CA Bailey Cameron, 23, Camp Pendleton Marine, last seen outside bar, San Diego, 25 August 2024

[rsteen]

"Officials at Camp Pendleton have not confirmed any speculative sightings of Cameron on the installation, but local commands remain dedicated to finding him.

...

The family claims a Marine spotted Cameron on Saturday the 31st around 11:30 p.m. and reported active signs of distress before running away toward the ocean."

So the sighting is unconfirmed by officials, but military officials are always tight-lipped. Could Bailey have been on base without there being some record of it? Is it possible from a size/security standpoint that he was hiding on base for an extended period of time?

It's a very large installation, occupying the coast between the San Diego and OC metro areas. There are over 42K service members and 38K dependants living on base: Camp Pendleton | Base Overview & Info | MilitaryINSTALLATIONS.

The terrain is hilly/steep, with various "camps" scattered around within the overall area. So it would be possible IMO for him to be somewhere on base while UA, especially if he was assumed to have disappeared from Carlsbad. The question would be how he re-entered the base. Was his military ID found with his other belongings?

 

[dub]

Had this exact same thought.
One would think they have strict security in a military base.

I’m not sure if it’s changed, but 20 years ago at Pendleton it wasn’t that strict. Civilians could enter the base as long as they were with someone in the service, and I don’t think I had to provide any info at the gate or anything (I could be wrong about that though).

I crashed in the barracks for a couple nights while my buddy was stationed there, no clue if that was “allowed” per se but either way it wasn’t a big deal.

 

[OldCop]

I’m not sure if it’s changed, but 20 years ago at Pendleton it wasn’t that strict. Civilians could enter the base as long as they were with someone in the service, and I don’t think I had to provide any info at the gate or anything (I could be wrong about that though).

I crashed in the barracks for a couple nights while my buddy was stationed there, no clue if that was “allowed” per se but either way it wasn’t a big deal.

I live near a large Marine Base. Things have changed considerably since 9/11. We used to be able to take a shortcut through base to get to the other side of town by merely telling them at the gate that we were just passing through. Now, no one without military ID or accompanied by a service member may enter.
Even back then, if you stopped along the way for any reason, even out in the heavily forested areas, it would only be minutes before an mp would be up on you asking what you were doing.
The Marines do a lot of survival training and solo missions in the wooded and rugged areas on bases. I find it hard to believe that Camp Pendleton isn’t heavily monitored by surveillance video, trail cams, and ground sensors.
If BC, (or any other person for that matter), is slipping on or off base or hiding on the Pendleton property without being detected, they have a serious security problem there.

 

[Breazy]

So glad that it appears that Bailey is okay physically. I just hope he finds help for whatever issues he's dealing with. He has to know that his parents are beside themselves looking for him. I don't get why he wouldn't at least contact them to let them know he's okay. Praying this all ends on a positive note!

 

[Dotta]

Who is he hiding from?
Is this imaginary enemy?
Why is he still on the base premises if he is afraid of somebody?
Wouldn't it be reasonable just to leave and return home?

It doesn't look good MH wise IMO.
Not at all

JMO

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 6, 2024
Authorities say Marine no longer considered missing; family frustrated | The Coast News
Law enforcement and U.S. Marine Corps officials say they are scaling back their search for a Marine reported missing from Camp Pendleton last week, stating he is believed to be on the base and does not appear to be in danger.

[...]

...The RAD Movement founder Sharie Finn clarified that he still has not been found.

“Was Bailey seen on base? Yes, he was seen on base on Aug. 31. Nobody has seen him since then,” Finn said in a video posted to The RAD Movement’s Facebook page on Sept. 4. “As of right now, there is no confirmation that Bailey is safe anywhere. And our biggest concern was that Bailey is safe from himself. We don’t know what he’s going through.”

[...]

Cameron’s mother said he was unsure of what his life would look like post-service, and that he was humiliated at being assigned to cleaning duties once he indicated he wouldn’t be re-upping for another five years.

[...]