History

Camp Lejeune and Onslow County have come a long way since September 1941 when the 1st Marine Division set up camp in the middle of a sandy pine forest along the Atlantic Seaboard. Units have trained and deployed around the globe to keep the peace and fight wars. A tobacco barn, farm house and temporary tent cities have grown into a 165,000-acre premier military training facility. A bond has grown among the Marines, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, family members, military retirees and civilians who have planted the seeds that are making Onslow County grow at an unprecedented rate.

The Camp Lejeune story began in 1940. World War II had been raging in Europe for more than a year and military planners were posturing forces for America's eminent entry to the fight. The need for an East Coast amphibious training facility was answered as the Department of the Navy purchased an initial 110,000-acre tract of land. With close proximity to ports at Wilmington and Morehead City, the area that is now Camp Lejeune was a logistical gem. When planners added the remote pine forests and miles of beach, the value of Camp Lejeune as a home training base for Marines was unbeatable.

On May 1, 1941, Lieutenant Colonel William P.T. Hill was ordered by the 17th Commandant, Lieutenant General (then Major General) Thomas Holcomb, to establish and assume command of the base, then known as Marine Barracks New River, N.C. His original headquarters were set up in an old farmhouse located at the Tent Camp (now Camp Geiger) and in August 1942 moved to Building 1 at Hadnot Point, where it remains today.

Near the end of 1942, the base was named Marine Barracks Camp Lejeune in honor of the 13th Commandant and Commanding General of the 2nd Army Division in World War I, Major General John A. Lejeune. In 1944, it was renamed Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

The value of this land to the Marine Corps has grown over the years as men and women have trained to fight wars in the Pacific Islands, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Camp Lejeune has also proven invaluable for the training and deployment of Marines for such actions as peacekeeping in Lebanon, tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel missions, drug interdiction missions and a host of noncombatant evacuation operations. The idea of Special Operations Capable Marine Expeditionary Units was born at Camp Lejeune, and in that spirit of innovation Marines here continue to strive to anticipate and meet the future of warfare in regimes such as urban operations, vehicle convoy operations, improvised explosive devices detection and handling, as well as in long-standing Marine Corps' competencies such as amphibious operations, close air support and employment of naval gunfire.

Camp Lejeune's expansive acreage includes vitally important areas, historically and operationally, at Camp Johnson, Camp Geiger, Courthouse Bay, Stone Bay and the Greater Sandy Run Training Area.

Camp Johnson, which now plays a crucial role in the follow-on training of thousands of Marines every year, was the first training base for black Marines. Originally known as Montford Point, black Marines attended boot camp here while the nation was still racially segregated. After the walls of segregation came down, it was named in honor of Sergeant Major Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson in 1974 and Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools was located there. Outside the gate of Camp Johnson stands a solemn tribute to Marines and Sailors who gave their lives keeping the peace in Lebanon. The Beirut Memorial is the site of an annual commemoration of the tragic Oct. 23, 1983 bombing of Battalion Landing Team 1/8's headquarters in Beirut. A visit to the Jacksonville area isn't complete without a stop at this memorial. Additionally, adjacent to the Beirut Memorial is the 9/11 Memorial and the Onslow Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This collection of stunning memorials is referred to as Lejeune Memorial Gardens.

Camp Geiger, too, is a vital training facility. With more than 24,000 Marines undergoing Marine Combat Training at the School of Infantry every year, it is a hub of activity that mirrors the original days in 1941 when the 1st Marine Division prepared to ship-out to the Pacific. Fundamental to the Marine warrior ethos is "every Marine is a Rifleman," and it is at Camp Geiger where all Marines learn and develop their infantry warfighting skills before they attend schools to learn their specific military occupational skills.

Courthouse Bay was once home of the Marine Corps' fledgling barrage balloon endeavors in World War II, and continues to be the home of amphibious assault Marines and vehicles. Additionally, Courthouse Bay has been the home of the Marine Corps Engineer School since 1942. More recently, in 1998, the Coast Guard's Port Security Training Detachment was relocated to Camp Lejeune. In 2002, the unit was renamed the Special Mission Training Center. In 2008, the unit moved to new facilities at Courthouse Bay, and the name was changed to Joint Maritime Training Center in order to more accurately reflect the unit's diverse range of personnel and training.

The Greater Sandy Run Area was acquired by the Marine Corps in 1992, expanding the Base's size from 110,000 acres to 156,000 acres, and thereby enabled establishment of additional ranges and training areas that have come to be vital to tenant operating forces' training and readiness.

From the base's inception a tradition of excellence and innovation was begun and continues today in training facilities and ranges, facilities, and services. The spectrum of excellence spans safety programs, training facilities and ranges, environment conservation and restoration, landfill and recycling, water treatment, waste water treatment, communications, logistics, law enforcement, emergency services, religious ministries, housing, personal support programs, education and much more. Camp Lejeune stands out as a superior military base.

To prepare for the range of missions from combat to humanitarian assistance, tenant and visiting units have available aboard Camp Lejeune 156,000 acres that include 11 miles of beach capable of supporting amphibious operations, 32 gun positions, 48 tactical landing zones, three state-of-the-art training facilities for Military Operations on Urban Terrain, and 80 live fire ranges to include the Greater Sandy Run Training Area. Military forces from around the world come to Camp Lejeune on a regular basis for bilateral, combined or joint exercises.

The base and surrounding community are home to an active duty, dependent, retiree and civilian employee population of more than 180,000 people. The base contributes to the local economy more than $3 billion each year in payroll, contracts, construction and other services that support training and equipping of Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen.

Some services available aboard Camp Lejeune include: childcare, shopping, education, family support, hunting and fishing, dining, boating and swimming. Facilities on base include banks and credit unions, the commissary, the library, hobby shops, fitness centers, the beach, theaters and more.

Camp Lejeune is a six-time recipient of the Commander-in-Chief's Award for Installation Excellence having most recently won the award for the Marine Corps in 2009 for Fiscal Year 2008 performance. These awards recognized the base, and its Marines, Sailors and civilians on a Department of Defense level for extraordinary excellence in sustained performance or innovation across all installation support functions for the benefit of tenant commands and resident Marines, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and families. The base continues to relentlessly strive for excellence in all that it provides.  read more...

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