30 miles east of Indio California on I-10 sits the General Patton Memorial Museum. Bruce was looking forward to this museum as he served under Col. George Patton IV in Vietnam. This museum focused on WWII and the Korean War.
The Desert Training Center was established in March of 1942 to prepare troops to fight the Germans in North Africa.
Originally the area was 350 miles west to east, from Pomona CA to Phoenix AZ and 250 miles north to south from Boulder City NV to Yuma AZ. Nearly one million American Servicemen and Women trained here. In July 1943 there were a total of 191,620 personnel on site.
Gen Patton lived and worked here in tents and crude wooden structures covered in tar paper instead of the comfortable headquarters in Indio CA.
In April 1944 the training center was closed by the Army. In May 1985 the first stone monument was placed here to honor Gen Patton and the many men and women who trained here and served in WWII.
After the museum we walked across the street for lunch. Cute outdoor cafe.
We were also fortunate to find very nice BLM (Bureau of Land Management) boondocking right behind the museum. We will stay here a few days so we can also visit Joshua Tree.
Bonnie & Bruceontheloose 