Marine Corps

Oct. 20 (UPI) — An artillery shell fired during a Marine Corps demonstration on Saturday detonated prematurely over California’s Interstate 5, striking a California Highway Patrol vehicle with debris, authorities said.

No injuries were reported, but the vehicle was damaged, CHP said Sunday in a statement.

The live-fire event at Camp Pendleton was part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Red Beach.

The incident occurred over a stretch of the I-5 where CHP officers were supporting a traffic break during the live-fire training demonstration.

The live shell was said to have detonated prematurely mid-air.

The Marine Corps has been notified of the incident, and additional live-fire demonstrations were canceled, CHP said.

“This was an unusual and concerning situation,” CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado, who identified himself as an active Marine, said in a statement. “It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.”

The demonstration involved elements of I Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. Third Fleet, highlighting the Navy-Marine Corps’ “ability to project combat power globally, from ship to shore, with speed and precision,” the I Marine Expeditionary Force said Saturday in a statement.

“The CHP has filed an internal report on the incident, with a recommendation to conduct an additional after-action review into the planning, communication and coordination between federal, state and local governments around the event on Saturday, October 18, to strengthen protocols for future demonstrations and training events near public roadways,” it said.

Spokesperson Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis told CNN in a statement that the Marine Corps was investigating.

“We are aware of the report of a possible airborne detonation of a 155mm artillery round outside the designated impact area during the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration,” Dreibelbis said.

“The demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” he added. “Following established safety protocols, firing was suspended.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had closed the section of I-5 ahead of the event as a precaution.

Ahead of the event, the Democratic governor lambasted President Donald Trump for scheduling the demonstration over the civilian transportation route.

“This president is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” he said in a statement. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless.”

Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, and Trump have been in a very public feud for years. During Trump’s second term, Newsom has especially targeted Trump with criticism over his immigration policies and deployments of the military to Democratic-led states.

On Sunday, Newsom said, “this could have killed someone.”

“This is what the White House thought was fine to fly over civilians on a major freeway,” the California governor’s press office said in its own statement on X, which included a picture of a soldier carrying the large munition on his shoulder.

“Thankfully, the Governor closed it.”

Oct. 19 (UPI) — As protesters marched against the Trump administration on Saturday, Vice President JD Vance took the stage at an event and live artillery demonstration at Camp Pendleton in California, honoring the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The spectacle was criticized as a “dangerous” show of force by the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.

“Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds,” Newsom said in a statement. “Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”

Vance, a former Marine who served in Iraq, delivered a speech in which he attacked Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown and previous diversity initiatives in the military.

He also promised that service members would be paid during the shutdown as hundreds of thousands of other federal workers go without paychecks.

“I know we’re here to talk about the Marine Corps. But I have got to get just a little political,” Vance said during his speech. “Because congressional Democrats seem to want to keep the government shut down even though it would mean that a lot of you would not get your paycheck.”

The demonstration was reported to have been the largest in the United States in a decade and showcased fighter jets, the Naval fleet and live fire from M777 howitzers over a major interstate freeway.

Newsom’s office said in the statement that California officials were recently notified that the White House intended to fire live artillery rounds but were assured on Thursday by Marine Corps officials that they would not be fired over Interstate 5.

“That afternoon, the federal government also directed cancellation of train services, which run parallel to the I-5, on Saturday between Orange County-San Diego County,” Newsom’s office said in the statement.

“Late on Friday, the state then received notice from event organizers asking for CalTrans signage to be posted along the I-5 freeway that would read: ‘Overhead fire in progress.'”

Newsom’s office said California officials then asked the federal government for additional details about the event and were told that the live fire activities would take place.

His office said he closed the freeway to traffic during the demonstration.

“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose the training exercises that ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the world, then he can go right ahead,” William Martin, Vance’s communications director, told CNN. “It would come as no surprise that he would stoop so low, considering his pathetic track record of failure as governor.”

Oct. 18 (UPI) — The U.S. Marine Corps‘ live-fire event at Camp Pendleton as part of its 250th birthday celebration will cause the closure of Interstate 5 for four hours on Saturday.

The closure is a precaution due to the firing of explosive artillery rounds over the freeway from gunnery ranges at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, which has drawn the ire of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom accused President Donald Trump of “putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety” in a prepared statement released on Saturday morning.

“Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous,” Newsom said.

“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength,” he added. “It’s reckless. It’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds.”

Trump will not attend the celebratory event, but Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are scheduled to attend, with the live-fire scheduled at 1:30 p.m. local time.

Marine Corps officials initially said there would be no need to close the freeway and only asked that signs be posted warning drivers of the live-fire event and to expect to hear explosions.

California Highway Patrol officials instead announced the freeway would be closed while the event is in progress, according to KTLA-TV.

Due to safety concerns, a section of Interstate 5 will be closed Saturday due to a White House-directed military event at Camp Pendleton involving live ammunition being discharged over the freeway,” Caltrans officials said in a statement on Saturday morning.

“Drivers should expect delays on Interstate 5 and other state routes throughout Southern California before, during and after the event.”

The closure starts at 11 a.m. PDT for the 17-mile stretch of freeway running from Basilone Road near San Onofre in the north to Harbor Drive in Oceanside to the south and reopens at 3 p.m.

The event will include a demonstration of Navy and Marine Corps operations on land, sea and in the air.

Camp Pendleton is located about 40 miles north of San Diego and east of I-5, which runs along the Pacific Coast.

Caltrans officials advise motorists in Los Angeles County to use state routes in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties to bypass the closed section of freeway.

Several local train routes also will be closed during the live-fire event.

Sept. 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will attend a meeting organized by Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth that aims to gather hundreds of senior military officers near Washington this week.

Trump confirmed his Tuesday attendance with NBC News.

“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how we’re all doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC Sunday. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps?’ That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing and how we’re doing.”

Last week, Hegseth called on hundreds of military leaders, stationed all over the world, to travel for the meeting with top Pentagon officials.

The event is scheduled to be held at Quantico Marine Corps Base outside Washington. The base will host thousands of military members, top leaders, aides and security, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Senior military leaders were not informed about the purpose of the meeting, NBC reported.

The meeting is scheduled to happen just ahead of a looming budget deadline and potential government shutdown next week. The Trump administration has warned of mass layoffs and furloughs if the government stops operating if lawmakers cannot agree to a temporary spending plan to keep it operating.

The Congressional Research Service said that all 800 senior officers carrying the rank of brigadier general and above are required to attend the meeting.

The scheduled meeting has prompted heightened security concerns, The Washington Post reported.

Trump has said he plans to meet with Congressional leaders Monday in an attempt to overcome the budget impasse.

Sept. 25 (UPI) — War Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the nation’s military leaders from around the world to meet at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., for an unspecified reason on Tuesday.

The number of generals and admirals called to the meeting is the most summoned for a meeting in many years, according to The New York Times.

Other media outlets reporting the meeting include The Hill and CNN, which said hundreds of military leaders are expected to attend the high-level meeting.

“The secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” War Department spokesman Sean Parnell told The Hill in a prepared statement.

He did not elaborate on the meeting’s primary purpose.

“It’s being referred to as the general squid games,” an unnamed military official told CNN.

Many in the military have suggested the meeting might regard conditions with the Defense Department, a widespread purge of military officers or possibly a major military campaign that might be in the works.

Hegseth’s directive to attend the meeting went to all senior officers holding the rank of brigadier general and higher and their counterparts in the U.S. Navy.

More than 800 generals and admirals could heed the call and arrive at the meeting, which has raised security concerns regarding having that many senior military officials gathered at the same place at the same time.

An unnamed congressional aide suggested the meeting might involve overhauling the U.S. military command structure or possibly a pending major military campaign.

When Hegseth was being vetted for his current position, he criticized the large number of four-star generals and admirals in the U.S. military and said the nation won World War II with far fewer.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) — The Pentagon has failed to implement methods to prevent and treat gambling disorders among service members, even as diagnoses have risen, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

“Gambling is widely available to military members, who may be more likely than the general population to have gambling problems due to being younger and more risk-taking.” said the report, which was released this week.

The GAO found that although Department of Defense guidance was updated in January, outlining steps military services should take to prevent and treat gambling disorders, the guidance did not designate who was to implement those measures.

As a result, critical services like medical treatment, assessments and annual training were left without clear accountability the GAO said.

In 2024, 185 active duty services members were diagnosed with gambling-related disorders, but the number could be higher, according to the report.

