Camp Pendleton, 1975

The Marine Corps base whose tent city was the first mainland home for Vietnamese refugees.

Tent city

At the end of April 1975, Marines at Camp Pendleton, California, put up hundreds of tents in a matter of days to receive refugees flying in from Guam. It was the first of the four mainland reception centers opened that year.

Life in the camp

Families lived in the camp for weeks or months. They learned English, filled out paperwork, and waited for a sponsor: a family, church, or organization willing to help them get started. Many who passed through Camp Pendleton settled in Southern California, which today has one of the largest Vietnamese American communities in the country.