Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton | |
---|---|
Near Oceanside, California in the United States | |
Coordinates | 33°12′53.1″N 117°23′15″W / 33.214750°N 117.38750°W |
Type | Marine Corps base |
Area | > 125,000 acres (51,000 hectares) |
Site information | |
Owner | Department of Defense |
Operator | US Marine Corps |
Controlled by | Marine Corps Installations West |
Condition | Operational |
Website | Official website |
Site history | |
Built | March – September 1942 |
In use | 1942 – present |
Garrison information | |
Current commander | Brigadier General Jason G. Woodworth |
Garrison | I Marine Expeditionary Force |
Airfield information | |
Airfield | Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton |
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major
to the east.The base was established in 1942 to train U.S. Marines for service in
History
Prior to World War II
In 1769, a Spanish expedition led by Captain
During the next 30 years, 21 missions were established, the most productive one being
After 1821, following the
In 1841, two brothers,
In 1863, an
Forster's heirs were forced to sell the ranch in 1882 because of a series of droughts and a fence law that forced Forster to construct fencing around the extensive rancho lands. It was purchased by wealthy cattleman James Clair Flood and managed by Irishman Richard O'Neill, who was eventually rewarded for his faithful service with half ownership. Under the guidance of O'Neill's son, Jerome, the ranch made a profit of nearly half a million dollars annually, and the house was modernized and refurbished.
World War II
In the early 1940s, both the
Post-World War II
During the Korean War, $20 million helped expand and upgrade existing facilities, including the construction of Camp Horno. When Camp Pendleton trained the country's fighting force for the Korean and Vietnam Wars, approximately 200,000 Marines passed through the base on their way to the Far East.
Beginning in 1954, Camp Pendleton has hosted a variation of Basic Training familiarization for teenagers age 14 to 17. This training, called "Devil Pups", promotes physical fitness, instills discipline and promotes love of country and the Marine Corps.[7]
The camp's stables display a plaque and statue commemorating a horse, Sergeant Reckless, which served with the Marine Corps in Korea.[8]
In 1975 Camp Pendleton was the first U.S. military base to provide accommodations for Vietnamese evacuees in Operation New Arrivals. Over 50,000 refugees came to the base in the largest humanitarian airlift in history.[9][10][11]
Camp Pendleton has continued to grow through renovations, replacing its original tent camps with more than 2,626 buildings and over 500 miles of roads.
Preservation of Camp Pendleton heritage and Marine Corps history is ongoing. The original ranch house has been declared a
21st century
The base's diverse geography, spanning over 125,000 acres (506 km2), plays host to year-round training for Marines in addition to all other branches of the
Camp Pendleton remains the last major undeveloped portion of the California coastline south of Santa Barbara, save for a few relatively small state parks. In 2015 the site was proposed for a large civilian airport.[12]
Since August 2004, Camp Pendleton has been one of five locations in the Department of Defense to operate the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) air radar. The STARS radar allows the facility to simulate air traffic for training purposes.[13][citation needed]
Camp Pendleton's five-man color guard has participated in many sporting events in
In a 2002 letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Marine Corps Commandant J.L. Jones stated to the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), who operates the toll roads in Orange County, “Frankly, my preference is that the proposed toll road not be constructed on or near Camp Pendleton. This construction is one more encroachment venture that will hinder [our] ability to prepare for war. It will also result in additional losses of natural areas that support endangered species, thus placing an even greater burden on Camp Pendleton to protect the region’s biodiversity.”[14] In 2008, after the rejection of the proposed toll road extension of SR 241 through San Onofre State Beach Park for environmental reasons, the TCA filed for permission to build on the northwestern portion of the base. A spokesman for Camp Pendleton denied the request in 2010, stating that they could only allow the toll road to run through the San Onofre State Beach Park because their training missions could not be completed without the proposed land. In fact, the California gnatcatcher, an endangered species, resides on the northwestern portion of the base.[15] The TCA funded a study in 2013 to remove the California gnatcatcher from the endangered species list, which would have made it easier to negotiate the construction and planning of the 241's extension through the San Onofre State Beach Park.[16][17]
Areas of Camp Pendleton
Areas 11-16 are collectively known as "Mainside."