“What that does not include is any individual who did not seek treatment from a medical provider and possibly any that might have sought help but did not meet the diagnostic threshold,” said Kristy Williams, a defense, capabilities and management director at the GAO.

The independent agency issued nine recommendations to the Pentagon to improve care of service members with gambling issues.

The Defense Health Agency, the GAO said, must take lead to implement prevention, diagnosis and treatment for gambling disorder, adding that each military branch needs to update its policies.

Slot machines are highly popular on overseas bases, with revenues used to fund morale, welfare and recreation programs that include child care, fitness and libraries, the GAO said.

Revenues from what are called the Army Recreation Machine Program, the Air Force Venture Entertainment Program and Naval Station Diego Garcia generated $91 million in revenue just last year, according to the report.

While the military operates slot machines on overseas bases, it does not restrict access to service members with a gambling problem or post signage at the slot machines to offer resources for gambling problems, the GAO said.

In the 2024 study, 4.7% of military personnel answered yes to “Have you ever lied about gambling or felt you needed to bet more,” the GAO’s Williams said.

The report also noted that of the 15,039 respondents who have gambled in the last 12 months before the study was conducted, 2.7% of them admitted to having feelings of irritability and restlessness when trying to stop gambling.

Of the respondents who gambled, 56% said they had depression, 50% had anxiety and 8% had substance abuse disorders.

The GAO said financial counselors told service members that gambling could impact their security clearances.

“There is a definition of gambling disorder, and it really focuses on a persistent and recurrent problem with gambling behavior that would lead to some kind of clinically significant impairment,” Williams said.

“You have to exhibit four or more traits in a one-year period to get that diagnosis. It might be things like, are you lying to conceal the extent of your involvement with gambling, do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money, do you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve a desired excitement?”

In preparing its report, the GAO met with military members at Naval Base San Diego, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, N.C., and Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.

According to a 2021 study the GAO cited in its latest report, it suggested that service members may be at a high risk for gambling disorders due to many being young and the stressors tied to military life.

In a 2017 report, the GAO found that individual readiness for service members was at risk due to being preoccupied with gambling, which can heighten financial hardship and risk of suicide.

In its response to the new report, the Department of Defense outlined medical treatments and annual training service members should undergo to prevent and treat gambling disorders. The department said it plans to release an internal findings report on service members’ gambling disorders by June.

The GAO conducted the study at the request of Congress, with the results sent to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., respectively, and to the chair and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Rep. Adam Smith D-Wash., respectively.

Aug. 23 (UPI) — The Trump administration is deploying up to 1,700 National Guard troops to 19 states to assist with Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.

The troops will assist with logistical support, transportation, case management and clerical services at facilities that are processing “illegal migrants,” the Defense Department told Fox News.

“The in-and-out processing may include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in a prepared statement.

The troops will be deployed from August through mid-November amid a surge in ICE enforcement activities as the Trump administration works to meet its goal of at least 30,000 monthly deportations.

A July status change of Marine Corps personnel to National Guard status will support the 19-state deployment, which will not include law enforcement activities, according to News Nation.

The deployments will occur in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, SouthCarolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming, according to the Defense Department.

Unrelated to anti-violent crime deployments

The pending deployments are not related to the use of National Guard troops to quell violent crime in the nation’s capital or other cities, such as Chicago, according to the White House.

President Donald Trump has said the National Guard could be deployed to Chicago, New York and other cities to address violent crime after calling the Washington deployment a success.

The president deployed about 2,000 National Guard troops to the capital earlier this month, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week authorized them to carry weapons.

The U.S. Marshals Service will approve the troops carrying sidearms, which will be 9mm Sig Sauer M17 pistols for personal protection.

New Mexico National Guard deployed to address crime

Also deploying National Guard troops to quell crime is New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham.

Grisham, a Democrat, recently announced a state of emergency due to crime in parts of the state and already deployed up to 70 National Guard troops in Albuquerque.

She also has issued states of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the city of Espanola and pueblos in the area after being asked to do so by respective local governments, CNN reported.

Grisham cited a fentanyl epidemic and violent crime among juveniles as “requiring immediate intervention” and in a news release said Rio Arriba County has the state’s highest rate of overdose deaths.

Local law enforcement and other resources are overwhelmed by a surge in drug trafficking, violent crime and other threats to public safety, she said.

