QUANTICO, Va. - For a base that has more than 1,200 structures spread over 60,000 acres of land, Quantico can be difficult to keep clean. With thousands of people coming and going aboard the base daily, trash is inevitable and, if left unattended, can accumulate and sully the base’s image.
To combat litter, debris and other unwanted items Quantico holds two annual basewide cleanup efforts, one in the spring and again in the fall.
“The fall cleanup is important due to Quantico being a base that hosts and accommodates all branches of service, nations and VIPs,” said Gunnery Sgt. Guy Saucedo, who organized this year’s effort. “We are the Crossroads of the Marine Corps and are held to a higher standard.”
From Nov. 18-21, 75 Marines on the mainside portion of the base took part this year, walking the streets and tree lines of the base, picking up trash and debris, and ensuring it stays as pristine as possible.
The Basic School joined in the effort as well with commanding officer Col. Todd Desgrosseilliers asking his Marines to “honor those who our buildings are named after,” by keeping the area around TBS clean.
Organized cleanup efforts like this are valuable and go a long way to helping keep Quantico looking good, but the base will always rely on its thousands of service members, families, civilian employees, contractors and visitors to pick up after themselves as well. After all, when it comes to littering, “Marines don’t do that.”