Some Go Ballistic, Others Scoff at Marine Bombing Runs

The fighter jet jockeys have been bombing again at Camp Pendleton, where the daily and nightly BA-BOOMs are loud enough to mangle nerves, terrorize the local teacups, and prompt scores of fidgety civilians to call police.

“Those are the sounds of freedom they’re hearing out there,” 1st Lt. Kevin Bentley, spokesman for the vast Marine Corps base, said with contentment last week.

What police dispatchers have been hearing, however, are people from surrounding communities who were not sure whether the explosions were a cataclysm of biblical proportions or a passing cement truck.

“I worked till 7:30 last night and it felt like we had a couple hundred calls by then,” said Escondido police dispatcher Lynn Zimmerman. “One person said: ‘Should I take cover?’ Another woman said she thought her windows were going to break.”

Aerial bombardment and artillery barrages on Camp Pendleton’s ranges are part of the ambience of northern San Diego County, where longtime residents have generally mellowed to the military music of 155-millimeter howitzers and 81-millimeter mortars. After all, the Marines have been here since 1942.

Occasionally, such as last week, the symphony’s brass section goes fortissimo, and so does the number of complaints.

For five days starting Nov. 16, twin-engine Hornet attack jets visiting from the El Toro Marine Air Station were dropping 500-pound bombs to practice close air support for the infantry. The jets had loosed 58 heavy bombs by last Friday.

Weather conditions helped carry the booms a greater distance, and some residents from San Clemente to San Diego have been jolted by seemingly having Beirut in their back yards.

“If you’re brand new to the area, that’s a hell of a wake-up call,” said San Diego County Sheriff’s Sgt. Glenn Revell.

Unsuspecting newcomers are quickest to call police, City Hall or military officials to find out why the crazed dog suddenly jumped into their laps. Most callers are curious, others are irate.

“The windows rattle and the bones shake,” said Oceanside spokesman Larry Bauman. “We do get calls, especially from new residents who are unused to bombardment and think it’s an earthquake or a large truck.”

During the latest bombing runs, calls to police and Camp Pendleton originated in Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista and Escondido. During other artillery or bombing practices, inquiries also came from San Clemente, Fallbrook and Temecula.

“Depending on atmospheric conditions, you can hear up to 50 miles away,” Farrell said.

Because of geography and the angle of bombardment, the noise can be louder in some communities than others.

But for every resident ready to swan dive under the bed, others do not find the bombing any more frightening than a temperamental old grandfather clock.

Take Bailey Noble of Carlsbad, who lives near a railroad track and a municipal airport. Add to that the fact that Noble is a retired Marine, and here is a man who does not fuss over a mere bomb.

“I’ve seen the windows shake a couple times, but I haven’t heard anything,” Noble said. But he added: “I have a fairly significant hearing loss” from exposure to artillery while in the service.

His neighbors are also reasonably tranquil when Camp Pendleton seems to be going ballistic.

“The only comments I hear are: ‘Well, the Marines were at it again last night,’ ” Noble said.

The recent weather helps explain the spate of calls to some police departments.

“Sound travels faster and farther in moist air,” said Wilbur Shigehara, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Sometimes, he believes he hears Camp Pendleton’s activities as far away as his office in downtown San Diego. “It’s been going on for many years, this mysterious rumble. Our windows rattle at times,” Shigehara said.

Since the military has not found a way to make bombs go squeak, it is inevitable that residents will continue to get rattled from time to time.

Camp Pendleton spokesman Bentley said anyone who suffers property damage from the explosions should contact the base and ask for a form to seek reimbursement.