HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), also known as 29 Palms, is the largest United States Marine Corps base. It was a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) officially known as Twentynine Palms Base located adjacent to the city of
Twentynine Palms Twentynine Palms (also known as 29 Palms) is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Twentynine Palms serves as one of the entry points to Joshua Tree National Park. History Twentynine Palms was named for the palm trees found there in ...
in southern San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2000 census, the base had a total population of 8,413. The zip code of the base is 92278; base housing's zip code is 92277. The base covers a total area of 596,288 acres (931.7 sq mi). The CDP was discontinued prior to the 2010 census.


Recreation & Fitness

Wood Hobby Shop, Auto Hobby Shop, Bowling, Community Center, Golf Course, Family Parks, Skate Park, Movie Theater, Beach Facilities @ Camp Pendleton, Outdoor Adventures Center, Swimming Pool, Recreational Equipment Checkout & Rentals, and Sports / Gym facilities.


History

From 1942 through July 1944, during World War II, the airfield at Twentynine Palms was utilized by the U.S. Army Air Force for primary flight training. What is now the "Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center", was taken over by the
Eleventh Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...
, headquartered in San Diego, as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Twentynine Palms, in July 1944. After the war, its future was uncertain. Then, on August 20, 1952, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Headquarters issued Post Order 343 creating the Marine Corps Training Center, Twentynine Palms. The United States was embroiled in the Korean War. As the need for live-fire training grew along with the swelling ranks, it became obvious that more ranges were needed. Pendleton's Marines looked northward, and happened upon the abandoned Condor Field, a World War II
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and Navy
glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of gliding ...
base located in the vicinity of what is now mainside. The base was redesignated on February 6, 1953, as Marine Corps Training Center, Twentynine Palms. By February 1, 1957, it grew to base status and was again redesignated as Marine Corps Base, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Only 70 Marines comprised the detachment at the center. Manned by Marines from Camp Pendleton, its primary mission was to prepare the new base for the arrival of permanent personnel. By mid-December, 1952, a fresh
3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with ...
, with assistance from the
12th Marine Regiment The 12th Marine Regiment is an artillery regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Smedley Butler, Okinawa, Japan. Nicknamed "Thunder and Steel," the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Division. Mission Provide ...
, conducted the first large-scale, live-fire field exercise aboard the new base. The exercise gave Marines a glimpse of the facility's potential and foreshadowed the large-scale
combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects (for example by using infantry and armour in an urban environment in which each supports the other). ...
exercises for which the base is now known. In 1976, under the command of Brigadier General Ernest R. Reid, Jr., work began to add an expeditionary airfield to the base's growing infrastructure. When the first
C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...
landed in August 1978, it was apparent that the air-ground capability of the base was complete. Following completion of the expeditionary airfield, its name was changed to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center on October 1, 1978, and changed yet once more to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) on February 16, 1979. It was also during this time that plans for the
Combined Arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects (for example by using infantry and armour in an urban environment in which each supports the other). ...
Exercises were conceived. Supplanting an earlier exercise known as Desert Palm Tree, the new CAXs were remarkable in two respects: the practice of combined arms, and live-fire and movement during the exercises were unprecedented in scale. Just as noteworthy was the creation of a Tactical Exercise Control Center with the primary purpose of controlling, instructing and critiquing the exercises. In the words of base historian, Col. Verle E. Ludwig, USMC (Ret.), "Twentynine Palms was to be a permanent 'combined-arms exercise college' for all of the Marine Corps." On October 1, 2000, after 21 years as MCAGCC, the command was redesignated as Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Twentynine Palms, California. This redesignation accompanied a change in policy that placed MAGTF Training Command under the auspices of Training and Education Command,
Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function ...
, MCCDC, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. This arrangement simplifies what was occasionally a complicated chain of command. The expeditionary airfield and surrounding
spartan Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...
accommodations for visiting units was nicknamed "Camp Wilson". The base is currently home to one of the largest military training areas in the nation. The program known as Mojave Viper has become the model of pre- Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment training. The majority of units in the Marine Corps will undergo a month at Mojave Viper before deploying to Iraq or a mixed training venue using the
Mountain Warfare Training Center The Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) is a United States Marine Corps installation located in Pickel Meadows on California State Route 108 at above sea level in the Toiyabe National Forest, northwest of Bridgeport, California. The trai ...
(south of
Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...
) for
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Live fire exercises, artillery, tank, and
close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
training are used for training, in addition to the sprawling "Combat Town," a fabricated Middle Eastern village, complete with a mosque, native role-players, an " IED Alley," and other immersive touches. In August 2008, the Marine Corps submitted a land withdrawal application to the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's l ...
(BLM) for approximately contiguous to base as part of an ongoing study by the Marine Corps for possible base expansion, along with the establishment of corresponding special-use airspace, necessary to train a Marine Expeditionary Brigade at the Combat Center.


