Observation Post

> I grew up in a small town in New Jersey. The mascot of Delran [New Jersey] was the bear. The middle, junior high and high school all shared that same mascot. It was a smaller and quiet town. 

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - For nearly 150 years, since the end of the Civil War, Americans have honored their fallen heroes. In 1971, Congress passed into law that Memorial Day would be recognized as a federal holiday on the last Monday of every May. The Combat Center participated in a service was held at the Twentynine Palms Cemetery, May 29, 2017, to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the United States.

Marine Corps Community Services hosted the annual We Salute You Fest, at Victory Field aboard the Combat Center Saturday to show their appreciation for the hardworking service-members who protect this country.

Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Glenn M. Walters, presented the Silver Star Medal to Capt. Andrew Kim, intelligence officer, Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group, during Kim’s award presentation at Sunset Cinema, Thursday. 

>I am an avid video game player. I enjoy playing any game that is competitive, except for a few. I’m a competitive person and I can play with anyone I get to know including those who have gotten out of the Marine Corps.

The U.S. Marine Corps Battle Color Detachment performed during a Battle Color Ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Wednesday.

The Marine Air Ground Task Force Communication Planners Course (MCPC) began Jan. 9 aboard the Combat Center and will serve as the advanced planners’ course for the Marine Corps.

Sgt. Maj. Gabriel E. Macias relinquished his post as battalion sergeant major for 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, to Sgt. Maj. Jared A. Hoversten at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Feb. 3.

Marines with 29 Palms Futbol Club faced off against Camp Pendleton’s base team, Pendleton FC in a pre-season game on their own home turf of Felix Field aboard the Combat Center, Saturday.

Like most people, I dread having to pay the electric bill, especially during the summertime. That’s why I thought it sounded too good to be true when Lincoln Military Housing announced that I could get paid for being energy efficient. I was skeptical at first, but after a month of deliberately reducing our energy use, the bill arrived- not with an amount due, but with a check inside.

>Before I joined the Marine Corps I did a lot of skateboarding. Now that I have more time, I have gotten back to doing it again. I thought that it would be hard but I got right back on the board like I never got off.

As the crown jewel of the Marine Corps, the Combat Center’s mission is to provide a realistic training environment for the operating forces by conducting relevant live-fire combined arms training, urban operations, and joint/coalition-level integration training. For more than 200 years, Marines have been fighting our nation’s wars and because of installations like the Combat Center Marines are able to conduct the training needed to remain the nation’s force in readiness. With more than 1,100 square miles of mountainous terrain and dynamic training opportunities, units are prepared for the scenarios they may encounter throughout the world, making them truly ready to fight in for any clime or place.

Brig. Gen. William F. Mullen III, Combat Center Commanding General, fired the ceremonial first shot to kick off the annual High Desert Regional Shooting Match at the Combat Center shooting range Dec. 16-18, 2016.

Marines of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, call sign “Havoc”, bid farewell to their commanding officer during the battalion’s change of command ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Dec. 15. Lt. Col. Christopher T. Steele relinquished command of 2/7 to Lt. Col. Jonathan Q. Kenny.

Combat Center patrons participated in the second annual Road March for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dec. 10.

Holiday music danced through the air as children played, wielding balloon swords, puppies and hearts; only stopping to be made into a face-painted persona or to refuel on cookies and hot chocolate. Inside the gymnasium, Marines and sailors wait with their children who were eager to partake in the enchantment of the holidays during a toy giveaway at the West Gym, Saturday.

For more than 19,000 service members and their family members who live and work aboard the Combat Center, time spent with loved ones can often be scarce. The holiday season provides an opportunity for those who live aboard the installation to unite with friends and family and partake in the seasonal cheer. Marine Corps Community Services helped make time spent together worthwhile with the annual Combat Center Holiday Show at Sunset Cinema, Saturday.

Knowledge, speed and accuracy; every gun crew in 11th Marine Regiment put these talents to the test to attain the title of “Top Gun” in the regiment during the annual Top Gun Competition aboard the Combat Center, Saturday.

Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, participated in Integrated Training Exercise 1-17 aboard the Combat Center, Oct. 21-Nov. 12. The training is in preparation for an upcoming deployment with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response and the Black Sea Rotational Force.

First Tank Battalion conducted an operational pause at Del Valle Field, Nov. 29, in accordance with the All Marine Corps Activities 037/16 from Gen. Robert B. Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Neller has asked all Marines to participate in a corps-wide professional development operational pause for units to guard against complacency and a lack of focus at home station.

A cool autumn night in the southern Mojave Desert, a chill settles over the Marines of “First Team’; the only visibility comes from the pale moon light. A palpable silence settles over the Marines. Then, as quick as lightning strikes, a breaching charge explodes rupturing the tranquility with a litany of mortars launching and machine guns firing.

> I have a lot of family history in the military. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do once I graduated high school so I decided to join the military. It seemed like a great opportunity with good benefits. I felt like the Marine Corps was the best fit for me.

Through the month of October, the Combat Center collectively cycled 12,201 miles and burned 668,659 calories, all while preserving the environment by reducing 6,893 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. According to nationalbikechallenge.org, the installation’s 58 riders who participated in the inaugural “Get on Your Bike and Ride” month ranked 6th in the nation for total miles logged in October.

Flames flickered across the surface of the frigid waters as plumes of smoke climbed upward, bleeding seamlessly into the night sky. A lone swimmer, heaving line in tow, made his way toward a stranded man through the wreckage of the Soviet oceanographic vessel. Raising himself onto the flotsam, the U.S. sailor assured the wounded Russian, and they began their arduous swim back to the USS Permit.