PATTON'S ARMY TRAIN Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is a Team Barn Owls Cache. The cache is just a few feet off the railroad track path. We received permission from the owner to place it. NO BUSHWACKING IS INVOLVED. However, please be on the lookout for crawling critters. Starting swag is all military/patriotic themed. I will visit the cache often to make sure there are always a few items to keep the theme going. Please be careful to replace the cache exactly as you found it. BYOP
The short “path” you take to this cache was until very recently a railroad spur. In fact, I had to delay placing this cache, and completely change the format I had in mind, as the long-dormant tracks were pulled up to be recycled. As a child in the 1950s and 1960s, living further down the track, I spent many hours running out to wave at the engineers and laying pennies on the track for the short trains that rolled just yards in front of my home several times a day. At that time the trains carried produce, the most common being sugar beets. However, the spur has an earlier history that is much wider in scope.
In the mid 1940s it served as a vital link in providing supplies to a military base that covered over four miles, including what is now known as the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal. The base, known as Thermal Ground Support Base or Thermal Army Airfield, was established in August of 1942 as an Army training base as the US entered World War II. Here General George Patton trained his troops for Operation Torch - the invasion of North Africa. In 1944 the Army gave the Navy permission to occupy the base, and the base became known as Naval Air Bases Detachment Thermal.
At the height of its military career, the base encompassed 2,553 acres. It included two 5,000 ft runways that are still in use today, a hospital (maximum capacity of 119 patients), and 254 buildings. The Elementary school in town (which I and all three of my sons attended) was originally an army barracks. A portion of those barracks are still being used by students today. The Navy even leased a recreation center 2.5 miles from the base, with a swimming pool and dance hall for enlisted men. A local resident offered a house that became the Commanding Officer’s residence, where officers and their wives were allowed to swim.
Although I was unable to find any further information, The Thermal Army Airfield is on the official list of POW Camps during WWII.
Both Wikipedia and The California State Military Museum state “Located in the Coachella Valley, 115 feet below sea level, the place was named Thermal for a reason. Daily summer temperatures reached 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) in the shade, soaring much higher on the concrete ramp. Conducting training here was not easy, and summer flight operations took place from 0300 to 1300. In the heat of the day, the ground crews simply could not service the aircraft. In addition to flying operations, the station served as a pre-embarkation training center for aviation, construction, ordnance, and other units.” As a Thermal native, I know that there’s a bit of exaggeration there. 120 degrees in the shade is extremely rare, even on the hottest summer day. On the other hand, our small town often makes national news as the hottest town in the nation. Local residents know that the pavement can cause 3rd degree burns during the summer months, and we like to entertain guests by frying an egg on the sidewalk.
Starting swag:
Stuffed soldier's angel bear
Rubber Soldiers Angels bracelet
3 assorted American Flag stickers
5 assorted Army stickers
National Guard wallet
4 assorted Army soldiers
1 Army paratrooper
Patriotic wood deco flag
1 double American Flag pin
American Flag dog tag
Camouflage rubber grenade water ball
2 Army jeep toy cars
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Uvqvat va gur ohea
Treasures
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