Summary
- Celebration
marks US Marines’ 250th anniversary in California. - Major
southern California freeway closed for live artillery firing. - Live-fire
demonstration includes 155mm artillery shells over site.
At 6 a.m. on Saturday, the California Highway Patrol
declared that it will close a 17-mile (27-kilometer) section of Interstate 5
for four hours close to Camp Pendleton, a 125,000-acre (50,585-hectare)
installation in Oceanside, north-western San Diego County. The hours of
operation for the closure are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
According to a statement from the US Marine Corps, the event
would feature a live-fire amphibious skills demonstration at Red Beach. At
least 15,000 marines, sailors, veterans, and their families are anticipated to
attend, and JD Vance, a former enlisted marine who served in Iraq, is set to
speak. Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, will also speak.
“The capabilities demonstration will feature integrated Navy
and Marine Corps operations across air, land and sea,”
the Marines’ statement
said.
The US Marine Corps insisted that the event will comply with
established safety protocols, and “no public highways or transportation routes
will be closed”.
Due of the safety risk and potential distractions for
drivers, the CHP called for the temporary closure of a section of the road and
stated in a statement that the military event would include “live
ammunition being discharged by the federal government over the freeway.”
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, had earlier in the
week denounced the intentions to fire live rounds over Interstate 5 as an
“absurd show of force” and “totally uncalled for.”
Newsom was worried that the prank would endanger
Californians on Saturday morning.
“It’s not only wrong, but it’s dangerous
to fly live rounds over a busy highway without coordination between state,
federal, and local partners,”
Newsom said on social media.
The criticism highlighted the escalating hostilities between
the governor of California and Donald Trump.
This celebration was granted no exception from Newsom’s ire.
“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with politically doesn’t
make you look strong,”
Newsom said.
“It makes you look weak. It’s reckless,
it’s disrespectful, and yet another action beneath the office of the
presidency.”
Earlier in October, the navy hosted the president aboard an
aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia to celebrate the same military
anniversary. Trump turned that event into a political rally.
This show of force coincides with No Kings rallies and
marches being held across the US, including several locations in California,
aligning behind a message that the nation’s slide into authoritarian rule under
Trump needs to stop.
Newsom cautioned those participating in the rallies:
“I urge
our nation to use this weekend’s No Kings marches as a declaration of
independence against the tyranny and lawlessness currently running this
country. Use your voice. ACT PEACEFULLY. Protect yourself and your community.
THERE ARE NO KINGS IN THE UNITED STATES.”
In a statement to the New York Times, a spokesperson for
Vance, William Martin, said Newsom was misleading the public about the safety
risk for the event on Saturday. He said it was routine training.
“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose the training exercises that
ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the
world, then he can go right ahead,”
Martin said.
Matt Rocco, the California department of transportation
spokesperson, said:
“This is all because of the White House-directed military
event, that for the safety of the public, we need to shut down the freeway
since they’re sending live ordnances over the freeway.”
Those who commute between San Diego and Los Angeles may have
to spend an additional two hours traveling due to the I5 closure, according to
Rocco. According to the governor’s office, 80,000 passengers and $94 million
worth of freight pass via the expressway every day. Also canceled for the
afternoon are passenger train services parallel to the I5.
How does the Marine Corps commemorate its history during the
anniversary?
To honor its heritage, history, and legacy over its
250-years of existence, the Marine Corps will launch an array of events and
activities in 2025 as part of the largest celebration in its history called the
Marine Corps 250 or Sestercentennial. Marine Corps 250 will include outreach
and engagement, at the national level, in communities to recognize the
contribution of sacrifice and service of Marines dating back to the
establishment of the Marine Corps in 1775.
Among the capstone commemoration events of Marine Corps 250
will be two national events at the beginning and at the end of the year and six
multi-day Marine Weeks in major cities in the United States: Los Angeles,
Chicago, Boston, Nashville and Atlanta.
The Marine Corps Weeks will consist of ceremonies, static
exhibits, Marine Corps assets at-sea, aviation demonstrations, parades and
mounted ceremonial units presenting historic and contemporary Marine Corps
ceremonies.
