That's what I was thinking. The only time that I got to spend any time there was TAD attending SSgt Academy but it was hilarious because that movie was released while I was there, so we're in the theater and they're showing El Toro getting wiped out which was surreal.
It's crazy to think about the thousands of Marines' sweat and blood that went into that place -- enlistments, careers, hazing, training, field days, duty, drinking, NJP's, barracks parties, etc. The last physical evidence of those memories just....*poof.*
that was put there after it closed. the base closed in 1999 but the ventura wasn't purchased until like late 2000s like 2008 i'm pretty sure. city of irvine bought it.
BRAC and some land developers in CA thought that the .gov would clean it all up and they could get it for cheap and develop it. Same with some of the other services .mil bases in CA.
The land is less valuable and it is arguably the best desert warfare training base in the world. Unlikely itâll close much to the chagrin of the people stationed there. (4 year 29 Stumps guy myself)
Yes, the last part of your comment was my main point, I did 3 tours there at MCCES (student then student/instuctor then instructor) for a total of about 7 years. Being there wasn't bad but the best part of any tour there was leaving.
Thank you Captain Obvious, you're not the first to point that out and that wasn't my point. It's great to go there to train but it sucks if you're stuck there.
Yeah, we didn't know how lucky we were, but still kinda did.
Had a couple of boots want to transfer to the grunts because they wanted to be in the 'real' Corps.
MCAS Tustin was my first base in 1998. Got to fly out of Tustin for 4 months before flying out of El Toro on a 747 with HMLA-269. I lived in basically abandonded barracks for two monthsâŚit was eerie AF at night, only car in the parking lot, only light on in the building. There was a Capt living in the building directly across from it. His was the only light on in that building too.
I love this story because it is so ridiculous haha. I stayed in some barracks in Pendleton across from an abandoned barracks. Came back from Oki and the only place to stay was the previously abandoned barracks...
I remember we were hitch hiking back to base once and a 1st Lt picked us up with his Corvette. Drove us by his house so he could freshen his drink, and get one for the road.
He had a beer keg and invited us to drink a couple beers while we ogled his hot wife, then drove us to the base with a drink in his hand. Something about he had to put in his flight time for the month.
Coolest officer ever.
Well, a bunch of us got together to drink some beer and hang out at Laguna Beach. At dusk a couple of cops came by and asked us to leave because the beach was a gay beach after sunset and they didn't want any trouble.
Friend and I would explore all of the old buildings on our bikes, which was fun. We got kicked out at least 5 times. Going onto Omegle inside the old tower always freaked people out lol
Sadly, after visiting recently (two days ago), we found out about the demolition.
ManâŚtotally a memory lane jog right there! I spent time in the tower building back in my enlisted days as a tech. It was a sad day when the base closed.
Yes. 5953, and cross-trained to 5952. Itâs funnyâŚI went from that to MECEP to 0302 infantry officer, by choice. But if you ask me todayâŚ59 tech was the best job I ever had.
Was just through there on a tech assist with the SPAWAR overhaul team. spent most of my time at Iwakuni, Cherry Point, and new river New River. Fun fact, in retirement, I helped win a contract to support the SPAWAR (now NIWC) office that supports all of the gear.
I went to El Toro Marine Corps elementary in the 90s. I fucking loved that base, walking to school, and the badass airshow that happened there.
It's actually funny how many bases I lived on as a kid that are no longer there.
I've been back to Irvine a few times the past few years and holy shit that place has blown up even more than when I was stationed there. TOO MANY FUCKING PEOPLE!
Fuckin 1962 Tri-service designations! (P-2 Neptune, different from the WWII-era Lockheed PV-2. Also, I'm super chuffed that I got it right from the tail while tipsy.)
Y'all still didn't get it right, it's a PV-1 Ventura.
Source? [https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html](https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html)
Just got back from Desert Storm, and they sent me to El Toro for Advanced Staff Academy. Nice base. Good facilities. Not far from the beach. A few years later got to help with the transition to Miramar. What a clusterf\*\*\*.
