Fort Irwin

Fort Irwin (1940-Present) - A U.S. Army training post established in 1940 as Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range during the runup to World War II by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in San Bernardino County, California. Renamed Camp Irwin in G.O. 59, 4 Nov 1942, for Major General George L. Irwin, USA. Renamed Fort Irwin in August 1961. Active U.S. Army post.

World War II (1941-1945)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range in 1940 in the buildup to World War II. The range covered an area of some 1,000 square miles in present day Fort Irwin. In 1942 the Range became a part of a larger Camp Irwin Desert Training Center in the High Mojave Desert. In 1944 Camp Irwin was deactivated and placed in surplus status.

Cold War (1947–1991)

Camp Irwin was reactivated in 1951 during the Korean War as an armored training center for combat units. In 1961 the post was designated Fort Irwin and a permanent class I military installation. During the Vietnam War combat units were again trained at Fort Irwin and shipped directly to Vietnam until the post was deactivated in 1971. In 1972 the California National Guard took over the post and operated it as a training facility until it was reactivated as an active U.S. Army post on 1 Jul 1981. The National Training Center was established at Fort Irwin 16 Oct 1980 and remains active.

Current Status

Active U.S. Army training base in San Bernardino County, California

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2512202

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Location: San Bernardino County, California. Maps & Images Lat: 35.2624 Long: -116.6863 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 2500' Varies greatly depending on location.

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 71-72

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Irwin
• Fort Irwin Website
• Wikipedia - Fort Irwin National Training Center

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