Military History in Yuma

The military has a huge presence in Yuma with the whole town surrounded by land controlled by them.  They try to be good neighbors offering things like tours of the bases and a large air show that features the Blue Angels.   They also allow folks to take jeeps and 4wheelers out on part of the Barry Goldwater range.  all that is needed is a free permit and you have to check and make sure the day of your adventure they are allowing non military use. 

The history of the military in this area goes way back to the mid 1800's but Patton put it in on the map with his training camps prepping for combat in WWll scattered all over around here.    So the local military bases try to have something for people to look at to understand some of this history.  They have a large display of tanks, personnel carriers and assorted vehicles that transported missiles, etc.  Now they are expanding the display and adding a visitor center.  It should be even more interesting next year when it opens.