Combat Center, community celebrate Pioneer Days

Photo By Sgt. Levi Schultz | The Combat Center Provost Marshal’s Office’s Mobile Command Post rides past Morongo Basin community members during the Pioneer Days Parade in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Oct. 22, 2016. The parade is held annually to celebrate the unique culture and history of the community. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Levi Schultz/Released)  

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES

10.25.2016

Story by Cpl. Levi Schultz 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Combat Center Marines led the way during the 2016 Pioneer Days Parade in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Oct. 22, 2016. Installation leaders and various units represented the installation as part of the City of Twentynine Palms’ 79th annual Pioneer Days, a tradition that dates back in the local community to 1937.
Col. James F. Harp, Combat Center Chief of Staff; Navy Capt. John A. Lamberton, commanding officer, Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital; and Master Chief Jerry A. Ramey, command master chief, Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital, represented the Marine Corps and Navy leadership aboard the installation by riding in the parade.
“The biggest thing is that the base, the town and the national park coexist so it’s in our best interest to work together,” said Aaron Kyle, president, Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce. “Marines come out here and don’t know what they can do locally. We encourage them to use the visitor center, because we can point them in the right direction.”
Adding to Combat Center participation, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, the Provost Marshal’s Office and the Combat Center Fire Department showcased different vehicles such as a Light Armored Vehicle 25 and PMO’s Mobile Command Post while a detachment of more than 50 Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School Marines marched in the parade.
“It feels good to have the Marines out here and just to be part of the parade and help out anyway we can,” said Sgt. Eric Larsen, instructor, MCCES. “I feel honored that I got to participate in an event that means so much to the local community.”

• Date Taken: 10.25.2016
• Date Posted: 10.26.2016 13:08
• Story ID: 212973
• Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US