in the desert is bad. Being lost in the desert with artillery . .
> ." the sentence drifted off.
>
> Summing it up, Mannweiler said, "We want you to respect the lethality of
> our weapons."
>
> Yes sir.

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[KevinT4R]

Thanks for the warning.

As long as people stay near the racecourse or in the designated specator areas it shouldn't be a problem

[Mike Hobbs]

It seems the Marines are shooting one across the bow. Kinda' crazy, I guess they really want that land! On aside note: I call BS on this report. What's the source?

[KevinT4R]

It seems the Marines are shooting one across the bow. Kinda' crazy, I guess they really want that land! On aside note: I call BS on this report. What's the source?

Yeah, it sounds like that to me, too!

[06HAOLE]

I am a Marine who has trained all over 29 Palms and its no joke on how much room it takes to train like that. When the birds come in and drop a 500 pounder you need a lot of room to be safe. All of the SDZ (surface danger zones) from ricochets and max ranges from weapons are calculated to keep people safe but if someone were to go inside of those areas its bad news. Its a crappy situation but at least JV is still public land for the time being.

Here is the article:
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_17286438

[JPBart]

I also take it as a shot across the bow...or really smart maneuvering. Pointing out that they are crowded and need more room while also saying that the public playing right outside the fence is potentially in danger. Solution, move the fence and give the Marines more room. Subtle, but you have to respect how smart it is. Plant stories like that everywhere and without actually saying anything about it you gain public support for taking JV.

[Wild bill]

Sounds like my kind of race!!!! Roar of race engines, bombs bursting in air, and screaming crowds. What else could you ask for?

[Motiracer38]

They really need to open a trail around the south east side along the lakebed. There is no way to get around there without going on base. I did it twice last year cause a 2wd has no other way through.

[usmcgunrock]

It seems the Marines are shooting one across the bow. Kinda' crazy, I guess they really want that land! On aside note: I call BS on this report. What's the source?

BS on the fact that there is training going on in that area right now or the quotes? I am on orders out in 29 Palms right now as a Coyote(mentor/controller) for Mojave Viper. I work with the infantry battalions. We run Mojave Viper. This next week is our last week of this Viper and is mostly based in our huge MOUT town and a couple little villages around the area. We do use all the way up to the edge of the base to do live fire. Right now we have the base split into two. One infantry battalion on each side. You have to keep in mind when one infantry battalion takes to the field out here they bring an artillery battery, tank plt, amtrack plt, CLB, air, ect. In one attack we will go from 29 palms to the north side of base using fixed wing attacks, helos, 155mm arty, 81mm mortars, 60mm mortars, rockets, snipers, heavy, medium, light machineguns, 16's, everything the Marine Corps has. Lots of controlling and a ton of moving parts. The way the world is now if they did not put the word out about the training. Someone would get hit and they would say it is our fault for not telling them. It is always someone else fault for something happening to people now. Anyways I am done writing my novel. Hey Hobbs if you have any questions about what goes on out there, where we do what, and why Johnson Valley would be nice to have as part of the base just stop by the pit and say hi. Anybody else is welcome also. I am more then happy to answer anybodies questions as best as I can.

I also take it as a shot across the bow...or really smart maneuvering. Pointing out that they are crowded and need more room while also saying that the public playing right outside the fence is potentially in danger. Solution, move the fence and give the Marines more room. Subtle, but you have to respect how smart it is. Plant stories like that everywhere and without actually saying anything about it you gain public support for taking JV.

I take it more as the we warned you and now we are going to come down on you hard if you trespass or your fault if something happens.

[usmcgunrock]

They really need to open a trail around the south east side along the lakebed. There is no way to get around there without going on base. I did it twice last year cause a 2wd has no other way through.

Only problem with that is there has to be some way of controlling it. Some way of closing it when we go live. ALOT harder then it sounds.