The history of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, compiled by L.J. Kimball, LtCol USMC (Ret), Vice-Chairman and Historian of the Museum of the Marine.
Created by jacksonvilledailynews on Apr 14, 2011
Last updated: 04/29/11 at 02:42 PM
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The Camp Lejeune Wounded Warrior Barracks complex and Fisher House are dedicated.
The first Fisher House on a Marine Corps installation opens aboard Camp Lejeune
As a result of the efforts of Col Bill Ayers of the Museum of the Marine, and the consequent passage of House Bill 1021, U.S. 17 and portions of U.S. 70 between Edenton and Holly ridge are dedicated as the "U.S. Marine Corps Highway."
The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is dedicated in the Lejeune Memorial Gardens.
President Barack Obama visits Camp Lejeune.
The Museum of the Marine is dedicated at its 9-acre site within the Lejeune Memorial Gardens.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach is killed and her body buried in the back yard fire pit of a fellow Marine.
The Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, the Corps' first, was activated at Camp Lejeune.
Camp Lejeune closes N.C. 172 to the public in a move to increase security aboard the base.
Col. Adele Hodges assumes command of Camp Lejeune, the first woman and Black Marine to hold that position.
The Marine Corps Special Operation Command (MARSOC) is activated at Camp Lejeune to conduct direct action, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism and foreign military training missions. The 4th MEB (AT) is deactivated.
Marine Corps Installations-East (MCI-E) is activated.
Camp Lejeune Marines begin their participation in Marine Special Task Force Katrina to conduct search and rescue, humanitarian relief and disaster recovery operations in Louisiana and Mississippi to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Mar 2005 - The II MEF replaces the I MEF in Al Anbar Province, beginning a rotation of major Marine units into Iraq as the core of Multi-National forces-West.
The Coast Guard's PSU TRADET at Courthouse Bay is commissioned as a Special Missions Training Center.
A steel I-beam pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Towers is donated to Camp Lejeune by the NY Fire Department as a token of appreciation for the efforts of the Marines in the Global War On Terrorism.
President George W. Bush declares an end to major combat operations in Iraq.
Elements of Camp Lejeune's 26th MEU (SOC) begin to arrive in northern Iraq to take control of Mosul.
President George W. Bush visits Camp Lejeune.
Camp Lejeune's 24th MEU (SOC) lands in Kuwait to reinforce the 2nd MEB's TF Tarawa under the I MEF, which fights its way to Baghdad on 5 Apr.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) commences.
Nearly 7000 Marines from Camp Lejeune's 2nd MEB land in Kuwait to join up with the I MEF in anticipation of hostilities with Iraq.
Camp Lejeune Marines deploy to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to provide security for the POW compound at Camp X-Ray.
The lead elements of the 4th MEB (AT) begin arriving in Afghanistan.
Elements of 2nd Marine Division and 2nd MAW participate in Operation Swift Freedom, conducting a vertical assault into Afghanistan, the first ground offensive operations of the campaign in Afghanistan.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) commences.
A life-sized statue of Gen John A. Lejeune is unveiled in the traffic circle at the intersection of Holcomb and McHugh boulevards and concurrently, Bldg 1 is dedicated as Lejeune Hall.
Camp Lejeune initiated a self-guided tour of 25 historical sites, with an accompanying 36-page brochure, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Main Gate.
After an absence of 53 years, the U.S. Coast Guard returned to Camp Lejeune, establishing a Port Security Unit Training Detachment (PSU TRADET) at Courthouse Bay.
The new GSRA Range Complex is dedicated with the opening of range SR-10.
The first MV-22 Osprey arrives at New River for operational testing.
Following the paving of Piney Green Road from NC Highway 24 to Sneads Ferry Road, a new Camp Lejeune gate at Piney Green is opened to traffic.
Site dedication and ground breaking ceremony at New River Air Station for the New River Aviation Memorial.
President Bill Clinton visits Camp Lejeune.
The unique national asset, the Corps’ Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBRIF), is activated at Camp Lejeune.
2nd Marine Division and 2nd MAW Marines rescue downed USAF pilot Capt. Scott O’Grady in Bosnia.
Camp Lejeune Marines assigned to JTF Andrew deploy to south Florida to assist the victims of Hurricane Andrew in what was at that time the largest military civil assistance operation in U.S. history.
Camp Lejeune’s available training area expands by one-third with the acquisition of 41,000 acres of adjacent land called the "Greater Sandy Run Area, or "GSRA."
Camp Lejeune Marines participate in Feb. 24 ground assault on Iraqi forces to liberate Kuwait and enforce UN Security Council resolutions. Iraqi forces are defeated in 100 hours.
5,000 Desert Storm veterans march down Western Boulevard in "Home Again Parade."
2nd Marine Division and 2nd MAW Marines participate in innumerable operations in support of NATO during the Yugoslav/Balkan Wars.
The last Marine ground combat element in Kuwait, Camp Lejeune’s 8th Marines, withdraws for return to CONUS.
President George Bush visits Cherry Point, cheers audience of more than 10,000, many from the Camp Lejeune and Jacksonville areas.
Camp Lejeune Marines participate in the invasion of Panama in Operation Just Cause to restore the democratic process, protect American lives and capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
More than 24,000 Marines of the II MEF (2nd Marine Division, 2nd MAW, 2nd FSSG and 2nd SRIG) muster on the parade deck in Camp Lejeune for a predeployment review by the CMC and CINCLANTFLT. This is the largest formation in Corps’ history. These units will deploy to Southwest Asia through Dec in support of Operation Desert Shield.
Camp Lejeune’s new, 40-acre training facility for Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) is dedicated.
The 4th MEB deploys to the Persian Gulf.
Operation Desert Shield.
The City of Jacksonville annexes Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River, boosting its population to over 70,000.
Camp Lejeune Marines provide disaster relief support to the Charleston and Myrtle Beach areas following Hurricane Hugo.
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