Dec 19 2008
Communities Begin Organizing Against Marine Base Expansion
The largest US Marine Corps base in the world is located here in Southern California’s Mojave desert. Twenty Nine Palms Combat Center covers more than 900 square miles and accommodates more than 11,000 Marines and sailors. Every Marine unit being deployed to Iraq is required to come through the base for Mojave Viper, an intense month-long training program on urban warfare in a setting mimicking Iraqi towns with hundreds of role players. Now, the marine base is looking to expand into a community called Wonder Valley. The expansion plans include using airspace to carry out air and ground training simultaneously. Wonder Valley is populated by a diverse group of people, many of whom are up in arms over the base expansion and organizing to stop it.
GUEST: Chris Carraher, concerned resident of Wonder Valley
3 Responses to “Communities Begin Organizing Against Marine Base Expansion”
Thank you for covering this story about the plight of residents in Wonder Valley. It has been *tough* & *timely*– with NO THANKS to our elected officials.. Voters and land owners alike have taken the *bull* by the HORN in protest of HORNET JETS and other activities that *may* affect the quality of life.. Saturday, December 20, 2008 — interested residents are invited to a community meeting between 2-4p.m. @ the Wonder Valley Community Church on Amboy Road.. east, past the FIRE STATION.. we pledge allegiance to one another.. to defend our rights and speak together in defense of those RIGHTS.. and a round of to those organizing this adventure..
My name is Janna McCleery Ilive off Blower rd. I think this is ridiculous. me and a few others are trying to do our part in stopping this. We are still confused about a few things so if you couls send me some more info it would be great.
WHY do the Marines need more? They already have a base half the size of Rhode Island. Sounds like bureaucratic empire building-instead why don’t the all armed forces combine and/or share training facilities-for example, the Marines could train at Fort Irwin, the Army at 29 Palms, both of them at Fallon and Goldwater Bombing Ranges, the Navy and Air Forces at the Marine and Army Bases-after all, in a real wear all the branches of the U.S. military are expected to achieve victory TOGETHER in a safe, harmonious and synchronized fashion. The military branches need to learn how to cooperate with each other and how to stop squandering our natural and social resources.