Fort Irwin "Box" Tour
Details about the tour can be found here. Photographs and video taken on September 12, 2009
Medina Wasl is one of 13 mock villages in the California desert used for training prior to deployment.
Click here to download a 48Mbyte FLV video of the car bomb and subsequent insanity.
Use the VLC player for the video.
This is the view looking down
main street. Well, not that I saw any street signs. Wires are run
everywhere using the philosophy "we don't need no stinkin' insulation."
Building codes...don't ask.
The players? You have US Army soldiers in camo, Iraqi police in blue, and lots of colorful locals.
The scene? Lots of yelling from street vendors, raised eyebrows or cold
stares as you stroll past Iraqis seated by the buildings, and endless
Middle Eastern music that never stops even as the bombs and guns go
off.
My comments? OK, a few wisecracks here and there to relieve the
tension, but never forget that this is serious business. The troops are
here to get acclimated to the Iraq environment and train for the
inevitable roadside bomb, sniper attack, etc.
Slow down? If this were the real thing, I'd be turning around.
My Arabic is not very good, but I believe she was saying "Of course they're fresh. Look at my face, Would I lie to you?"
What ever this guy was selling, I don't want any!
My first thought went I saw this
vendor is she is actually selling something I might buy. However,
everything here is a movie prop, including the fruit. Note the texture on the walls. The
contractors that built the facility went to Iraqi to copy the appearance of the buildings.
I highly advise the waiter at this restaurant to make really really sure there are no flies in this guy's soup.
Statue of the Princess of Hatra
This goat should watch where it sticks it's head, lest it get chopped off.
Oops, too late.
More street vendors.
This photo is taken on the street where all hell is about to break loose.
Now I'm not sure about the authenticity of this newspaper vending machine since it takes quarters.
The driver of this white van was
obviously up to no good. He looked straight ahead as people passed the
van, perhaps looking for a signal from someone down the street.
Not to worry. I got the plate.
This is the kind of paint job you would get from MAACO if Charo did the
painting with a white spray can.
Since it might be a bit messy to
launch real RPGs, the Hollywood crew set up pyrotechnics. [And you
though only Penn and Teller were spoilers.]
This is an Iraqi policeman walking toward the area where a RPG went off. Basically he was on his own as the mayhem took place.
After the attack takes place, the
soldiers head for the high ground. Quite a bit of termination with
extreme prejudice occurred.
There were wounded and those killed in action. The actors are amputees and the blood is fake Still, it is pretty gruesome.
Too bad cash for clunkers has expired.
Smoke from the "RPG."
Road rage on the four-oh-five? This guy would win.
