team

MasterSgt.ChristopherLisledecidedtodoa liveaircraftfireexercisewithhisson.During the exercise he manned the same firehose as his son as they extinguished an aircraft fireduringatrainingexerciseatMCASNew River, in Jacksonville North Carolina, May 12,2023

“It is good to call myself a Marine along with my dad,” said Devin “Being able to be heretodayandhavetheopportunitytowork andtrainsidebysidelikewearedoinghere today.”

AlloftheMarinesstoodbackandwatched asDevinandhisfatherextinguishedthefire together It was a special and rare moment between a father and a son to be able to do something like that. The older Lisle retired June16,2023,atMCASCherryPoint

“Thetimehascomeformetohangupthe uniformandtransitionbutinasense,Iwish I had a little more time It feels really good thatapieceofmewillbestayingintheCorps andtheMOS,”saidLisle “Almostasalegacy I know he will do great things and will be takencareof.”

Welcome back Lunga Park, we missed you!

ByCharlesWolf Marine Corps Base Quantico

MARINECORPSBASEQUANTICO,Va

Moralehasbeenanimportantpartofthe Marine Corps since its founding and as all good leaders will attest, it’s also a key to the successofMarinesandtheirfamilieswherevertheyserve

Morale comes in different shapes and sizes Itmaylooklikecampfires,boats,fishing, cabins and maybe even a lake or, in the case of Quantico, a reservoir. For decades, Lunga Recreation area and Reservoir was a favorite location for locals to relax, fish, camp, host command events, and even celebrate holidays like the fourth of July

In February 2012 after partially exposed mortar fins were found in the recreational area, Lunga was temporarily closed while Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC),andtheMarineCorpsexplosives safetyauthorityconductedanareasurveyto determineiftheparkwassafeforcontinued use Basedonthedeterminationafterthesite inspection, the base commander closed the LungarecreationareaandreservoironMay 11thofthatyearuntilitcouldbeclearedand deemedsafeforpublicuse May26,elevenyearslater,aportionofthe originalareawasreopened.

Lunga Reservoir dates back to World War II, when Quantico expanded what is now the base property west of Interstate 95 More space was needed for additional maneuversandtrainingduringthewarand became the home of Camp Barrett where newlycommissionedofficersattendedThe Basic School after graduating The Officers Camp of Instruction, which would later be renamedOfficersCandidateSchool

Lunga Reservoir was constructed as a water source for Camp Barrett while the surroundinglandareaswereusedasimpact zones when Marines conducted live-fire training with mortars artillery and rifle grenades.

As new and more efficient ranges were constructed, all live-fire training shifted awayfromthereservoirarea.Mapsarchived at Quantico’s Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Branch show that the Lunga Recreational Park was established duringthemid-1960’sandconsistedofaboat dock, separate enlisted, staff non-commis- sioned officer, officer areas, and a rod and gun club In July of 1971, the addition of the civilian recreation and welfare association recreationalareawasapprovedforconstruction.

In 2001, the Department of Defense created the Military Munitions Program in which Congress mandated that all DOD installations, including formerly used defense sites, make an inventory of those sites that had former ranges or munitions usageandwhatthosesitesoncewere

In order to properly assess and address the situation at Lunga Recreation area, an advisorycouncilwasformed.Theteamwas composed of members from the NAVFAC Washington Environmental Restoration, MCBQ G-F Installation and Environmental, Quantico Area Counsel Office, Range Management, Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS), Public Works, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Academy, andanExplosiveOrdnanceDisposal(EOD) Tech Division from Indian Head, Md, who provided quality assurance support all throughout the cleanup process

“Cleaning up a former Marine Corps range for safe recreational use by the public is no small feat,” said Victoria Waranoski, Environmental Engineer and Remedial Project Manager (RPM) for the Environmental Restoration Program, NAVFAC Washington. “I havebeentheleadforthe Lungacleanupsince2016. Most of our ERP sites do not have the intended landusethatLungadoes The investigation and cleanup at Lunga were much more comprehensive, and with that, much more time-consuming andexpensive.”

The lead agency of the Lunga cleanup was the Department of the Navy in partnership with the United States Environment Protection Agency andVirginiaDepartmentofEnvironmental Quality Crewsscannedhundredsofacresinchby inch using highly advanced equipment like magnetometers, a hand-held, super sensitivedetectorthatlocatesironandsteel,they alsousedAdvancedGeophysicalClassification, Simultaneous Location and Mapping equipment that estimated the properties of buried metal objects; specifically detailing the size, sometimes more than three feet underground.Themostcommonmunitions recoveredduringthecleanupwere2.36-inch rockets, rifle grenades, 75mm projectiles, and60mmmortars. Asmunitionswerefound,eachwascarefully excavated and identified. Every munition goes through a stringent certification, demilitarization, and verification process They are designated as either safe-to-move or not safe-to-move by EOD professionals. If found safe to move for disposal, they are taken offsite for metal recycling/smelting or are securely stored, consolidated, and destroyed. If the items were not safe to move, they were destroyed in place When items were destroyed in place, EOD Techs followedthestandardDODprocedures.

“Theadministrativecomponenttoensure public health is protected was also very comprehensive and time consuming,” said Warnanoski. The Lunga cleanup brought many leaders, branches offices and people together to make it all happen, setting and managingexpectationsregardingthecourse of action, schedule, and cost up and down thechainsofcommandwasthecriticalpath foroursuccess.”

In an interview before the park opened, Nancy Moorman, MCB Quantico MCCS Deputy Director was very excited about what they have been able to do for the community “There’sgoingtobesomegreat new features, and upgrades to Lunga Park that we’re really excited to offer everyone,” she explained “We will be unveiling a new generalstore,boatramp,boatdocks,volleyball court, refurbished pavilions, a kid’s playground, camping sites, grills, RV camp sites,metalcircularfirepitsandnewlybuilt rustic cabins complete with beds lamps electricity, and air conditioning. We’ve also upgraded the RV storge lot as well, said Moorman.

As the cleanup progressed, MCCS began working closely with NAVFAC to determine which areas would be acceptable for use. This also meant new construction and double-checkingcleanupefforts

Today, only a small portion of Lunga is open as cleanup and construction continues Lunga Park is divided into 7 areas Maple, Oak, Cedar, Pine, Hickory, FBI, and the former Civilian Welfare Recreation area.MapleandOakarethefirstareastobe reopened.

“Currently, the entire recreation area is not yet open because cleanup is still underway in some areas The ultimate goal is to have all the areas cleaned up for recreational use and back open for all to enjoy,” saidWaranoski

“I was here in 2012 when it closed, I watched it deteriorate over time and in just the last three years, have seen it built back up It’s exciting! All involved have worked tirelessly to ensure that the park and reservoirarebetterandsafer!Wewanteveryone tocomeoutandenjoyit,”saidMoorman