sta3/7

Thank you for your service and welcome to the Club. I'm an East Coast guy so yes this offroad area does not touch me the way that it does those that can enjoy it. I'm proud of my profession but don't normally need to reference it to make a point. However, I have been in Uncle Sam's employment, Defending the Rights laid out for this Great Nation, for the past 23 plus years and counting. The last 5 years I've been dealing with research and development of new technologies and dealing directly with the training centers across all services. So I think I know just a little bit on the topic. I'm not a ground pounder; I belong to the yacht club. All the Armed Services have been taking major cuts and closures of facilities since the end of the cold war. Yes we still have a lot of real estate but you have to take in the big picture with some of these areas. They need to have sufficient buffer zones and safety areas to facilitate the different types of training. This keeps not only the civilian population safe but also allows the services to conduct uninhibited training without the influence of public surroundings. It's kind of easy for the Navy; we just go out to sea. Being an Army brat, my father, 30 year veteran of 3 wars not counting our current war, would take me out to Fort Bragg to watch the exercises out there. They had miles of empty space, but it only takes one misdirected howitzer round landing in your front yard to realize why they have so much space. This fight as stated before would be different if it was land owned by a public company or individual and the government came in and took it. They own the land and now have a need for it. It's just like if you rented a house and the owner came in and said, you have to move I need my house back. Bottom line is, you would move. I think everyone should stand up for what they believe in. And yes the government should be made aware that areas for legal offroading are becoming extinct. However I don't think there will be a mutual solution in this particular issue. The guys wearing the stars obvious believe they need this space for the troops and they don't always tell us lower ranking people why. :cheers: Thank you for your continued service to this country. :USAflag: I do agree that we most likely do not have an option that if they want this land they will get it. The only good news is that the USMC has not filed a official letter of intent to encompass this area yet. At this point the only thing we are trying to do is be heard in hopes that other solutions may me looked at. There is a virtual rally on Pirate 4X4 today from 2pm - 6pm PST, this will not be a "let's bash the services" event as this will be closly monitored and any negitive input about our military will be deleted. what we are hoping for is to raise attention to this area by people who have been to the Hammers or intend to visit and their positive experiences. If you have a different opinion then don't participate, but if you do please keep any comments professional. Thanks for listening.

Sounds like you may have a little olive drab in you also. Not active any more, now it is time to take care of the family. I believe (at least I want to believe) that the communist comment was not refering to our millitary but in the way that the government can just do what they want. I like to think that we are the true government and that our representatives are our voices but if we do not speak up and direct them in the right direction they will stray and forget how and why they are where they are. Power is a very dangerous thing and often abused, let's just take the most recent political figure (NY Govenor)that thought he was above what he himself was a front runner for. (this was done by wire taps, see big brother is listening). Semper FI :USAflag:

X2...and, sta3/7, your right, you have EVERY right to speak your mind, as do we all all thanks to great Americans, like yourself ,who have protected that freedom for hundreds of years. ...and while now in the Bay Area, I spent a year (a painful one), living in the Inland Empire and working down the Highway from 29Palms, and have a good number of ex-coworkers and friends from that are ex-Mil and trained there... so I am at least somewhat familiar with the area and not completely talking out of my bum... I am glad you kow about this area, so you can agree that the land mass that 29 palms has is great and that aquiring this additional space seems a little out there. i have also been informed that the plan is to make a couple of changes one of them being that Miramar will move to 29 palms and they would need this additional space as a buffer for aircraft that would now be flying into 29 palms. making this area a no fly zone would not be a problem, but to close it off completely rubs me. let's not forget we already have many training areas right around the corner like China Lake. please continue to support our troops and be vocal about it as the loadest voices we always hear are always negitive unfortunatly. a bad day of wheeling always beats a great day a work.....

I am a 3rd generation Marine (all 3 generations have seen combat). So I feel that since I have fought for the right of freedom of speach I am going to use it. It appears that you that have spoken regarding the military proposed acquisition of the Johnson Valley area with out knowing anything about the area (just like I admit to knowing nothing about Alabama). I have lived and trained in 29 Palms and can tell you that there is already many miles of unused desert that is not being used in the 29 Palm training area. As I have been in the sandbox over there I can tell you that the fight that we are fighting is urban warfare (house to house). If you are referring to Afghanistan, the Marine training ground outside of Bridgeport, CA. provides the current mountain warfare training. This area butts up to Yosemite National Park. Would you be all for taking the national park land away for to expand the base up there? Instead of just rolling over every time the government wants to make changes we need to get involved and help find a mutual solution. As I believe in doing what ever it takes to save any military life, I do not feel that this additional land will contribute to this. All the responses I see on this thread are from the East except one in the bay area of California. If this was affecting the areas that you use and you had first hand knowledge of whether or not it was a valid reason to shut you out, you would fight just like we are. As I have stated I had made the commitment to serve this great country of ours and have given you the right to speak your mind with this commitment whether I agree with your view or not, but that does not mean I have to like it and that I have to keep quite. Remember that the off road community is a small one and that we all need to band together to help each other in our individual battles. And remember what your mother always told you “if you do not have anything good to say, then keep your tree hugging mouth shut”. I commend you on your support of our military as that is hard to come by lately but please research before speaking on this issue. Support our troops as they give you the right to disagree. :USAflag: