Marine Corps Activates Sprawling New Base On Highly Strategic Guam
Story by Emma Helfrich • Thursday
The U.S. Marine Corps has activated a new base camp on the strategic island of Guam in the Pacific, and, at least according to the Marines, it will serve as the first newly constructed base for the service in 70 years. Named Camp Blaz, the installation’s location is not only steeped in Marine Corps history dating back decades but the activation also reflects the U.S. military's evolving posture in the increasingly tense region over which China looms.
On Jan. 26, 2023, USMC Maj. Gen. David Maxwell, commander of Marine Corps Installations Command, hosted a ceremony at Asan Beach on Guam with the island’s governor in attendance to celebrate the activation and naming of Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Blaz. The base, which will be situated on Guam’s northern plateau near Andersen Air Force Base, is named after Brig. Gen. Vicente ‘Ben’ Tomas Garrido Blaz, the first indigenous Marine from the Marianas Islands to earn the rank of general officer. The camp was first administratively activated on Oct. 1, 2020 in a small-scale ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today is an important day that marks the future of the Marines on Guam, and it is also a day to reflect on the century-long history of the Marine Corps in this beautiful place we call home,” said Col. Christopher Bopp, MCB Camp Blaz’s commanding officer in a USMC press release. “On this island Marines and their Chamoru brethren have lived in peace and fought in war together, and we are proud to carry on this legacy of honor and courage.”
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