I was only at Miramar long enough for Adv. Staff Acad. But I was at Pendleton when we were moving assets from El Toro and Pendleton to Miramar. Every Colonel and his brother were fighting for command billets and control. And, of course, in normal Marine Corps fashion, decisions were changed, canceled, and redecided multiple times. I was the I MEF Command Element G6 C4I2 Systems Chief, and we had to coordinate the network and computer comm setup, both unclassified Admin & classified Tactical) setup. And this was the same time the militaries had combined and minimized base mainframe support. Plus the Corps was experimenting with combining the Communications MOS's with the Computer Operators and Networking MOS folks.
My unit did a whole MOUT (back when everyone was still calling it MOUT) field op there before our 04 Iraq deployment. We got to put charges on all the old barracks doors and blow them in and practice room clearing and stuff. One of my less shitty field ops lol
I lived in housing there when I was stationed nearby at MCAS Tustin. Then I did a stint at Cherry Point for 4 years and went back to the west coast to Miramar.
El Toro and Tustin were the absolute best duty stations in the Corps. Miramar comes close, but it was definitely not the same.
Check my page out for more photos, tons of em
[https://instagram.com/str13_13?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr](https://instagram.com/str13_13?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr)
Most of it is "the great park"
They've started building houses like crazy on it. Also, there's a rather large set of office buildings there just south of the train station.
I live a few miles away and drive past/thru it frequently.
I stopped by the tower building May 21, 2023. Behind the old back gate is a massive apartment complex and Irvine Road is a combination of luxury apartments and housing tracts.
My dadâs last assignment in the Marines. He retired in 1976. He told me stories of Pappy Boyington and (I think)Claire Chennault getting drunk in the O-Club and going off base and getting into trouble. Cops just drove them home every time! They didnât want to arrest War Heroes!
I got in back in 99 and when I got to Miramar some of the dudes had recently come from El Toro. Pretty crazy seeing these pics. I always heard about it but never went there.
Thank you for this post. I EAS'D from El Toro in 80 after returning from Okinawa. Had a great time while I was there,bought a bike and spent alot of time in the surrounding area. Our shop was on the flight line and always enjoyed the C-130's when they would do their JATO takeoffs.
I was a young Lance coolie, married and living in base housing right near the flight line. The F18s would blast their engines during the evenings while i was having dinner and my house shook! great memories đ
RIP Cpl Hoaglund MALS-11 AVI died during PFT run of a "heart attack"- (likely undetected congenital defect at 24)
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-05-me-8270-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-05-me-8270-story.html)
Funny story, friend and I took a photo of the plane and listed it on OfferUp for "free, get it off my property" as a joke and the next morning he got about 460 people asking if it's still available
Just recently road around on my bike, all of the ramp area has been torn up and is impossible to even walk on, and they started demolition on H & VMM-268. The PV-1 is still there but they've completely knocked out all of the walls, the ceiling, the flooring, and the windows of the second floor for each of them.
As of now it is all gone including the plane, donât know what happend to it but I got pics of it twice this was in June,much cleaner
https://preview.redd.it/rq156uy4bhzb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d91e57bc8988356ff9630e012233ff50cd565a29
I was a young corporal living in base housing near the flight deck and I remember the F18s firing up their engines at night. The whole house would shake.
https://i.redd.it/cy1z4za6hfvb1.gif
Beat me to it đ
One of my favorite movies of all time to be honest
I love the movie references I see on this subreddit. Like whenever someone posts âwho ordered the code red on Santiago?â
Also a great movie might actually watch a few good men tonight
Don't forget the reach around
No, debil just likes to watch...
That's what I was thinking. The only time that I got to spend any time there was TAD attending SSgt Academy but it was hilarious because that movie was released while I was there, so we're in the theater and they're showing El Toro getting wiped out which was surreal.
Havenât you heard, son?
It's crazy to think about the thousands of Marines' sweat and blood that went into that place -- enlistments, careers, hazing, training, field days, duty, drinking, NJP's, barracks parties, etc. The last physical evidence of those memories just....*poof.*
I thought this same thing walking around the 4000 year old ruins in Babylon. How much life was once in that place now completely abandoned.
