Everything about Camp Pendleton totally explained
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major
West Coast base of the
United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base. It is located in
Southern California between the cities of
Oceanside and
San Clemente.
The base was established in
1942 to train U.S. Marines for service in
World War II. By October 1944, Camp Pendleton was declared as a "permanent installation" and by 1946, it became the home of the 1st Marine Division. It is named after Marine General
Joseph Henry Pendleton, who long advocated setting up a West Coast training base for the Marine Corps. Today it's the home to a myriad of
Fleet Marine Force units including the
1st Marine Expeditionary Force and various training commands.
History prior to WWII
Early years
In
1769, a Spaniard by the name of Capt.
Gaspar de Portola led an expeditionary force northward from lower
California, seeking to establish
Franciscan missions throughout California. On
July 20 of that same year, the expedition arrived at a location now known as Camp Pendleton, and as it was the holy day
St. Margaret, they baptized the land in the name of
Santa Margarita.
During the next 30 years, 21 missions were established, the most productive one being
Mission San Luis Rey, just south of the present-day Camp Pendleton. At that time, San Luis Rey Mission had control over the Santa Margarita area.
In
1821, following
Mexico’s independence from
Spain, the
Californios became the new ruling class of
California, and many were the first generation descendants of the Portola expedition. The Mexican governor was awarding land grants and ranchos to prominent businessmen, officials and military leaders. In
1841, two brothers by the name of Don Pio and Don Andres Pico became the first private owners of Rancho Santa Margarita. More land was later added to the grant, making the name
Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, and that name stayed with the ranch until the
Marine Corps acquired it in 1942.
In 1863, an Englishman named
John 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 of the ranch, he expanded the ranch house, which was first built in 1827, and developed the rancho into a thriving
cattle industry.
Forster’s heirs, however, were forced to sell the ranch in 1882 because of a string of bad
luck, which included 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 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 began to net a profit of nearly half a million dollars annually, and the house was modernized and furnished to its present form.
World War II
In the early ‘40s, both the
Army and the Marine Corps were looking for land for a large training base. The Army lost interest in the project, but in February of 1942 it was announced that the of Rancho Santa Margarita y Los Flores was about to be transformed into the largest Marine Corps base in the country. It was named for Major General
Joseph Henry Pendleton who had long advocated the establishment of a West Coast training base. Construction began in April but the base was considered a temporary facility so it was built to minimum standards of wood frame construction. After five months of furious building activity, the
9th Marine Regiment, under then Colonel
Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., marched from
Camp Elliott in San Diego to Camp Pendleton to be the first troops to occupy the new base. On
September 25,
1942, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the base.
Korean War through the 1990s
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.
Camp Pendleton has continued to grow through renovations, replacing its original tent camps with more than 2,600 buildings and 500 miles of roads.
Efforts today continue to preserve the heritage of Camp Pendleton's founders and the Marine Corps' history. The original ranch house has been declared a
National Historic Site.
Today
The base's diverse geography, spanning over, plays host to year round training for Marines in addition to all other branches of the
U.S. military. Amphibious and sea-to-shore training takes place at several key points along the base's 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 nearby
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego spend a month on Pendleton's
Edson Range receiving field training, and after graduating from boot camp return to the base's
School of Infantry for further training. Camp Pendleton remains the last major undeveloped portion of the Southern California coastline, save for a few small state parks. In this way, it acts as a kind of buffer between
Orange County and the
Greater Los Angeles Area, and
San Diego County.
Unit locations (by area)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Camp Pendleton'.
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