Aug. 7 (UPI) — National Purple Heart Day will be celebrated on the seventh day of August after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation making it so on Thursday.

The president was joined by many Purple Heart recipients and their families during a signing ceremony honoring the nation’s military personnel at the White House.

“We’re here to honor and celebrate the unyielding patriotism and grit and devotion to America’s Purple Heart veterans with emotion and great love,” Trump told the audience.

He said Gen. George Washington created the Purple Heart on Aug. 7, 1782, when he presented a purple ribbon shaped like a heart to each of three soldiers for their gallantry in battle.

“Just as George Washington did 243 years ago, today we give our everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families,” Trump said while referencing the dozens of Purple Heart recipients in the audience.

While Washington was the first to bestow a Purple Heart to soldiers, it remained a footnote in U.S. military history until Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the War Department officially created the Purple Heart as a badge for military merit in 1932.

The award was narrowed to one solely for those wounded or killed in combat in 1944, and nearly 1.9 million service members have received the honor.

Three of the nearly 100 wounded warriors who attended Thursday’s signing ceremony last year gave their Purple Heart medals to Trump after he survived being shot in his right ear by a would-be assassin during a campaign rally in Butler, Penn., on July 13, 2024.

Those veterans are Thomas Matteo, Gerald Enter Jr., and John Ford.

“What a great honor to get those Purple Hearts,” Trump said while thanking the three men.

“In a certain way, it wasn’t that easy for me, either,” he added,” but you went through a lot more than I did, and I appreciate it all very much.”

The president also honored his 2024 campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, who is a Marine Corps veteran and received a Purple Heart in 1991 while serving in the Gulf War.

Others mentioned during the signing ceremony include Kevin Willette and his son Brian Willette. Both he and his son received Purple Hearts while serving in Afghanistan.

Military specialist Kevin Brown also was honored for pulling Capt. Sam Brown from a Humvee that an explosive device had damaged.

Both men earned their Purple Hearts on that day, and the Senate last week confirmed Brown as the Military Affairs Department’s under-secretary for memorial affairs.

Trump said the Purple Heart “tells a story of courage, sacrifice and purpose” and “speaks of a price paid for the soldier beside you, the country behind you and the generations of Americans yet to come.”

He then signed the proclamation designating Aug. 7 as National Purple Heart Day.

June 12 (UPI) — A federal judge on Thursday might rule on whether or not the Trump administration lawfully deployed National Guard and Marine Corps troops to Los Angeles.

U.S. District Court for Northern California Judge Charles Breyer is hearing arguments for and against the federal government deploying troops to quell violence amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in Los Angeles.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday sought the federal court’s intervention to stop the deployments and remove the troops from Los Angeles.

Breyer denied Newsom’s motion for a temporary restraining order and scheduled Thursday’s hearing regarding the governor’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the troop deployments.

More than 4,000 National Guardsmen and about 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles to prevent violence while protecting federal buildings and ICE agents as they enforce unpopular and controversial federal immigration laws.

Newsom did not call up the National Guard and said the Trump administration did not ask him to do so.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday announced an ongoing curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. PDT in a downtown area that is bordered by interstates 5, 10 and 110.

The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday arrested 71 people for failure to disperse, seven for violating the curfew, two for assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon and one for resisting arrest.

Also on Thursday, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was removed from a late-morning news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Padilla interrupted the news conference and demanded that Noem answer questions, but event security removed him.

Noem said Padilla’s interruption was “inappropriate” and said she would speak with him after concluding the news conference.

Meanwhile, protests continue with several scheduled in California and 28 in total in locales across the nation, NBC News reported.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday announced he called up 5,000 National Guardsmen and deployed 2,000 Texas Public Safety troopers to maintain peace and arrest those engaged in criminal acts as anti-ICE protests are expected to continue at least through the weekend.

“Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law,” Abbott said in a news release.

“Don’t mess with Texas — and don’t mess with Texas law enforcement,” he added.

May 30 (UPI) — The man charged with ramming a vehicle into a crowd at a cup victory parade for Liverpool Football Club and injuring 79 peopel appeared in court on Friday.

Prosecutor Philip Astbury said it was the prosecution’s case that 53-year-old Paul Doyle, a former Royal Marine and now a businessman, “deliberately drove” into the crowd in Liverpool city center as people were leaving at the end of the parade.