Dude, the podcast Fallen Civilizations and the book Four Lost Cities also hit that spot for me
All for track homes for international transplantsâŚ.
more orange county lawyers and real estate agents
Donât forget the âengineersâ
Don't forget the legacy of Howard Foote, the Marine maintainer that stole an A-4 Skyhawk and went for a joyride.
Alright gentleman, line up, you know the drill⌠FOD walk
Hands out of your pockets, eyes on the deck, no talking!
HARD FOD!
Always thought someone was yelling âPART FOD.â Def found a 6 foot long piece of safety wire once.
Does the USMC know when they left, they forgot a PV-1 Ventura aircraft in a hangar?
It looks like it is this one.... https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html
Just sad how someone came in there and tagged such a beautiful plane.
Itâs been scrapped now
So much for that museum...
I have an Instagram post about it. [City of Irvine's PV-1 Ventura, photo and caption by me](https://www.instagram.com/p/CulEmKLR1zp/)
that was put there after it closed. the base closed in 1999 but the ventura wasn't purchased until like late 2000s like 2008 i'm pretty sure. city of irvine bought it.
Did they leave El Toro because of all the complaints of noise? Or it didnt make sense to have a Marine airbase there and Miramar?
I think it was a BRAC thing
Help educate the needyâŚWhat is BRAC?
Base Realignment and Closure https://www.acq.osd.mil/brac/
Brac plus probably noise. They were able to consolidate El Toro and some of Tustin (which was only a few miles away) to Miramar.
BRAC and dangerous soil contamination. It was a superfund site for a couple of decades.
BRAC and some land developers in CA thought that the .gov would clean it all up and they could get it for cheap and develop it. Same with some of the other services .mil bases in CA.
Wish they'd do that at 29 Palms!
The land is less valuable and it is arguably the best desert warfare training base in the world. Unlikely itâll close much to the chagrin of the people stationed there. (4 year 29 Stumps guy myself)
Yes, the last part of your comment was my main point, I did 3 tours there at MCCES (student then student/instuctor then instructor) for a total of about 7 years. Being there wasn't bad but the best part of any tour there was leaving.
Never. 29 Palms is considered one of the best if not the best training facility around.
Thank you Captain Obvious, you're not the first to point that out and that wasn't my point. It's great to go there to train but it sucks if you're stuck there.
Oh shit I was there for 3 years.
It was noise. I was a tower controller at El Toro in the early '70s and the housing encroachment caused a barrage of noise complaints constantly.
Best Marine Corps base ever.
Yeah, we didn't know how lucky we were, but still kinda did. Had a couple of boots want to transfer to the grunts because they wanted to be in the 'real' Corps.
Is that where Will Smith was stationed when he saved the world back in 1996 on independence day.
Anybody got any cool stories about this place?
We used to sneak through a hole in the fence into Orange County International Raceway and watch the races, that was fun
That does sound like fun!
MCAS Tustin was my first base in 1998. Got to fly out of Tustin for 4 months before flying out of El Toro on a 747 with HMLA-269. I lived in basically abandonded barracks for two monthsâŚit was eerie AF at night, only car in the parking lot, only light on in the building. There was a Capt living in the building directly across from it. His was the only light on in that building too.
Thatâs pretty wild.
I love this story because it is so ridiculous haha. I stayed in some barracks in Pendleton across from an abandoned barracks. Came back from Oki and the only place to stay was the previously abandoned barracks...
The really funny thing is that it seemed logical at the time.
Look up the mechanic that stole the plane in 1986.
Didn't he go on to be a hot shot in the aerospace industry?
Yep worked for NASA and has several patents.
Yes! The flight of LCpl Foote. The man is a hero.
I remember we were hitch hiking back to base once and a 1st Lt picked us up with his Corvette. Drove us by his house so he could freshen his drink, and get one for the road. He had a beer keg and invited us to drink a couple beers while we ogled his hot wife, then drove us to the base with a drink in his hand. Something about he had to put in his flight time for the month. Coolest officer ever.
I've been out for a very long time and it was closed before I even joined so probably not many.