- 11 Area: Serra Mesa Housing, Paige Field House
- 12 Area: Combat Logistics Regiment 1, Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Battalion 13
- 13 Area: 9th Communications Battalion; 1st Dental Battalion; Marine Corps Installations West Headquarters; Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton
- 14 Area: 7th Engineer Support Battalion
- 15 Area: Security & Emergency Services Battalion, Marine Corps Police Department
- 16 Area: 1st Radio Battalion; 1st Intelligence Battalion; 1st EOD Company; 1st Topographic Platoon
- 17 Area: San Luis Rey Housing
- 18 Area: Marine Memorial Golf Course
- 20 Area: MCX, Commissary, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton Archived July 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Pacific Views Event Center Archived 2020-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
- 21 Area (Camp Del Mar): I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters; 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion; Combat Logistics Battalion 5; Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch; Field Medical Training Battalion, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
- 22 Area (Camp Chappo): 1st Supply Battalion; 1st Medical Battalion
- 23 Area (MCAS Camp Pendleton): Marine Aircraft Group 39
- 24 Area (Camp Pico): Marine Aircraft Group 39 Barracks; Base Brig
- 25 Area (Camp Vado Del Rio): Marine Wing Support Squadron 372
- 26 Area: Lake O'Neill, DeLuz Housing
- 27 Area (Naval Hospital): Mental Health Clinic Archived July 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, American Red Cross, Naval Hospital Barracks
- 31A Area (Edson Range): Weapons & Field Training Battalion
- 31B Area: Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity
- 31C Area: Assault Craft Unit 5
- 32 Area: 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Squadron 1Det A
- 33 Area (Camp Margarita): 1st Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Training Information Management System training facility, 1st Marine Division Band
- 41 Area (Camp Las Flores): 4th Tank Battalion(disbanded)
- 43 Area (11th Marine Regiment; 1st Maintenance Battalion
- 51 Area (Camp San Onofre): San Onofre Housing
- 52 Area (School of Infantry): United States Marine Corps School of Infantry
- 53 Area (Camp Horno): 1st Marine Regiment
- 62 Area (Camp San Mateo): 5th Marine Regiment; 1st Combat Engineer Battalion
- 63 Area (Camp Christianitos): Naval Expeditionary Medical Training Institute Archived July 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, La Christianita Historic Site
- 64 Area (Camp Talega): Deployment Processing Command / Reserve Support Unit (West)
Ecology
Camp Pendleton was built on a wide swath of coastal land that once supported an estuary at the mouth of the Santa Margarita River and extensive salt marsh habitat.[18] Outlying land within the base is made up of floodplain, oak woodlands, coastal dunes and bluffs, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and several types of wetlands, including ephemeral wetlands such as vernal pools.[19] Wildfire is not uncommon.[19] Research in ecology takes place on undeveloped areas of the base, which contain examples of rare and endangered California habitat types. The Department of Defense has issued management plans for various ecosystems on this territory.[19]
Land within the base still includes breeding habitat for birds such as the
Bison
Fourteen American bison were introduced from the San Diego Zoo between 1973 and 1979.[23] They roam the Delta and Charlie training areas, Zulu Impact Area and Case Springs on the base.[24] In early 2021, there were around 90 adults, and 14 calves were expected in April.[25]
See also
- Camp Pendleton South – two census-designated places(CDP) at the base
- Caruso Memorial Chapel
- List of United States Marine Corps installations
- Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton
- WWII/Korea LVT Museum at Camp Del Mar
References
- ^ "Base History". Camp Pendleton. United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on July 3, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
- ^ MCT staff (May 31, 2010). "HERE'S WHY". Marine Corps Times. p. 3.
- ^ ISBN 0-9643388-2-3.
- ISBN 1-55750-567-5.
- ^ 1. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Installations-West, Installation Histories, USMC Official website p.2, 4 [1]
- ^ "U.S. Naval Activities World War II by State". Patrick Clancey. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ^ "Devil Pups, Youth Program for America", Devil Pups Inc, 2008.
- ^ Ritchie, Erika T. (October 27, 2016). "A Salute to Valor". The Orange County Register. p. Local 1.
- Orange County Register, April 7, 2010) Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Orange County Register, April 8, 2010) Archived July 9, 2012, at archive.today
- ^ Anh, Do (April 29, 2015). "Vietnamese refugees began new lives in Camp Pendleton's 1975 'tent city'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Tribune, San Diego Union. "CSUSM study finds Pendleton airport feasible". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ Ivey, Christopher. "I-SIM". Kongsberg Geospatial. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ The Foothill-South Toll Road: Fact vs. Fiction
- ^ They didn't pave paradise. The top 10 reasons why the Foothill South toll road extension failed
- ^ This tiny bird scored a win for science
- ^ Toll road must not interfere with base mission
- ^ a b "Ecology of the Santa Margarita River". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan. Archived 2011-06-22 at the Wayback Machine USMC.
- ^ Wirtz, W. O, et al. (1995). Effects of fire on the ecology of the California Gnatcatcher, Polioptila californica, in California sage scrub communities. Proceedings - Fire Effects... Conference.
- ^ California Native Plant Society: E. pendletonensis
- ^ Blodgett, Tim (May 17, 2021). "50 years ago the San Diego Zoo gifted just over a dozen North American Bison to Camp Pendleton where 90 of them now roam". CBS8. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ Perry, Tony (November 4, 2008). "Camp Pendleton's where these bison like to roam". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- ^ Stilwell, Blake. "Why the Marine Corps Maintains Its Private Herd of American Bison". Military.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Chagnon, Dylan; Dennis, Charlotte (April 15, 2021). "Camp Pendleton has happy bison". Dispatch Newspaper | Navy News. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
Further reading
- O'Hara, Thomas (2005). Images of America: Camp Pendleton. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. ISBN 0-7385-2982-6.
External links
- Camp Pendleton (official site)
- Camp Pendleton (GlobalSecurity.org)
- Marine Corps Community Services at Camp Pendleton
- Historical Society
- Camp Pendleton Personnel/Vets Locator
- Camp Pendleton Base Overview & PCS Information (MarineCorpsUSA.org)
- Image of a Vietnamese mother and children in a tent at a refugee camp at Camp Pendleton, California, 1975. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- FAA airport information for NFG
- AirNav airport information for KNFG
- ASN accident history for NFG
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KNFG
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 18, 2024