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History
"Onslow County’s first
human occupants were Paleo-Indians which roamed
through the area over 10,000 years ago. At the
time of European exploration, the county may have
been occupied by Siouan, Algonquian, and
Iroquoian speaking natives, including the
Tuscaroras. The area’s natural resources
were a magnet for European explorers and settlers
who found the abundant wood, wild game and river
resources. The New River and White Oak River were
essential resources for the new community.
Onslow
County is one of the oldest settled counties in
the state of North Carolina. The first Europeans
to settle in what is now Onslow County arrived in
1713. Onslow precinct was created November 23,
1731 by order of Governor George Burrington and
the governing Council. Taking its name in honor
of the Right Honorable Arthur Onslow, the Speaker
of the House of Commons, Onslow was not
officially recognized as a precinct court until
1735. In 1741, the county seat was established at
Johnston, named in honor of Governor Gabriel
Johnston. The town was destroyed by a hurricane
in 1752.
The
county seat moved in 1755, when Wantlands Ferry
became the county seat and a new courthouse was
built. The town was later renamed Onslow
Courthouse. The county seat kept that name until
1842, when it was changed to Jacksonville in
honor of Andrew Jackson.
The next
four decades Onslow County made contributions in
both politics and the military. During the war of
1812, Onslow County was an active participant in
America’s struggle to maintain its
independence.
The
antebellum period in Onslow County was one of
steady progress. The chief source of income was
agriculture and naval stores. Other advances made
were in education, such as the establishment of
the Richlands Academy in 1848. During the Civil
War era, Onslow County contributed several
companies of men to join with regiments organized
by the state. The primary concerns of the county
were its valuable salt works, naval stores, and
crops, as well as its people.
The years
following the war, from Reconstruction through
the Great Depression, were marked with slow
growth. Onslow’s economic turning point came
in the late 1930s as war erupted in Europe. Camp
Davis, an army anti-aircraft training facility,
and Camp Lejeune, an amphibious base for the
Marine Corps, were constructed in Onslow County.
Although Camp Davis was closed, today’s Camp
Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station, New River
remain important entities.
From its
humble beginnings, Onslow County has grown into a
prospering community with a population of more
than 150,000 and growing."
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Military
"Camp
Lejeune is known as the East Coast "Home of
Expeditionary Forces in Readiness." For more
than a half-century, it has been the home of
various tenant commands which comprise the
operating combat forces of Marine Forces Atlantic.
Among these are the II Marine Expeditionary Force
Command Element, the Second Marine Division, the
Second Force Service Support Group, the Camp
Lejeune Naval Hospital and Marine Corps Base
permanent personnel.
As long
as there is a necessity for our nation to
maintain expeditionary forces ready to deploy
around the world at a moment’s notice, the
United States Marine Corps will continue to meet
that need. Clearly events of the past year in
Kosovo, Turkey, and Central and South America
confirm that now, more than ever, America relies
on Marine expeditionary forces to meet the
challenges of an uncertain world.
This was
also the case in 1941 when a Marine Corps
selection board was searching for an area to
train and prepare Marines expeditionary forces
for the pending war in Europe and the Pacific
Theater. Occupying more than 246 square miles
with 14 miles of beach on the Atlantic Ocean and
the availability of two deep water ports in
nearly Morehead City and Wilmington, NC, the New
River area was designated as the premier location
on the East Coast for a new amphibious training
base. Marine Barracks, New River opened in 1941
with Marine Lieutenant Colonel W.P.T. Hill
assuming command. Renamed Camp Lejeune in
December 1942 following the death of beloved
Marine and 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps,
LtGen John A. Lejeune, the base remains the
premier training ground for expeditionary
operations in the Eastern United States.
Today,
Camp Lejeune and the adjacent Marine Corps Air
Station, New River boasts a population of
approximately 148,000, making the area the
largest concentration of Marines and Sailors in
the world. This includes nearly 37,000 active
duty military personnel, close to 42,000 military
retirees living within a 50 mile radius of Camp
Lejeune, almost 79,000 family members of active
duty and retired military personnel, and
approximately 5,000 appropriated and non-appropriated
fund civilian employees.
Any
discussion of Camp Lejeune begins and ends with
the young men and women and units who go in harm’s
way. The first such unit is the Second Marine
Expeditionary Force (II MEF).
II MEF is
a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) comprised
of four basic elements and one conceptual one:
the command element, the ground combat element,
the aviation combat element, the combat service
support element, and the supporting establishment
of Marine Corps Base. Tested and proven in
contingencies that span the spectrum from
humanitarian assistance to combat, the MAGTF
provides a single commander with an integrated
air/ground team capable of deploying by air, sea,
or a combination of both.
The
traditional MAGTF consists of four basic elements:
The
command element provides overall command and
control of ground, aviation, and service support
assets. The ground combat element provides the
personnel and equipment that make up the MAGTF’s
ground based offensive punch. The aviation combat
element provides offensive air support, assault
support, aerial reconnaissance, anti-air warfare,
and electronic warfare for the GCE. The combat
service support element provides dental, medical,
engineer, supply, motor transport, military
police, and maintenance support to deployed units.
In
addition, there is a "fifth element" of
the MAGTF, Marine Corps Base. MCB provides a
"platform" upon which expeditionary
units develop, mature, and train as well as
provide stability and basic services for the
Marine Corps family when Marines deploy.
The
Commanding General's vision of a military-civilian
partnership based upon mutual trust continues to
become reality. Onslow County is growing at an
unprecedented rate and Camp Lejeune shares in
that growth as the relationship grows every day.
Camp Lejeune is dynamic, vibrant, and continually
evolving to meet the ever-increasing operational
needs of America’s leaders.
The
relationship between the Base and the surrounding
communities is unique and Camp Lejeune is proud
to continue that partnership. With an economic
impact of more than $2.1 billion, the Marine
presence will certainly complement future growth
in the eastern North Carolina region. Now, more
than ever, it is true that what is good for
Onslow and the surrounding counties is also good
for Camp Lejeune and vice versa.
New
River Air Station
Camp
Lejeune investigated an area with an existing
airfield in 1942 to host aircraft units in
support of amphibious operations. Captain Barnett
Robinson of Marine Glider Group-71 concluded that
New River was suitable. The air station was
commissioned as Peterfield Point in 1944, named
after Mr. Peter, whose tobacco field was a large
part of the government purchase. The
commissioning delineated the air station from
Camp Lejeune, and marked April 1944 as the birth
of the air station.
The 2,600-acre
facility is the premier helicopter air station
introducing new helicopter weapons systems,
claiming the only operational MV-22 Osprey
simulator in the Marine Corps, and providing
constant aviation support to the 22d, 24th, and
26th Marine Expeditionary Units and Combined Arms
Exercises around the world.
Camp
Lejeune and MCAS New River are inextricably
linked with the city of Jacksonville and Onslow
County, NC. From the young man or woman reporting
aboard for their first assignment to the seasoned
veteran, it’s where it all happens! As
Jacksonville continues to grow there is little
doubt that Camp Lejeune will continue to be a
major influence in the development and progress
of the community."
From:
Chamber
of Commerce
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. . . "the commercial hub of Onslow County" 
and/or