Stories - Category News

Four people in Marine Corps MARPAT uniforms pose for a photo with two tropies. - From left to right, U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Nick I. Brown, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West; Capt. Landon Nagao, a UH-1Y pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; Sgt. Stephanie Evtodi, a maintenance management specialist with 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd MAW and Sgt. Maj. Sherri N. Cook, senior enlisted leader of MCIWEST, pose for a photo during the 2025 Camp Pendleton Male and Female Athlete of the Year award ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 9, 2026. The Camp Pendleton Athletes of the Year for 2025 were recognized for their sustained excellence in competitive athletics while serving on active duty. (Courtesy photo by Nava Kiss)

U.S. Marines Awarded Male and Female Athlete of the Year

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Nagao, a UH-1Y pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Sgt. Evtodi, a maintenance management specialist with 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd MAW were named Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year for 2025, recognizing their sustained excellence in competitive athletics while serving on active duty.

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One Flame - The Camp Pendleton Fire Department logo is displayed on a fire truck at Camp Pendleton Fire Station 4 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 19, 2026. The Camp Pendleton Fire Department has operated since 1942 and comprises over 100 firefighters across 11 stations; it provides wildland fire suppression, advanced life support, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazmat services and fire prevention and inspection. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Akamelu)

One Flame: The Efficacy of CPFD and Partners

One Flame: The Efficacy of CPFD and Partners CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Roughly 126,000 acres, 95% of which is undeveloped, the land covering the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is home to oak woodlands, coastal sage scrub and chaparral, dunes and bluffs, wetlands and vernal pools and riparian corridors. In the dry, hot climate of Southern California, these areas face a high risk of harm, with an average of over 101 wildfires per year on Camp Pendleton.

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Marine Corps Installations West Hosts Annual Civilian Awards - U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Nick I. Brown, center left, the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Luis M. Ortega, center right, the senior enlisted leader for Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations West, MCB Camp Pendleton, stand for a photo with the award recipients during the annual Civilian Award Ceremony on MCB Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 29, 2026. The annual ceremony recognized civilians for their outstanding performance throughout fiscal year 2025 and honored them for their dedicated federal service. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Edgar Rafael).

MCB Camp Pendleton Employees Awarded

MCB Camp Pendleton Employees Awarded for 545 Years of Combined Federal Service

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From Dust to Squared Away - OCS IV - U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jesus F. Sanchez, an administrative specialist with Alpha Company, Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations West, patches drywall during Operation Clean Sweep IV at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 7, 2026. OCS IV, part of the ongoing Barracks 360 Reset initiative, demonstrates a collective commitment to improving living conditions through shared ownership, sustained accountability and measurable improvements to barracks habitability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adrian Estrada)

From Dust to Squared Away - OCS IV

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — From minor scratches to small holes in walls, barracks conditions can vary across the Marine Corps or in any living space for that matter. For Marines, addressing these issues helps create a sense of pride and ownership in their living environment.

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50 Years of Service - Mr. R. Woody, left, deputy for G-3/5 at MCIWEST, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and his wife, Esther Woody, pose for a photo after the Civilian Awards Ceremony at MCB Camp Pendleton, Calif., June 11, 2026. The recognition honors Woody's more than 50 years of combined military and federal service, including 31 years as an active-duty Marine and over two decades as a civilian leader supporting Marines, families and mission readiness at Marine Corps Installations West. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Gustavsen)

Mr. Woody’s 50 Years of Service

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Russell Woody watched young men leave his neighborhood as one person and return as another. They stood taller. They carried themselves differently. They were more disciplined and exhibited an increased sense of strength.

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A group of people pose for a photo. - U.S. servicemembers and Colby Gibbs, beekeeper with Bee Leaf USA, pose for a group photo during a beekeeping program meeting at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, July 13, 2026. The beekeeper program teaches service members about the ins and outs of beekeeping, the teamwork required in a hive, and the calming effects of the hive’s vibrations and scents. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jacqueline Akamelu)

Hive Mind: Marines Find Mental Resilience Through Beekeeping

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Clad head to toe in suits of lightweight, snowy fabric, a group of seven approaches a row of weathered wooden boxes stacked neatly atop one another. Some are painted an array of bright blues and creams, while others are completely bare. Each crate, slightly chipped from wear, containing its own calming colony of life and healing.