Based units

*
7th Marine Regiment The 7th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Nicknamed the "Magnificent Seventh", the regiment falls under the command of the 1st ...
*
3rd Battalion 11th Marines 3rd Battalion 11th Marines (3/11) is an artillery battalion comprising three firing batteries, a Liaison Unit, and a headquarters battery. The battalion is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California and its pr ...
* 3rd LAR Battalion * Co D, 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion * MWSS-374 * CLB-7 * MCCES * MCTOG * MCLOG


Geography

Twentynine Palms Base is located within the
Morongo Basin The Morongo Basin is an endorheic basin and valley region located in eastern San Bernardino County, in Southern California. The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire region, and is considered to be the easternmost portion of the Greater L ...
and the High Desert region of the Mojave Desert, in Southern California.profile
GlobalSecurity.org
MCAGCC Twentynine Palms is approximately 98 miles from the
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow is a United States Marine Corps supply and maintenance installation located in the Mojave Desert east of Barstow, in San Bernardino County, Southern California. Its mission is to rebuild and repair ground-co ...
, which is located in the city of
Barstow, California Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the ...
. It is also approximately 111 miles from the
Barstow-Daggett Airport Barstow-Daggett Airport is a county-owned public airport in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is five miles (7 km) east of Daggett and 14 miles east of Barstow. Built in 1933, it is the oldest of the six airports oper ...
located in Daggett, California. According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 1.4 mi2 (3.7 km2). This area is all land with none covered by water. This area covers only the main cantonment, which includes the base housing; the entire installation is far larger, with 931.7 mi2 (2,413.2 km2) of surface area, all land. There was a resident population of 14,090 on this territory as of the 2000 census. The terrain is consistent, with steeply sloped mountains and flat valleys running northwest–southeast, with elevations ranging from 1,800 to above sea level. The training area is also characterized with ancient lava flows, as well as dry lake beds and arroyos (or wadis) that fill quickly during rain, presenting the danger of powerful floods and washouts that can move
armored vehicles Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...
. Many
abandoned mine An abandoned mine is a mine or quarry which is no longer producing or operational and, there is no responsible party to finance the cost to address the remediation and/or restoration of the mine feature/site. Terms and definitions vary though th ...
s dot the terrain, as well as unexploded ordnance and shrapnel, making unauthorized travel in the training areas dangerous. The climate is described best as
arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most a ...
and upland desert. Summer temperatures can peak at 120 °F and bottom at 15 °F in the winter, with an annual average of 67 °F. Precipitation averages to four inches (102 mm) annually, most often in the fall and winter months. Weather is generally clear and sunny days, with low humidity.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,413 people, 912 households, and 904 families residing on the base. The population density was 2,287.5/km2 (5,935.8/mi2). There were 1,006 housing units at an average density of 273.5/km2 (709.8/mi2). The racial makeup of the base was 70.3% White, 10.4%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
, 1.4% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.3%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...
, 9.5% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. 19.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 912 households, out of which 73.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 94.5% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 0.8% were non-families. 0.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and <0.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.4 and the average family size was 3.4. The age distribution of the base is: 15.4% under the age of 18, 67.0% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 0.7% from 45 to 64, and <0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 404.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 596.3 males. These statistics were consistent with the area's military status. The median income for a household on the base was $29,500, and the median income for a family was $29,594. Males had a median income of $14,111 versus $17,014 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,615. 12.1% of the population and 11.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.0% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


Government

In the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...
, Twentynine Palms Base is in , and in . In the United States House of Representatives, Twentynine Palms Base is in the .


In popular culture

A futuristic version of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is featured at the start of the movie ''
Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...
''. When the hit TV show '' Home Improvement'' was about to be sold into syndication, the producers decided to kick off the syndicated run with a brand new episode not shown on prime time. Much of that episode was taped in 1995 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. The episode, titled " Tanks for the Memories", featured Tim and Jill racing tanks across the desert base. In season 4 episode 32 of '' The Andy Griffith Show'', the Camp Wilson Marine Base was used throughout the episode, from when the character "Gomer Pyle" joined the Marines. It was featured in
Terminal Lance ''Terminal Lance'' is a comic strip and website created in 2010 by Maximilian Uriarte that satirizes United States Marine Corps life. Uriarte publishes the strip in the ''Marine Corps Times'' newspaper and on his own website, ''TerminalLance.co ...
comic #209; "All Your Base: 29 Palms" describing the horrible conditions of the base, saying it smelled of "sweaty shit", a reference to the open pond from the base waste water treatment facility. It is known to the local population as "Lake Bandini", after a local fertilizer company of the same name. In the 1996 film '' Independence Day'', additional fighters are sent from 29 Palms, presumably from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. The base is also known in military and veteran communities by the nickname "29 Stumps" after its desert location and lack of things to do in the general area, especially in earlier decades. The area is mentioned in Robert Plant's song "
29 Palms 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
".


List of commanders

* MajGen Lewis A. Craparotta, July 10, 2014 - July 10, 2016 * MajGen Roger B. Turner Jr., July 10, 2016 - August 13, 2020 * MajGen William Jurney, August 13, 2020 - June 4, 2021 * MajGen Austin E. Renforth, June 4, 2021 – present


See also

* Condor Field * Twentynine Palms Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field *
List of United States Marine Corps installations This is a list of installations used by the United States Marine Corps, organized by type and state. Most US states do not have active Marine Corps bases; however, many do have reserve bases and centers. In addition, the Marine Corps Security F ...


References

*


Further reading

*


External links

*
An Insider's Guide to USMC BasesOfficial Facebook pageMCAGCC 29 Palms Base Overview & PCS Information
(MarineCorpsUSA.org)
U.S. Marine Corps Combat Training Center: Census Tract 104.02, San Bernardino County, California
United States Census Bureau
{{IE Mass Transit
Twentynine Palms Twentynine Palms (also known as 29 Palms) is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Twentynine Palms serves as one of the entry points to Joshua Tree National Park. History Twentynine Palms was named for the palm trees found there in ...
Military installations in California Military facilities in the Mojave Desert Military in San Bernardino County, California Twentynine Palms, California Former census-designated places in California