5th Aviation Battalion (Provisional), Joint Readiness Training Center & Fort Polk Review

The 509th Infantry Battalion won't shoot at you if you gauge all of their 500 M4s and M16s for them!

Thank you for you service to my country all of you are appreciated. An old friend.

Love this place! It's hot, humid mosquitoes... But a great training environment with outstanding support

Hot and humid, no AC at all. Room service was lacking, and the menu limited. 4/10, wouldn't bring the kids next time.

Hot, humid, and there s nothing to do. MWR tries to improve the environment, but there s only so much they can do.

The single worst place known to mankind. This place has been created as a pre-cursor to hell, as some sort of biblical "beyond scared straight" program in an effort to steer soldiers towards the light of God.
However if you do happen to enjoy the smell of your own body odor chemically bonding with the smell of gas station taquitos, you might enjoy it here.

I was there for almost 4 years in 1987-1991 Got there as an PVT E-1 left as a CPL E-4. I used the swimming pools at North and South Fort. We went bowling, fishing and traveled the area for festivals and movies in Alexandria. Walmart was brand new and fascinating back then. There is Toledo Bend for camping and fishing. I was able to hook up with some guys and I got my scuba certification. There were always stuff offered by the post activities people. I loved the movie theater $1.00 movies every Friday and Saturday. I saw a lot of classic movies there...contemporary at the time. There was a great Mexican restaurant in Alexandria and a couple right out the gate. The aafes commissary was great. There are a number of churches in the area of all denominations. I attended two of them and the people of LA were amazingly gracious to me. I ate in their homes and dated their daughters. I learned to talk and cook cajun and I still have a Louisiana draw that I did not have when I left Florida. When I wasn't busy exploring and getting a college degree at NSU up at North Fort I was busy doing my job as a helicopter crew member. I was in the 4/12 then the 3/1 Cavalry and boy did we train. We spent 3-4 months a year at the NTC Ft Irwin CA. We got home unpacked cleaned up then off we went again. It was one long Bivouac. I know every inch of that post and the Kisatchie Forest. I use to hike and run all the time. I discovered we had a Health and Welfare Budget. I went and ordered us a color Tv, pool table and a ping pong table. The two troops I worked with loved that. The officers would come in and play with the enlisted guys. We didn't have cell phones back then..LOL So...make the most of it. The best post you will ever serve at is the one you are going to and the one you see in the rear view mirror!!! People said the same thing about Fort Polk in those days. Most of the guys in my unit could not wait to leave. Some went to Germany some went to Korea...I held down the fort! Thank you for your service.

There are showers provided (both stalls and open bay), DFAC has an unlimited amount of MRE's it seems (even the 24 hour huge pack), and there are a couple of acres of forest to make those walks with fuel cans scenic. It's hot and humid as a training environment can get. No one wants to be there so keep your complaints to yourself. Sarcasm and hydration will take you far here!