Astbury asked that Doyle, who is from the West Derby area of Liverpool, not be granted bail for his own safety.

Doyle faces seven counts related to Monday’s incident involving six victims, two of them children, including two wounding with intent charges, two grievous bodily harm with intent charges, two attempted grievous bodily harm with intent charges and a single dangerous driving charge.

Doyle spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth and did not enter a plea.

District Judge Paul Healey remanded the married father of three in custody, telling him that his case was being sent to Liverpool Crown Court, where he would have to reappear later Friday.

Counsel for Doyle, Richard Derby, did not apply for bail.

Doyle has been in police detention since being arrested after a car collided with Liverpool city center, where hundreds of thousands of fans had gathered to celebrate Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory, but was only charged on Thursday afternoon.

Seven of those injured remain in area hospitals.

Merseyside Police said the incident remained the subject of an ongoing, active investigation with officers sifting through a large volume of digital evidence, while the Crown Prosecution Service said it was keeping the charges “under review” as the investigation progressed.

However, Mersey-Cheshire Chief Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond appealed for the public and media to refrain from speculation or sharing information that could derail the prosecution’s case or fair justice for the accused.

“We know Monday’s shocking scenes reverberated around the city of Liverpool, and the entire country, on what should have been a day of celebration for hundreds of thousands of Liverpool FC supporters. Our thoughts remain with all those affected,” Hammond said.

“Criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information or media online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Doyle’s social media states that he served for four years as a commando in the Royal Marine Corps, an amphibious special operations unit of the Royal Navy, between 1990 and 1994.

May 23 (UPI) — Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday addressed the 1,048 graduates of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., telling them, “Your country needs you now more than ever.”

During the ceremony, Marine 2 circled Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, and there was Blue Angels flyover.

During the ceremony, Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed to the Iraq War, watched as 786 men and women received Navy assignments and 262 went to graduates who now will serve in the Marines.

On a sunny day, the graduates raised their right hands and swore to protect the Constitution as they were officially commissioned. In unison, they shouted “I do” when the oath was finished.

They walked up to the stage to shake Vance’s hand and receive their diploma.

Divided into 36 companies, they later tossed caps into the air, a Naval tradition.

“It will be you, the graduates gathered here today, who will lead the way for the rest of us,” Vance said. “Your service will bring new challenges and environments, including ones unfamiliar even to those who served before you. You will deploy new equipment, new systems, and new technology. And, through those experiences, it is you who will learn, who will teach others and will help our services and our entire country adapt to the future we’re confronting.”

This was Vance’s first remarks to service academy’s graduates as vice president.

“The extraordinary education you received is an investment by the American people, an investment not only in your courage, but in the strength of your minds and the promise of your leadership because your nation rests easier knowing that we have the most brilliant strategists and tacticians standing guard,” Vance added.

Vance noted that they would be leading troops in regions with military powers, including China and Russia.

To the graduates, guests and military personnel, he touted the Trump administration’s policies.

He described President Donald Trump‘s visit last week to the Middle East as “historic.”

Vance told the crowd how his administration’s foreign policy is different from predecessors by moving away from nation-building and prioritizing American interests.

“No more undefined missions. No more open-ended conflicts,” Vance said.

He voted that Trump and himself would “never ask you to do anything without a clear mission and a clear path home.”

The vice president described the military’s targeted and limited airstrikes this spring against the Houthis in Yemen as the type of mission the Trump administration would prioritize. The goal was to stop Houthi militants from attacking American ships in the Red Sea.

“We pursued that goal through overwhelming force,” Vance said. “That’s how military power should be used: Decisively.”

Earlier he was greeted by demonstrators protesting the Trump administration’s policies

Several groups advocating for racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights rallied across the street on the grounds of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. From a distance, they protested deep cuts to social services in the proposed budget.

The Naval Academy stopped considering race, ethnicity or sex in admissions. Nearly 400 books exploring White supremacy, race and racism in America; gender identity; and sexuality and diversity were removed from the academy’s library after an executive order by Trump. Many have since been returned to the library’s shelves.

