[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TWENTYNINE PALMS MARINE CORPS BASE WINS COMMANDER IN CHIEF AWARD FOR 
                        INSTALLATION EXCELLENCE

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                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am delighted today to share 
with my colleagues the announcement that the Commander in Chief's 
annual Award for Installation Excellence has been bestowed on the 
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, 
which I am honored to represent.
  The Marine Corps established a facility in the Mojave Desert at 
Twentynine Palms nearly 50 years ago when it was determined that they 
needed open space to conduct live-fire exercises. Over the past five 
decades, the 932-square-mile base has become one of the largest in the 
world and one of the most sophisticated training centers for the U.S. 
military.
  I have represented the base and the Twentynine Palms community since 
I served in the California Legislature, and I have been proud to 
witness and provide support as the base grew into one of the premiere 
training sites in the world.
  Thousands of Marines from units around the Nation are sent to 
Twentynine Palms each year to take part in large intensive live-fire 
exercises, complete with full armament and air support. This training 
is without question the most realistic possible, and has been credited 
as saving many lives by Marines returning from the battlefields in the 
War on Terror.
  It was my great honor to support the Marine Corps over the past 
decade in the development of a new facility called Viper Village, which 
is considered to be one of the best in the world at providing training 
for urban warfare and military control of urban areas. This 247-acre 
facility with more than 400 buildings allows Marines to get a real-life 
experience of moving into foreign urban areas. The exercise is enhanced 
by specially-trained actors and ``foreign forces'' who help provide an 
understanding of how to deal with both armed urban warfare and non-
combatant civilians.
  The value of this training has been shown almost daily to troops in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, who are put through a 30-day intensive course 
before their deployment on the front lines in the War on Terror.
  I am pleased but not surprised that the Twentynine Palms Marine Base 
has received the annual excellence award from the President. The 
designation would be strongly supported by the thousands of Marines who 
have trained there, and the 1,900 full-time base personnel who have 
created a supportive and efficient installation in the remote desert. 
The base's recent awards have included the Secretary of the Navy's 
Marine Corps Pollution Prevention Award, the Commandant of the Marine 
Corps Continuous Process Improvement Special Recognition Award, and the 
Marine Corps Community Services Youth Sports Excellence and Semper Fit 
Bronze Anchor Awards.
  Madam Speaker, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center continues to 
show a commitment to excellence and improvement in providing the best 
possible training for our U.S. Marines. The base has begun an extensive 
upgrade in laying sensors and instruments that will allow commanders 
and analysts to ``see'' the movements of every unit during exercises, 
large and small. Please join me in congratulating the commander, Brig. 
Gen. H.S. Clardy, and all of the base personnel in receiving their 
much-deserved honor.

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