MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Firefighters with the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Fire Department officially placed a new rescue apparatus into service during a traditional blessing and “push-in” ceremony, Sept. 1st, 2026.

The push-in ceremony is a time-honored fire service tradition dating back to the 1800s during the era of horse-drawn fire carriages. After returning from a call, firefighters had to manually wash down their horses and push the heavy wagons back into the station bays. Continuing that heritage, Maj. Gen. Mark H. Clingan, commanding general of Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, MCAGCC, Col. Misty J. Posey, commanding officer of Headquarters Battalion, MAGTFTC, MCAGCC, joined Combat Center firefighters to manually guide the vehicle into its designated bay.

Prior to the push-in, the ceremony commenced with an invocation delivered by U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael T. Slaughter, chaplain of headquarters battalion, MCAGCC, dedicating the apparatus and seeking protection for the crews who operate it.

“Father, we ask that you bless this rescue truck,” Slaughter prayed. “Let it be the right tool at the right time. Use it to protect the men and women rushing into danger. Let it perform as is needed and not only as expected.”

For the department, the ritual reinforces operational readiness and the shared commitment between base personnel and emergency responders. “It is tradition within the fire service that before we place a fire apparatus into service, it is blessed and pushed into the bay,” said Marcelino Ryan, fire chief for the Combat Center Fire Department. “The blessing asks for protection over the firefighters, the community, and everyone the vehicle will serve.”

The Combat Center Fire Department provides comprehensive emergency services, including fire and rescue operations, fire prevention programs, hazardous material response, and disaster management for MCAGCC as well as the surrounding Morongo Basin communities.

As the new rescue apparatus joins the department’s fleet, the ceremony served as a welcoming into service and a reminder of the responsibility carried out by every firefighter who responds when the call comes.