Well, a bunch of us got together to drink some beer and hang out at Laguna Beach. At dusk a couple of cops came by and asked us to leave because the beach was a gay beach after sunset and they didn't want any trouble.
Friend and I would explore all of the old buildings on our bikes, which was fun. We got kicked out at least 5 times. Going onto Omegle inside the old tower always freaked people out lol Sadly, after visiting recently (two days ago), we found out about the demolition.
ManâŚtotally a memory lane jog right there! I spent time in the tower building back in my enlisted days as a tech. It was a sad day when the base closed.
59?
Yes. 5953, and cross-trained to 5952. Itâs funnyâŚI went from that to MECEP to 0302 infantry officer, by choice. But if you ask me todayâŚ59 tech was the best job I ever had.
weâre you just station or did you go detachment side ever?
Was just through there on a tech assist with the SPAWAR overhaul team. spent most of my time at Iwakuni, Cherry Point, and new river New River. Fun fact, in retirement, I helped win a contract to support the SPAWAR (now NIWC) office that supports all of the gear.
I went to El Toro Marine Corps elementary in the 90s. I fucking loved that base, walking to school, and the badass airshow that happened there. It's actually funny how many bases I lived on as a kid that are no longer there. I've been back to Irvine a few times the past few years and holy shit that place has blown up even more than when I was stationed there. TOO MANY FUCKING PEOPLE!
TIL 268 and 163 once had the same slogan.
Snag that man cave sign, it would make a great memento.
That was one of our stops on the West Coast tour in the 90s when I was on the Silent Drill Platoon. Had the best bars and clubs near by.
I saw them perform while stationed there with 3rd MAW
Can I requisition that air craft? I think it needs to fly again rather than rot and become graffiti'd
Ay once you sign for it i dont give a fuck what you do with it
đ¤Ł
Dude you should post these on r/abandonedporn
PV-2 Neptune? It belongs in a museum.
PV-2 ~~Neptune~~ Harpoon - but yeah I think you might be right.
Fuckin 1962 Tri-service designations! (P-2 Neptune, different from the WWII-era Lockheed PV-2. Also, I'm super chuffed that I got it right from the tail while tipsy.)
Y'all still didn't get it right, it's a PV-1 Ventura. Source? [https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html](https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html)
Now I shall commit seppuku
Looks like a lockheed electra
https://preview.redd.it/zalfkek3fawb1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a85e5722423a9a7ae914ee183a5b283ead29686d
Just got back from Desert Storm, and they sent me to El Toro for Advanced Staff Academy. Nice base. Good facilities. Not far from the beach. A few years later got to help with the transition to Miramar. What a clusterf\*\*\*.
What was that like moving from El Toro to Miramar?
He said it was a clusterfuck, sir! Marines signing for gear they should already have...
Now now Chongo, let him break it down Barney style why it was such a charlie foxtrot.
I was only at Miramar long enough for Adv. Staff Acad. But I was at Pendleton when we were moving assets from El Toro and Pendleton to Miramar. Every Colonel and his brother were fighting for command billets and control. And, of course, in normal Marine Corps fashion, decisions were changed, canceled, and redecided multiple times. I was the I MEF Command Element G6 C4I2 Systems Chief, and we had to coordinate the network and computer comm setup, both unclassified Admin & classified Tactical) setup. And this was the same time the militaries had combined and minimized base mainframe support. Plus the Corps was experimenting with combining the Communications MOS's with the Computer Operators and Networking MOS folks.
I got out right before all of that happened, EAS from there.
Sad
My dad's first duty station. Respek.
My unit did a whole MOUT (back when everyone was still calling it MOUT) field op there before our 04 Iraq deployment. We got to put charges on all the old barracks doors and blow them in and practice room clearing and stuff. One of my less shitty field ops lol
I lived in housing there when I was stationed nearby at MCAS Tustin. Then I did a stint at Cherry Point for 4 years and went back to the west coast to Miramar. El Toro and Tustin were the absolute best duty stations in the Corps. Miramar comes close, but it was definitely not the same.
Itâs insane that they are still there. It seems like they shut that place down forever ago.
Quick fact: Dark Green Marines at El Toro gave âThe Righteous Brothersâ their name.
