Anyone been to Ft. Hood?

[ARYankee]

I won an M1009 from this weeks auction and just received my PIF invoice. I've never been to Ft. Hood so I don't know what to expect so if anyone has been there and can give me some pointers, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[emmado22]

you going to Ft Hood, or NORTH Fort Hood?

 

[timntrucks]

was a hard place to get into. dont bring a camera, gun or knife.. they searched my truck.. mirrors, dogs sniffing, and opened up all the tool boxes and glove box too. if your cell has a camera device the most likely will want it too. you give them your drivers lic and you get a name tag and a map. dont get off the map as in stay on the approved roads to your destination. i was told more times to stay in my truck there than in a car was.. that was just after 9/11 . i went back about 3 years ago and it was some what easier but still way harder then any of the rest i have been to.. its a ammo depot so i am quessing that is why.

 

[ARYankee]

you going to Ft Hood, or NORTH Fort Hood?

Not too sure. On the auction listing and the PIF Invoice it said Ft. Hood. I treid calling the GL folks there but I guess they are only there Monday thru Thursday. I will find out Monday.

 

[salt6]

Fort Hood, Texas | Marvin Leath Visitors Center

Requirements for One-Time Entry Pass:

• Active, Guard & Reserve service members, Dept. of the Army & DoD civilian employees, retirees and family members must have a valid ID card
• Valid driver’s license
• Current vehicle registration
• Proof of current insurance
• License plate number
• Current vehicle registration
• Destination as name of facility, building number, street address, or unit name

Note: If there are any additional drivers to listed on the temporary pass, they must provide their Social Security account number, driver’s license number and state of license origin

 

[emmado22]

North Fort is a good 30 min drive from Ft Hood, even though it is on "Ft Hood". I guess they are cleaning up all the miles and miles of TXANG vehicles that have been there forever.

 

[M813rc]

It is important to know if you are picking up from Ft Hood proper, or North Ft Hood, as they are separate facilities on opposite sides of the huge base.
Pickups from North Ft are only done on Fridays.

If you are going to North Ft, there is no point in going through the lengthy visitor pass routine (expect it to take an hour or more if they are busy, which they usually are) and then trying to find your way across 25+ miles of base roads. You do NOT want to get lost and wander into an area you are not supposed to be in, your day will get really long if you do!
Come in the gate off Highway 36 on the Gatesville side, go about a half mile from the highway and look for a large dirt parking lot on your left (East side of the road) with a big dead tree in the middle of it, that is where folks doing pickups meet.
From there you will be escorted as a group to the vehicle storage area. Coming in this way you do not need to go through the security pass routine. You are still subject to search, etc., so the usual rules apply.
You meet at 0830 to be escorted in. Do not be late, they will not come back for you! Other than that, you will find the folks there very friendly and helpful. They say they don't help, but they will. When I picked up the M931s last month the Army guys provided slave starts with a Humvee, and helped Powerstroke get his locked brakes uncaged and free (as in got under his truck with tools and got after it). Again, so long as you are friendly and don't act like you expect them to do stuff, they will offer to help.

One good thing is they don't let folks doing pickups wander about much, and they watch 'em closely, so pilferage from other vehicles is limited.

Cheers

 

[timntrucks]

that is a no to friday pick up. im off on friday but had to take a day off of work to pick up.. i was at the reg or the south side both times

 

[ARYankee]

Thanks for the input so far. It sounds like it is a lot like Hooks. I'm used to dealing with Little Rock and those folks aren't too strict. If you bring a camera do they hold onto it and give you a pass to get it back when you come out? I know that is how it was at Hooks. They kept the camera and my license and gave me a pass.

 

[ryan77]

I hope my shipper doesn't have a problem!!!!!

 

[M813rc]

If you bring a camera do they hold onto it and give you a pass to get it back when you come out? I know that is how it was at Hooks. They kept the camera and my license and gave me a pass.

My experience at Hooks was that when they said they don't help, they don't!

You can't do pickups on Ft Hood-proper on Fridays, because they are on North Fort then...

Cameras are not really a problem if you are low key about it- stick to your own stuff, give them 'plausible deniability' when it came to 'noticing' what you're doing, and don't go trying to take pictures of the active duty toys. I wouldn't even mention cameras while you are there.

Cheers