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Help from above - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Dillon Buck, an advanced combat videographer with Communication Strategy and Operations, Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, conducts a hand launch of the SKYDIO X2D Small Unmanned Aircraft System at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 13, 2026. Certified drone operators can contribute to COMMSTRAT operations on Camp Pendleton including public affairs events, training environments, battle damage assessments, investigations and emergency responses. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ana Kalajzic)

Help from above: MCIWEST COMMSTRAT integrates drones to support Camp Pendleton

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Prepare, Respond, Recover Exercise Semper Durus 2026 tests regional readiness - U.S. Marines, Sailors and staff with Marine Corps Installations West conduct a tabletop exercise outbrief during Semper Durus 26 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 22, 2026. Semper Durus is a Marine Corps Installations West full-scale regional command training and interagency exercise designed to enhance emergency preparedness and rapid response capabilities across multiple Marine Corps installations in the southwestern United States. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Noah Martinez)

Exercise Semper Durus 2026

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! Semper Durus 2026 is a regional antiterrorism, force protection and contingency response exercise designed to strengthen installation and regional crisis response capabilities in support of mission assurance and the deployment of I Marine Expeditionary Force, while ensuring continued support to tenant commands and Marine Corps families.

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MCICOM Enlisted of the Year - U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Linwood Hinton, operations chief at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, poses for a photo at MCAS Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 20, 2026. Hinton was recognized as the 2026 Marine Corps Installations Command Enlisted Marine of the Year. This award highlights the outstanding achievements of the Corps' top-performing Marines and units in the Installations and Logistics community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Martinez)

MCAS Camp Pendleton Marine Awarded MCICOM Enlisted of the Year

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — In the radar room, dim screens cast a steady glow across Marines leaning forward in their chairs, eyes fixed on moving symbols tracking aircraft miles away. A low hum fills the space broken only by short, precise radio calls. Coordination happens in seconds. Before a pilot ever sees the runway or hears a voice from the tower, the airspace has already been shaped here.

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MCB Camp Pendleton Conducts CPX II - Members of the Camp Pendleton Fire Department prepare for a hazmat training exercise during Command Post Exercise II at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 28, 2026. CPX II combined the efforts of various agencies across MCIWEST to exercise staff actions in response to a simulated food supply contamination, including verifying the safety and security of food sources, assessing the impact of food delivery interruptions, identifying response actions to restore safe food deliveries, and exercising the Camp Pendleton Fire Department’s procedures for hazardous materials incidents. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Akamelu)

MCB Camp Pendleton Conducts CPX II

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Semper Durus is an annual interagency training exercise designed to strengthen regional defense, test anti-terrorism measures, and ensure personnel safety against evolving threats across Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Before, during, and after Semper Durus, agencies aboard the installation maintain readiness and response effectiveness through targeted training exercises focused on specific areas.

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Alice "Faye" Jonason holds up decorative wooden sword for the crowd to see. - Mrs. Alice “Faye” Jonason, the History and Museum Director at the Mechanized Museum, presents a gift she was given during an open house celebration of service and history at the Mechanized Museum, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, on Dec. 20, 2025. Camp Pendleton hosted a free open house for base residents at the Mechanized Museum, which featured award presentations for distinguished guests, guided tours, and Marine Corps heritage film strips. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jeslianne A. Torres)

A Night at the Mechanized Museum

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Rain fell steadily the morning the Mechanized Museum, the Marine Corps’ largest vehicle collection, opened in 2002 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The rain darkened the concrete outside as visitors stepped in from the weather. Inside, the air smelled of oil and steel, and the patter of rain on the metal roof echoed throughout the building.

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Better Together: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Hosts Interagency Table Top Exercise - Ms. Hollenbeck, an emergency planning manager with Defense Coordinating Element IX, gives remarks during an Interagency Table Talk Exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Nov. 5, 2025. The Interagency Partner TTX included participation from MCIWEST commanders, I MEF staff, Senior Leader Training Instructors, liaison officers, and interagency representatives across Southern California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Akamelu)

Better Together: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Hosts Interagency Table Top Exercise

Better Together: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Hosts Interagency Table Top Exercise Working together has always been a strength throughout the Department of War and many partnering agencies. The concept of a united, long-term partnership is the basis of how the United States protects its citizens against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and combats issues that arise on the home front. On November 5, 2025, Marine Corps Installations West, in coordination with I Marine Expeditionary Force, hosted an Interagency Partner Tabletop Exercise that brought together military leaders and regional partners to enhance coordination and readiness across multiple response disciplines.

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