“I’m sure some of you share my politics and some of you don’t,” Vance said, “but I know today I speak for a grateful nation when I say, ‘We are rooting for you, Naval Academy Class of 2025, we are proud of you and we depend on you. Congratulations. Godspeed.’ “

The U.S. Naval Academy’s Class of 2025 includes 751 men and 298 women from all 50 states. Fourteen international students from 13 countries will return home to serve in their respective armed forces. The class began with 1,186 candidates: 838 men and 348 women.

Midshipmen said the graduation of four challenging years at the academy was surreal.

“After today, I’m a commissioned officer in the greatest fighting force. There’s a little bit of nerves,” political science major Lucas Merritt, 23, of Georgia, who is going into the Marine Corps, told The Baltimore Banner. “I feel ready.”

“Our sailors and Marines’ lives are literally in our hands,” Rebecca Wiley, 21, of Houston, who will work on submarines in Charleston, S.C., said after studying naval architecture and mechanical engineering. “I’m nervous to do a good job, but that just shows that I care.”

Joseph Lee, a 22-year-old from Kansas, studied chemistry and will go to medical school.

They will join approximately 92,000 Naval Academy alumni who have graduated since 1845.

May 18 (UPI) — A 25-year-old man on Sunday has been tentatively identified as the suspect in an explosion outside a Southern California fertility clinic that injured four and and killed one.

The FBI believes Edward Bartkus, a resident of Twentynine Palms, home to a large U.S. Marine Corps base, about 58 miles northwest of Palm Springs, used a vehicle-borne improvised bomb. The explosion occurred at 11 a.m. PDT Saturday and damaged several buildings.

“We are working through some other technical means to positively identify the decedent here, but we believe at this moment, based on the evidence that we’ve gathered, that that is Mr. Bartkus as the decedent here,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said at a Sunday morning news conference.

None of those injured are believed to be staff members of the clinic, city officials said.

American Reproductive Centers wrote on Facebook that a “vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building.”

“Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is,” the center posted. “In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope — because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care,” they wrote in the post.

“Out of every tragedy, there is an opportunity to come together with deeper purpose. While today’s events have shaken us all, they also shine a light on the strength of our community, the bravery of our first responders, and the resilience of the families we serve.

“At ARC, we believe in creating life – not just in the biological sense, but in the emotional and spiritual sense, too,” the post said.

The clinic expects to reopen Monday.

The Center for Reproductive Services and the American Coalition for Telemedicine told CBS News that they had not heard of any threats to their facilities or the organizations they work with across the country.

“We were able to save all of the embryos at this facility,” Davis said. “Good guys, 1, bad guys, 0.”

The blast could be felt more than a mile away from the blast zone and pieces of vehicles were thrown hundreds of feet in the air and then several blocks away.

“You can use your imagination for how big that bomb device was,” Davis said.

People at The Skylark Hotel, about 500 yards from the clinic, said they felt the explosion.

Palm Springs city officials said in a Facebook post that the blast occurred near several healthcare facilities.

“We believe he was the subject found by the vehicle,” Davis said.

The vehicle was a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan.

Davis said this is the largest bombing ever investigated in Southern California.

“It does require some planning and some skill to build a bomb of this kind, although we have seen similar devices with even more significant damage before including the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the blast that rocked the World Trade Center during the first attack in February 1993,” Law Enforcement analyst Richard Esposito told CBS News.

Barkus has not been in the FBI’s radar, according to Davis.

In writing or recordings, the suspect was against bringing people into the world against their will, according to CBS law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.

“The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack,” Davis said. “We believe he was attempting to livestream it and yes, that is also part of our investigation.”

On Saturday, Davis said: “Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also sent agents to help with the investigation.

“Yesterday, a man intent on harming others in our city failed. Palm Springs survived and we are stronger and more resilient as a result,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills said during Sunday’s news conference. “Our determination to continue life as we know it here in Palm Springs continues unabated and you’ll see this city dynamically grow as a result of this.

Late Saturday, the FBI and the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office evacuated residents in the Twentynine Palms neighborhood where the suspect lived and more than 50 miles from the blast.

“I can confirm that we were executing a search warrant at that location in Twentynine Palms as a result of this explosion here,” Davis said. “Some residents were evacuated in the neighboring area as a practice of protocol and safety. We do not believe that there is an ongoing threat to the public in the Twentynine Palms area as a result of this investigation.”