Observation Post

1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, hosted their second spring family day for the Marines and sailors of the regiment at Victory Field aboard the Combat Center, Saturday. Unit events are hosted to enhance camaraderie, bring spouses together to form positive relationships and create activities for the children.

Marathon Targets participated in individual training exercises aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., March 1, 2018. Marathon Targets created a robotic device that simulates enemies in foreign countries to help enhance the training environment for pre-deployment Marines.

A Battle Colors Ceremony was held at Felix Field aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., March 14, 2018. This year, the Battle Color Detachment performed a ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Belleau Wood.

The Tax Center aboard the Combat Center is open and still welcoming customers on a walk-in and appointment basis.

The Combat Center’s vast expanse of desert, more than 1,100 square miles, is home to many forms of wildlife and hidden archeological wonders. Conservation Law Enforcement Officers, or CLEOs, work to protect these unique and irreplaceable resources aboard the installation, helping the base preserve its training mission. 

Marines honed their shooting skills during the Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition West 2018, which was held at the Marksmanship Training Unit aboard the Combat Center from Feb. 2 to Feb. 16.

JOHNSON VALLEY, CALIF. — Every January, an army of HammerKing Productions employees and volunteers descend on Means Dry Lake bed here to build Hammertown, a 56-acre, high-tech encampment that serves as a hub for the annual King of the Hammers races held the first week in February. 

>Home to me is Fairview Park, OH. I grew up in a modest home with eight bedrooms, two bathrooms with 10 brothers and sisters in the suburbs of Cleveland. 

1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, bravo battery, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, HI, arrived at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Jan. 11, 2018, for Integrated Training Exercise 2-18. One training exercise during ITX is a Fire Support Coordination Exercise, which units use to enhance the lethality and co-operability between the four elements of a Marine Air Ground Task Force.

The Navy Marine Corps Medal was awarded to the family of Staff Sgt. Enrico Antonio Rojo during a memorial ceremony held aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Jan. 21, 2018. 

The Officers’ Club hosted a dedication ceremony for a new sculpture at their establishment Jan. 9, 2018. The sculpture was gifted by Claudio D’Augustino, a sculptor who has created many Marine Corps-related pieces for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Calif.

A funeral service was held in honor of Ray V. Wilburn, retired Sgt. Major, at Twentynine Palms Public Cemetery, Jan. 13, 2018. Wilburn served 31 years of honorable and faithful service to the United States Marine Corps, taking part in World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment conducted a live-fire range at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Dec. 12-14.

JOSHUA TREE, Calif.— Twelve years ago, a teacher in San Bernardino County delivered a package of 300 letters written to United States Marines to the Commanding General of the Combat Center and in return he received a box of 300 pens decorated with the American flag for each student who wrote a letter. For the past eight years Don Henry, U.S. history teacher of 15 years, has organized events that allow his students the opportunity to ask Marines questions in exchange for Veterans Day letters.

In September, Marine Corps Systems Command completed fielding a new biometrics system to help deployed Marines identify and track the movement of individuals encountered on the battlefield, conduct entry control point operations, and determine who is a friend or foe.

Camp Pendleton’s Headquarters and Service Battalion football team faced off against the Combat Center’s 1st Tank Battalion football team during the “Best in the West” game at Felix Field aboard the Combat Center Saturday.

Senior military officials, defense industry leaders, and experts gathered at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., Saturday, to discuss the “crisis” facing the United States.

Marines in the field now have access to more clean water quicker because of an upgrade to the Lightweight Water Purification System.

Marines, sailors and coalition forces integrated as one to demonstrate an increase combined arms operational proficiency during exercise Bold Alligator 17 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Oct. 25.

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller visited the Combat Center to observe training exercises conducted on Integrated Training Exercise 1-18, aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Nov. 17, 2017. 

For 242 years Marines have served as the nation’s force in readiness, always prepared to defend our country and Constitution from America’s adversaries. Over the years, Marines have donned many different uniforms to meet the needs of the time and to remain ever-ready to answer the call of duty.

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Walking across the flight line, Marines don their Mission Oriented Protective Posture suits and carefully make their way toward a grounded CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter. There they begin cleaning the aircraft through a rigorous process of power washing and scrubbing while in full MOPP suits.

Marine Wing Support Detachment 31, which is based out of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., supported Integrated Training Exercise 1-18 through the reconstruction of three helicopter landing zones at training area Lead Mountain, Nov. 1- 13, 2017.

The Marine Corps’ birthday is one of the many traditions that Marines take great pride in celebrating annually and on Wednesday Combat Center food service specialists partook in an early observance of the birthday through their preparation of the infamous steak, lobster tails, baked potatoes and Cornish hens.