Bugle Summer 2026 - Flipbook - Page 11
1 RIFLES
soldiers functioning whether it be the Brecon
Beacons or the rocky dunes of California.
Yet despite the harsh surroundings, there is
an undeniable sense of purpose. The NTC exists
because they want difficult, realistic and driven
training. The sheer scale of The Box allowed
both the Blackhorse Regiment and the visiting
units to conduct training over tens and, in some
cases, hundreds of kilometres, creating an
environment with rarely any boundaries.
Leaving Fort Irwin felt oddly bittersweet.
We’d grown accustomed to checking water
bottles with religious devotion, accepting
dust as a permanent clothing accessory
and measuring comfort by whether the air
conditioning was merely struggling rather
than surrendering entirely.
Would you holiday there? Absolutely not.
Would you visit again? Without a second
thought. Just remember to pack sunscreen,
patience and enough moisturiser to negotiate
a peace treaty with the Mojave Desert itself.
The air feels less like a climate,
and more like someone
has opened the door to an
industrial pizza oven
RIFLES The Bugle 11
