Newly enlisted Army recruits tour Yuma Proving Ground

Photo By Brandon Mejia | The young group of enlistees not only got a history lesson but a firsthand look at the Stryker combat automotive vehicle, and got to see what it means to be a part of the Army’s Airborne Test Force (ATF). Spending time with riggers at ATF, recruits saw how the chutes were packed, and prepared for jumpers and payloads that are dropped out of the sky.  

YUMA PROVING GROUND , ARIZONA, UNITED STATES

09.21.2022

Story by Brandon Mejia 

U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

The future warfighters of America got an inside glimpse of U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in September following their recent enlistment into the Army.

While the proving ground isn’t necessarily a training station for troops, it is one of the United States military’s premier testing centers, according to YPG Commander Col. Patrick McFall.

McFall welcomed the recruits with a look into YPG’s mission; testing and evaluating nearly everything in the U.S. military’s war-time arsenal, equipment that the young recruits could someday depend on during their time in the Army.

But to understand how far the Army has come, you must start from the beginning and there is no better place to get that rich and bold history than that of the Heritage Center located in the heart of YPG.

Heritage Center Curator Bill Heidner walked the group of 13 recruits through the early years of the proving ground, bringing them back to Fort Yuma, through the initial years of the Yuma Quartermaster Depot, to what was the Desert Training Center, Camp Laguna, Yuma Test Branch, Yuma Test Station, to now, what is known as the Yuma Test Center.

“It is important to understand and learn about our history, and the things that our people went through,” said Jose Campos, who recently enlisted in the Army. “I have been learning a lot of stuff about today in just the three hours of being here [YPG].”

The young group of enlistees not only got a history lesson but a firsthand look at the Stryker combat automotive vehicle, and got to see what it means to be a part of the Army’s Airborne Test Force (ATF).

Spending time with riggers at ATF, recruits saw how the chutes were packed, and prepared for jumpers and payloads that are dropped out of the sky.

However, the experience wouldn’t be complete without letting the future Soldiers try their first MRE, which is a Meal Ready to Eat.

All 13 got to enjoy their choice of MRE, the first of many as they embark in their journey through the military.

• Date Taken: 09.21.2022
• Date Posted: 09.21.2022 12:31
• Story ID: 429683
• Location: YUMA PROVING GROUND , ARIZONA, US