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El Toro was commissioned March 17, 1943 as a temporary Marine Corps Air Station. Since that day, the station saw many changes. During World War II combat pilots received their training at MCAS El Toro. In 1945, Congress made it the permanent West Coast Marine Corps Air Station. The station became one of 15 Department of Defense installations assigned as ’Model Installations’, to act as a test site to reduce bureaucracy and inefficiency. In 1985, El Toro was awarded the Commander in Chief’s Award for Installation Excellence for its efforts in improving the quality of life aboard the station. In 1986, the station received the award again, the only installation to receive the award twice. MCAS El Toro was a showcase for Marine Corps aviation, a reserve mobilization site, and home to the best pilots in the world. The base was closed and abandoned in July 1999.
Since we couldn’t find a public relations booth we decide to take a self guided tour of the premises. Please excuse the quality of the photos, as we were unable to use flashlights or the facility lights. Fortunately for our rag-tag tour group, the doors to the main air control tower we left reasonably unlocked.