Tori J. Ross 
The San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot celebrates 100 years as an established landmark in America’s most beautiful city.
In honor of the centennial, the depot is hosting a virtual concert by the Marine Band San Diego on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The concert will feature songs that the band believe have impacted musical generations over the past 100 years.
The Marine Band has been performing for nearly a century and gives more than 350 shows each year. These performances include military ceremonies, parades and school demonstrations across the country.
You can watch their MCRD San Diego performance on YouTube here.
The centennial celebration takes on even more weight after the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 is passed. The law says the US Marine Corps is reviewing its recruit training sites in San Diego and Parris Island, South Carolina, for possible relocation.
California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla joined Rep. Scott Peters in introducing legislation to ban the closure of MCRD San Diego in September.
“The base has been a strategically vital location for the Marines since before World War II and should continue to serve as such. San Diego is home to a strong military community with a rich history of service. There is no reason to relocate this. important training center, ”said Feinstein during the presentation of the legislation.
The San Diego MCRD has served as the recruit training center for the western United States since 1923, training nearly 18,000 Marines each year.
The Marines first appeared in San Diego while supporting the Panama-California Exhibition at Balboa Park from 1915 to 1917. Subsequently, the Marines offered to establish a permanent base in San Diego. On March 19, 1919, construction of the depot began.
When it opened in 1921, recruit training was not the depot’s original goal. It was initially intended to support the expeditionary operations of the Marine Corps.
As the Marine Corps began to develop during WWII and more training areas were established in the region, the main focus of the depot shifted to recruit training. In 1948, the facility was officially referred to as the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
Seven military installations are located in San Diego County, including three Marine Corps bases that house nearly one-third of all active-duty Marines.
