| Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton | |
|---|---|
| NearOceanside,California in theUnited States | |
 Marines hiking at Camp Pendleton during 2014 | |
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| Site information | |
| Type | Marine Corps base |
| Owner | Department of Defense |
| Operator | US Marine Corps |
| Controlled by | Marine Corps Installations West |
| Condition | Operational |
| Website | Official website |
| Location | |
  MCB Camp Pendleton Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates | 33°12′53.1″N117°23′15″W / 33.214750°N 117.38750°W /33.214750; -117.38750 |
| Area | > 125,000 acres (51,000 hectares) |
| Site history | |
| Built | March–September 1942 (1942) |
| In use | 1942–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Brigadier General Nick I. Brown |
| Garrison | I Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Airfield information | |
| Airfield | Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton |
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the majorWest Coast base of theUnited States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on theSouthern California coast inSan Diego County and is bordered byOceanside to the south,San Clemente inOrange County to the north,Riverside County to the northeast, andFallbrook to the east.
The base was established in 1942 to train U.S. Marines for service inWorld War II. By October 1944, Camp Pendleton was declared a "permanent installation," and by 1946 it became the home of the1st Marine Division. It was named after Major GeneralJoseph Henry Pendleton (1860–1942), who had long advocated setting up a training base for the Marine Corps on the West Coast. Today it is home to manyOperating Force units, including theI Marine Expeditionary Force and various training commands.
In 1769, a Spanish expedition led by CaptainGaspar de Portolá explored northward fromLoreto, Baja California Sur, seeking to reachMonterey Bay, something never before done overland by Europeans. OnJuly 20 of that year, the expedition arrived in the area now known as Camp Pendleton, and as it was the feast day ofSt. Margaret, they christened the land in the name of Santa Margarita. The expedition went on to establish military outposts andFranciscan missions atSan Diego andMonterey.
During the next 30 years, 21 missions were established, the most productive one beingMission San Luis Rey, just south of the present-day Camp Pendleton.[1] At that time, San Luis Rey Mission had control over the Santa Margarita area.
After 1821, following theMexican War of Independence from Spain, some of the former members of the Portolà expedition who had stayed on (mostly garrison soldiers) were awarded largeland grants (ranchos) by Mexican governors. The retired soldiers were joined asrancheros by prominent businessmen, officials, and military leaders. They and their children, theCalifornios, became the landed gentry ofAlta California.
In 1841, two brothers,Pio Pico andAndrés Pico, became the first private owners of Rancho Santa Margarita. More land was later added to the grant, giving it the name ofRancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, which stayed with the ranch until theMarine Corps acquired it in 1942. The design of the ranch'scattle brand is seen in the base's logo today.[2]
In 1863, anEnglishman namedJohn (Don Juan) Forster (Pio Pico's brother-in-law) paid off Pico's gambling debts in return for the deed to the ranch. During his tenure as owner, he expanded the ranch house, built in 1827, and developed the rancho into a thriving cattle industry.
Forster's heirs were forced to sell the ranch in 1882 because of a series ofdroughts and a fence law that forced Forster to construct fencing around the extensive rancho lands. It was purchased by wealthy cattlemanJames Clair Flood and managed byIrishman 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.
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In the early 1940s, both theArmy and the Marine Corps were looking for land for a large training base. The Army lost interest in the project, but in February 1942 it was announced that the 122,798 acres (497 km2) of Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores would be transformed into the largest Marine Corps base in the country.[3] It was named for Major GeneralJoseph Henry Pendleton who had long advocated the establishment of a West Coast training base. Construction began in April as a temporary facility built to minimum standards of woodframe construction.[3] After five months of furious building activity, the9th Marine Regiment, under then ColonelLemuel C. Shepherd Jr., marched fromCamp Elliott in San Diego to Camp Pendleton to be the first troops to occupy the new base. On September 25, 1942, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the base.[4] Wartime training facilities at the base includedlanding craft school,amphibious tractor school, beach battalion school,amphibious communications school,Naval Construction Battalion Training Center[5] and a medical field service school at the naval hospital at Santa Margarita Ranch, nowNaval Hospital Camp Pendleton. The facility was used as a discharge base for soldiers returning from Europe and Asia after World War II ended in 1945.[6]
During theKorean War, $20 million helped expand and upgrade existing facilities, including the construction ofCamp Horno. When Camp Pendleton trained the country's fighting force for the Korean andVietnam 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 inOperation 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 originaltent camps with 2,626 buildings and over 500 miles (800 km) of roads.
Preservation of Camp Pendleton heritage and Marine Corps history is ongoing. The original ranch house as well as theLas Flores Adobe have been declared aNational Historic Site.
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 theU.S. military. Amphibious and sea-to-shore training takes place at several key points along the base's 17 miles (27 km) of coastline. The main base is in the Mainside Complex, at the southeastern end of the base, and the remote northern interior is an impact area. Daytime population is around 100,000. Recruits from nearbyMarine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego spend four weeks at Pendleton'sEdson Range receiving field training; after graduating fromrecruit training, newly minted infantry Marines return to the base'sSchool of Infantry for further training.
Camp Pendleton remains the last major undeveloped portion of the California coastline south ofSanta 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 theStandard 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 inSan Diego and at the1996 Republican National Convention, accompanyingnational anthem performers. Among the more famous performers who were accompanied by the Camp Pendleton color guard have beenFrankie Laine,Herb Alpert,Wilson Phillips,Jewel,Trisha Yearwood and theDixie Chicks, all of whom had performed the National Anthem at either aWorld Series game,Super Bowl, or, in Wilson Phillips' case, aMajor League Baseball All-Star Game that was played at what is nowSDCCU Stadium.
In a 2002 letter to theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency, Marine Corps Commandant J. L. Jones stated to theTransportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), who operates the toll roads inOrange 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 ofSR 241 throughSan 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, theCalifornia gnatcatcher, anendangered 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 11-16 are collectively known as "Mainside."
Camp Pendleton was built on a wide swath of coastal land that once supported anestuary at the mouth of theSanta Margarita River and extensivesalt marsh habitat.[18] Outlying land within the base is made up offloodplain,oak woodlands,coastal dunes and bluffs,coastal sage scrub,chaparral, and several types of wetlands, including ephemeral wetlands such asvernal 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 thewestern snowy plover[18] andCalifornia gnatcatcher.[20] The coastal bluffs have many of the few existing specimens of thePendleton button-celery, which was named for the base.[21] Rare mammals on the base include thePacific pocket mouse andStephens's kangaroo rat.[19][22]
FourteenAmerican bison were introduced from theSan 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]
Dependents on base are zoned to schools operated by local school districts. The Camp Pendleton property does not have anyDepartment of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. TheOceanside Unified School District covers portions of the base and operates the following on-post schools: Santa Margarita School (K-8 school), North Terrace Elementary School, Stuart Mesa Elementary School, and Stuart Mesa Middle School.[26] TheFallbrook Union Elementary School District operates the following on-post schools: Mary Fay Elementary School, San Onofre Elementary School, Mary Fay Middle School, and San Onofre Middle School. Some portions of the base are assigned to theCapistrano Unified School District.[26]
Oceanside USD-zoned areas on Camp Pendleton property are assigned toOceanside High School.[27] TheSan Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) stated that the school "has been noted as an important resource for the Camp Pendleton community as it serves as the high school for many students of military families since there is no high school on base."[28] Fallbrook Union ESD feeds intoFallbrook Union High School District,[29] which operatesFallbrook High School. The Capistrano district operatesSan Clemente High School.[27] The base has no on-post high schools.[26]
Places adjacent to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton | |
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