Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune | |
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Near Jacksonville, North Carolina in the United States | |
![]() A M1A1 Abrams main battle tank with 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune during 2013 | |
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Location in the United States Location in North Carolina | |
Coordinates | 34°35′00.9″N 77°21′37.4″W / 34.583583°N 77.360389°W |
Type | Marine Corps base |
Site information | |
Owner | Department of Defense |
Operator | US Marine Corps |
Controlled by | Marine Corps Installations East |
Condition | Operational |
Website | Official website |
Site history | |
Built | 1941 |
In use | 1941–present |
Events |
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Garrison information | |
Current commander | Brigadier General Adolfo Garcia, Jr. |
Garrison |
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune[1] (/ləˈʒɜːrn/ lə-ZHURN or /ləˈʒuːn/ lə-ZHOON)[2][3] is a 246-square-mile (640 km2)[4] United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its 14 miles (23 km) of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports (Wilmington and Morehead City) allows for fast deployments. The main base is supplemented by six satellite facilities: Marine Corps Air Station New River, Camp Geiger, Stone Bay, Courthouse Bay, Camp Johnson, and the Greater Sandy Run Training Area. The Marine Corps port facility is in Beaufort, at the southern tip of Radio Island (between the NC State Port in Morehead City, and the marine science laboratories on Pivers Island in Beaufort). It is occupied only during military port operations.
One of the Marine Corps biggest bases is Camp Lejeune (luh-JUNE) near Jacksonville, North Carolina. But for years, many people have been mispronouncing the base's name. The family of Lt. Gen. John Lejeune, whom the base was named for, says luh-JERN. Now there's a quiet move by the military to correct the pronunciation.