Who is camp lejeune named for

World War II had been raging in Europe for more than a year and military planners were posturing forces for America's eminent entry to the fight. The need for an East Coast amphibious training facility was answered as the Department of the Navy purchased an initial ,acre tract of land.

With close proximity to ports at Wilmington and Morehead City, Lejeune was a logistical gem. When planners added the remote pine forests and miles of beach, the value of Camp Lejeune as a home training base for Marines was unbeatable. On April 5, Congress authorized over 14 million dollars for the construction of the base. Hill and quartermaster, Brigadier General Seth Williams, were instrumental in the layout and design of the base.

Hill's original headquarters was located at Montford Point; in August , it was moved to Building 1 at Hadnot Point where it remains today. The value of this land to the Marine Corps has grown over the years as men and women have trained to fight wars in the Pacific Islands, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

By the early s Camp Lejeune, expanded to square miles , acres with miles of paved roads, 50 miles of sidewalks, and 6, buildings, accommodated the largest single contingent of marines and sailors in the world.

More than 43, marines were assigned to the camp, and almost 5, civilians worked on the base. The 22nd, 24th, and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units were also based there. Camp Lejeune marines continued to serve in U. Gertrude S. Tucker R. Base Camp Lejeune , vol. Image courtesy of Flickr user CherryPoint. I was in main building and seen a picture of the men that had ben working on the building of and clearing for the base. Is there a way to locate picture of this time.

My grandfather was o e of the families displaced when the land was taken to create the base I was wondering where I could get information regarding this. Families of original landowners created the site above which has old records, photos, and information on original landowners. He died in a train accident in Lorain,Oh on Oct 31st I was only 11yrs old and I have vivid memories of the picture atop his casket closed casket funeral.

Can you help me? See stories by Carol Jackson. Related Stories. Gurnal Scott. Camp Lejeune now has a memorial for military service members wounded in the line of duty. A Purple Heart memorial was given an official dedication…. Shawn Wen. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that babies born to mothers who drank contaminated tap water at Camp Lejeune while…. More Stories. American Veteran: From eager recruit to conscientious objector. Elizabeth Friend.

From an eager recruit to a conscientious objector, Clifton Hicks recalls how his deployment to Iraq in fundamentally changed his relationship to the military. Jay Price. Camp Lejeune owns all the real estate, operates entry level and career level formal schools, and provides support and training for tenant commands.

Camp Lejeune with its various satellite camps, housing, training areas and New River Air Station is the largest concentration of marines and sailors in the world. From the young man or woman reporting aboard for their first assignment to the seasoned veteran, and from the dense foliage of woodland cover to sandy beaches and ocean front training area, Camp Lejeune is truly the "Home of Expeditionary Forces in Readiness". Camp Lejeune had its beginnings in the early 's, when a selection board decided on the New River area of North Carolina as the most ideal location for a new Marine training base.

The new facility met all the requirements for an east coast division training center, especially with its location near the two deep water ports of Morehead City and Wilmington. Construction for the new camp and for its aviation counterpart, nearby Cherry Point, began in Included on the installation are more than miles of roads, 6, buildings and facilities to support a population of approximately , marines, sailors, retirees, their families, and civilian employees.

For more information, visit the Camp Lejeune home page at www. Camp Lejeune occupies about , acres with 14 miles of beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The main entrance is just east of Jacksonville, off Highway