Camp pendleton korean linguist9/18/2023 The 1st Marine Division returned home to Camp Pendleton in 1971 after six years of fierce combat.Īfter the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, tens of thousands of Vietnamese people were brought to Camp Pendleton. The Korean village combat town was transformed into a Vietnamese village. With the onset of the Vietnam War, a new buildup of men and machines began. New facilities were built including Edson Range, a rifle qualification complex which is utilized by the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, to qualify recruits in rifle marksmanship. In the early 1960s Camp Matthews, located in La Jolla, closed and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot's weapons training was transferred to Camp Pendleton. The individual learns the techniques of many military subjects, such as fighting in a village and street, attack of a fortified position, tank and infantry coordination, and use of all types of Marine infantry weapons. The four weeks of training stress the actions of the individual rifleman during fire team and squad movements. Ruffed conditioning hikes over hills to reach the best instruction sites keep the Devildogs trim. “And it is at Camp Pendleton where the youngsters are buffed and polished. If he reports firing the winter months, he also is sent through cold weather training in the High Sierras After a short leave, the young Marine reports to Camp Pendleton for a month of individual combat training before being assigned to a permanent duty station, school for specialists or replacement draft for overseas duty. Tens of thousands of Marines were trained at Camp Pendleton before being sent overseas.Ī 1955 article described the training ritual of a new Marine in the post Korean War era: “ The general pattern of training for a young leatherneck who has recently chosen the Marine Corps as his Service encompasses a ten-week course of recruit (boot) training at either of the two recruit depots- San Diego, California, or Parris Island, South Caroline. The Korean conflict necessitated further expansion and $20 million was spent to upgrade existing facilities and the construction of Camp Horno. Those structures in turn have nearly all been replaced as new construction on the Base continues to this day. The old ranch brand “TO” which marked thousands of head of cattle for many decades was adopted as Camp Pendleton's logo, and can still be seen throughout the Base.Ĭamp Pendleton is recognized as an outstanding training base and its vastness allows for use of modern weaponry, providing ample space for tactical maneuvers, wide beaches for landing exercises, and a variety of terrain for experimentation in practically all types of combat operations Marines are likely to encounter.įor the Marines of World War II, tent camps were established out of necessity until permanent structures could be built. The Spanish influence prevailed in identifying some of the smaller camps including Las Pulgas, San Onofre, Del Mar, and Margarita. Basilone Road was named after war hero John Basilone.īecause of the vastness of the Base and its 126,000 acres, camps within the Base were established. Vandegrift Boulevard which runs through the base from the main gate to the rear, is named after General Alexander Vandegrift, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Training at Camp Pendleton were the Twenty-fourth Marines, the Amphibious Reconnaissance Company of the First Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and the First Amphibious Corps Tank Battalion.īefore the war ended, Camp Pendleton absorbed and trained units of the Third Marine Division and the entire Fourth and Fifth Marine Divisions, in addition to thousands upon thousands of combat replacements.Ĭamp Pendleton was declared a permanent installation in 1944. One year after construction started, the Ninth Marines embarked for combat duty in the Pacific. Shepherd, Jr., who would later serve as Commandant of the Marine Corps. In September of 1942, six months after construction began, the Ninth Marine Regiment moved into the barracks at the new base under the command of Colonel Lemuel C. Men and equipment sped to build the highways, railroads, water, sewage and electrical systems, barracks, warehouses, dispensaries, hospital and shop buildings.
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