USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center

[colt59]

(1) Sgt Bustamante with a huge pine cone that he has mistaken for his johnson. taken from on top the big rock. (2-5) scenery

[colt59]

(1) scenery (2) me standing coldly in the snow (3) Cpl Pusha after having slipped in the snow (4) Cpl Pusha busting the myth about the size of black guys. He is writing his name in the snow. (5) snowbaths

[colt59]

(1) snowbaths again (2) this guy is trying to take a dump. This is a chore out in the cold. Too much clothing to remove. You learn to hold it for as long as possible until you have a fair amount of time. (3) scenery (4) looking up into a huge tree (picture does not do it justice) (5) scenery

[colt59]

(1-2) scenery (3-4) views of the valley from higher up (5) a different angle of base camp. I believe this is the start of my horrifying ride down the mountain with Lcpl Peterson

[colt59]

These are all of the wild ride down the mountain with Peterson. Again pictures don't do it justice. We had dropped off supplies to some artillery guys and were coming back down the mountain. Peterson only liked to use the gas petal and down shifting was not in his vocabulary. This dirt road was 8 to 10 % grade with sheer cliffs up and down on both sides (no where to go) we went down going about 50 mph. Hairpins, switchbacks, s-turns. I suppose I was attempting to chronical my last days on Earth in pictures.

[colt59]

These are more ride down the mountain pics. This is one of the few times I wasn't driving and was able to take pictures.

[colt59]

(1) End of the wild ride at a hard surface road (I'm still alive and I need a drink) (2) Cpl George Tharpe of Georgia, This guy was with me throughout my entire 4 years just about. He was super laid back. We experienced some brutal times together. (3) getting the tents aired out

[Trucrimsongold]

I attended Mountain Warfare training at Bridgeport back in 1990. I was in 1/7 Weapons Company Heavy Guns Platoon. Lt Col Mattis was a hardcore leader. We went straight from there and cut our fifty mile end training motivation hump short (thank god) to go back to 29stumps in preperation for going to Saudi. It was excellent training. Sorry to hear they are closing it down. Beautiful countryside. excellent training. It helped me get over my fear of heights nodoubt.

[ameriken]

Really great pics Colt, brings back many memories! MWTC was my favorite duty station.

[ameriken]

Sorry to hear they are closing it down.

What's this? They're closing it down? This is the first I've heard of that...

[colt59]

I liked Pickel Meadows too, for the little time I was there. I think as permanent personnel, I would have liked it better. I missed showers and real toilets to want to be there as TAD all the time. I was a ship/TAD kind of guy. Being at one place too long made me bored and thus stupid. When I was on ship or TAD = meritorious masts. Back at Lejeune = article 15s.

I think Trucrimsongold is refering to 29 Stumps. Hope there not closing Pickel Meadows too

[GruntDoc8404]

I heard scuttlebutt say they are keeping Pickel Meadows open and humming since the terrain is similar to Afghanistan highlands and looks like we're gonna be there for a while so might as well train the boys in high altitude and cold!



Colt: Thanks for the memories!! We had running water, real crappers (8 open bay crappers and a stainless steel trough to whizz in!) and real showers with hot and cold water!! One communal "Head" Quonset hut per 2 rows of barrack Quonsets!! Ahhhh, it was nice as permanent party!!

Plus, in my Sick Bay, I always stocked 4-5 full "Mount-Out" Boxes full of medicinal brandy for "hypothermia"!! Amazing how quickly we went though all of it!! Weather wasnt even cold yet!! Pendleton never complained and kept us/me supplied!!

The grunts were down below freezing their collective asses in those tents! Got down to 54 below that winter! Had to use thermometers with the red juice (alcohol) because the mercury thermometers would solidify and wouldnt register the temp!! downtown Bridgeport was like driving in a white snow tunnel. Youhad to stick your nose way out to see if cross traffic was coming. the snow banks were 8-10 feet high!

We had a couple of those (now banned, I bet!) oil burning stoves that dripped old crankcase oil from a 5 gal jerry can, in each Quonsett for heat. Motor pool always had plenty of that old sulpherated oil!

Ahhh!! Thanks!! I'd love to be able to snag a downloadable file of all those scans!! Any shots of the old quonset hut terraces up topside??

There's a couple of YouTube movies taken up at Pickel Meadows as a documentary. An 8 or 9 part documentary that sgows the area pretty well. There's also a 1950's vintage movie of the base thats out there!

[colt59]

All the pictures that I have are posted. Hey Doc, shoot me your email and I'll send you the scans. They're bigger.

I had my first Coors beer there in Bridgeport, some little bar. We were in work uniforms and driving military trucks, but when you need drink!! I also had my last PBR beer there on base. Corporal Royce told me that I went after somebody with a knife and that everytime they were able to wrestle one knife away from me, I came up with another. They took six. I burned ****ters the next day as punishment. Hungover and the smell was horrible. I puked all morning. I haven't drank PBR since.

[ameriken]

I liked Pickel Meadows too, for the little time I was there. I think as permanent personnel, I would have liked it better. I missed showers and real toilets to want to be there as TAD all the time. I was a ship/TAD kind of guy. Being at one place too long made me bored and thus stupid. When I was on ship or TAD = meritorious masts. Back at Lejeune = article 15s.

I think Trucrimsongold is refering to 29 Stumps. Hope there not closing Pickel Meadows too

I got pretty lucky with MWTC. I was with the 1st FSSG, and we went up there for 30 days in Jan 79 with a grunt unit while they did cold weather training. I loved every minute of that place. Back in Pendelton a few months later our CO said they needed 2 Marines to TAD in MWTC. They asked for volunteers to put their names in a hat. I hated Pendelton, so I put my name in....and amazingly they drew it. So, I got transferred to MWTC with my main job was running the base theater and showing films to the grunts that came up there. Easiest job in the world and one of the best times of my life. Needless to say, I extended my TAD another 6 months. Was there from Jun 79 to Jun 80.

[perfectcircle]

Good afternoon, by "individuals may attend," would this be something a Reservists could attend?