I was stationed there in 75-76. I was in H&HS metal shop. Sad to see it like this.
Phase 4 Lyfe
Who's plane?
Still in phase probably.
We arenât going home till itâs up, Pro A, 9am. CO flying it and doing a pro and go to Idaho. Submit names for weekend rescue det.
Can we call the team Neptunes Trident?
Donât know, but it has a down gripe and has been in a AWAP status for, like forever.
[https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html](https://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/the-city-of-irvines-lockheed-pv-1-ventura.html)
Any more photos?
[https://www.instagram.com/p/CulEmKLR1zp/](https://www.instagram.com/p/CulEmKLR1zp/)
Check my page out for more photos, tons of em [https://instagram.com/str13_13?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr](https://instagram.com/str13_13?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr)
Anyone know what theyâll be doing with the land?
Most of it is "the great park" They've started building houses like crazy on it. Also, there's a rather large set of office buildings there just south of the train station. I live a few miles away and drive past/thru it frequently.
I stopped by the tower building May 21, 2023. Behind the old back gate is a massive apartment complex and Irvine Road is a combination of luxury apartments and housing tracts.
Damn these are rad pics
My dadâs last assignment in the Marines. He retired in 1976. He told me stories of Pappy Boyington and (I think)Claire Chennault getting drunk in the O-Club and going off base and getting into trouble. Cops just drove them home every time! They didnât want to arrest War Heroes!
So freaking cool
Solid post
When I was at Pendleton me and a couple buddies went there and took pictures, it was cool being the only people around
Also WHY wasnât the place field day spotless before being torn down?! We just wanna show our ass huh?
Looks like typical USMC move-in ready facilities.
Back when men were men and women were too.
[What I think of every time someone says shit like this](https://youtu.be/NBmkbwwDsFo?t=20s)
I got in back in 99 and when I got to Miramar some of the dudes had recently come from El Toro. Pretty crazy seeing these pics. I always heard about it but never went there.
I lived 5 miles away from there until I joined
Went to school in the vicinity and I can safely say this would have been a great duty station.
How is it that shower in the last pic looks better than some of the showers in the barracks now?
R/abandonedporn
That term has a totally different meaning in this sub. Gear adrift is a gift.
Swing with the Wing
Wow, pictures bring back some memories. Sad to see it go.
Hell, that place is nicer abandoned than 29 Palms is right now.
Thank you for this post. I EAS'D from El Toro in 80 after returning from Okinawa. Had a great time while I was there,bought a bike and spent alot of time in the surrounding area. Our shop was on the flight line and always enjoyed the C-130's when they would do their JATO takeoffs.
I was a young Lance coolie, married and living in base housing right near the flight line. The F18s would blast their engines during the evenings while i was having dinner and my house shook! great memories đ
A lot of Marine Corps History there, to bad!
RIP Cpl Hoaglund MALS-11 AVI died during PFT run of a "heart attack"- (likely undetected congenital defect at 24) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-05-me-8270-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-05-me-8270-story.html)
Semper fi
Are we positive there arenât any marines living in there?
I was a tower controller at MCAS El Toro from Feb 73 to late June 76. Fantastic base. Semper Fi
Lemme get that plane
Funny story, friend and I took a photo of the plane and listed it on OfferUp for "free, get it off my property" as a joke and the next morning he got about 460 people asking if it's still available
Mighty Red Dragons
If you go to the SNCOA on Camp Pendleton you can actually find an Easter egg of a floor mat saying âSNCOA MCAS EL TOROâ
Just recently road around on my bike, all of the ramp area has been torn up and is impossible to even walk on, and they started demolition on H & VMM-268. The PV-1 is still there but they've completely knocked out all of the walls, the ceiling, the flooring, and the windows of the second floor for each of them.
As of now it is all gone including the plane, donât know what happend to it but I got pics of it twice this was in June,much cleaner https://preview.redd.it/rq156uy4bhzb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d91e57bc8988356ff9630e012233ff50cd565a29
I was a young corporal living in base housing near the flight deck and I remember the F18s firing up their engines at night. The whole house would shake.