; Whereas, on September 1, 1953, Camp Joseph H. Pendleton was redesignated as Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California; Whereas in 1965, Camp Pendleton Marines were again called upon to test their training on the battlefield, this time in the jungles of Southeast Asia; the 1st Marine Division headquarters would be gone from Camp Pendleton until its return in 1971; and Staging Battalion at the base became the training pipeline for replacement troops going to Vietnam; Whereas in April 1975, Camp Pendleton became home to more than 50,000 Southeast Asian refugees, who were housed in 8 massive tent camps which were erected in the northern part of the base, and the camp operated this refugee housing for 6 months; Whereas in August 1990, Camp Pendleton Marines found themselves the first combat troops on the scene in Southwest Asia preparing to fight against the superior numbers of Saddam Hussein’s military forces, and they returned home 9 months later, victorious, and proud of being the world’s finest fighting force; Whereas in 2001, Camp Pendleton’s 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted combat operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda during the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; and Camp Pendleton provided the training ranges and other support facilities to all I Marine Expeditionary Force Units who deployed to Afghanistan; Whereas in early 2003, the I Marine Expeditionary Force with supporting units to include the 1st Marine Division, the 1st Force Service Support Group, and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for operations in Iraq; and in a high-speed attack, and in conjunction with the Army’s 1st Armored Division and 3rd Infantry Division, 1st Marine Division conducted the longest ground march in Marine Corps history