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 244-square mile 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, 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 eventually in August 1942 it was 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 Marines here continue to make strides toward the future of warfare in such areas as urban and riverine operations. Camp Lejeune and the satellite facilities at Camp Geiger, Camp Johnson, Courthouse Bay, Stone Bay and the Greater Sandy Run Training Area have an historic value that goes beyond their national strategic importance.

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 October 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.