Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton has126,000 acres and is situated just north of Oceanside, CA on an old Spanish land grant, the Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores.

The Marine base was opened in 1942 and named after Marine Major General Joseph H. Pendleton who died the same year.

 

In September of 1942, six months after construction began, the

Ninth Marine Regiment moved into the barracks at the new base. Camp Pendleton was declared a permanent installation in 1944.

 

 

 

Vandegrift Boulevard which runs through the base is named after General Alexander Vandegrift, Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1944.

Basilone Road, seen from Interstate 5, was named after Medal of Honor war hero Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone – the only enlisted U.S. Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and purple heart during WWII.

In the early 1960s the Edson Weapons Range was built

The Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton has a daily population of more than 65,000 active-duty and reserve service members, their families, civilian employees and contractors