MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- At a moment's notice, a Marine can be sent away from their home station to attend a temporary additional duty or deploy to a foreign land, leaving their belongings behind.
The Recreation Check-Out Facilities and Vehicle Storage, and Camp Pendleton Self Storage rental facility on base offer service members the opportunity to safely and legally store their vehicles and personal belongings.
"It is a lot safer to store your personally owned vehicle in our lot, rather than leaving it in the barracks parking lot while you're deployed," said Jerry P. Tropel, maintenance mechanic with Recreation Check-Out Facilities and Vehicle Storage, 51, from Iloilo, Philippines. "A lot of Marines return from a deployment to realize their vehicle has been towed away."
Abandoned vehicles in base parking lots can be towed at the owner's expense. To prevent this from occurring, service members can store their vehicles, motorcycles, watercrafts, campers and trailers with roughly 1,800 others at the enclosed lot near the San Luis Rey gate.
Service members with personal belongings can store them at Camp Pendleton Self Storage rental facility.
"We basically cater to Marines," said Robert M. Mungo, co-manager with Camp Pendleton Self Storage. "Our rates are lower than off-base storage centers."
The Recreation Check-Out Facilities and Vehicle Storage lot charges $10 per month with a variety of ways to pay. Service members can pay all at once or monthly through cash, checks, allotments or credit cards.
When a vehicle is dropped off for storage, service members are provided a list of precautions to take to protect their vehicles. It's recommended to fill the gas tank with fuel stabilizer and insert fabric softener or moth balls throughout the engine compartment to prevent rodents from crawling into the vehicle.
When service members return to retrieve their vehicles, the storage lot staff members will air up the tires, reconnect the battery cables and jump start it for free.
For Marines and sailors seeking to store their vehicles or other personal belongings in a storage unit, Camp Pendleton Self Storage rental facility can accommodate their needs.
"We offer a state-of-the-art rental storage center that is extremely secure," said Mungo. "We have almost a thousand units in a variety of sizes and monthly rates."
The self storage unit helps service members throughout the moving and storage process. The center has a variety of boxes, bubble wrap and locks to make the moving process more convenient.
"The employees at the Camp Pendleton Self Storage are very friendly, professional and knowledgeable in offering very convenient services," said Sgt. Bryce D. Snider, an intelligence specialist with 1st Intelligence Battalion, 1st Marine Headquarters Group.
Snider, 29, from Wichita, Kan., said that he can visit his rental unit whenever he wants to get whatever he needs.
For availability and rates on the storage facilities, contact the Recreation Check-Out Facilities and Vehicle Storage at (760) 725-5296 or the Camp Pendleton Self Storage rental facility at (760) 385-1122/1123.