We’re Hearing Booms

This is different. Deeper in pitch, a sign of distance, and more powerful.

Helaine finally said, “Call the police.” I did.

Marines with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, establish security during a helicopter raid, as part of the Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation (MCCRE), aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 4, 2015. The MCCRE is used evaluate the operational readiness of a designated unit. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Demetrius Morgan/RELEASED)

All day long we’ve been hearing distant explosions. Sometimes you can even feel the vibration. I’m used to Disneyland’s fireworks. This is different. Deeper in pitch, a sign of distance, and more powerful.

Helaine finally said, “Call the police.” I did.

“Camp Pendleton,” she said. “They’re having exercises.”

Camp Pendleton, a major USMC training base, is 35 miles away!

CAMP PENDLETON – Artillery units at the seaside base are conducting live-fire training exercises that will involve firing on the Whiskey and Zulu impact areas on the northern part of the base.

Extended firing is expected Sunday and residents in South Orange County can expect to hear noise and feel some booms. Depending on atmospheric conditions, the sound of the explosions may be amplified and heard up to 50 miles away, base officials said. —OCRegister.com

My dad trained at Camp Pendleton before the Navy shipped him out to invade Japan. They’d land on a beach by boat and try to secure it while under simulated enemy fire.

By day they’d hand dig fortifications. At night they’d be bulldozed away.

It’s never stopped.

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