Remembering 9/11

Camp Pendleton remembers 9/11 this past Sunday with a gathering of families and Military men and women. “Hundreds of attendees, many dressed in patriotic colors and waving American flags, filled the benches and seats at the Oceanside amphitheater to remember the victims,” says Kristina Houck from the Camp Pendleton Patch.

Photo 1: Chuck Emanuele boothing at the event; Photo 2: Jan Emanuele w/ Lcpl Im of the 4th LAR Reserve Unit; Photo 3: Credit Kristina Houck from the Camp Pendleton Patch

Children had the opportunity to get in and out of vehicles. These vehicles and other heavy artillery were laid out in display for all to see. Pleasant California beach weather also supported the picnic held that day. Unemployment among Veterans was a key topic at the event and several organizations gathered to share what they do to help former Military in need. Our director Chuck Emanuele and his wife Jan attended as well to represent the school for the presentations.

“I believe it is important that we remember that day, not just the tragic side, but how we felt as a country—a country that came together and stood side-by-side,” Oceanside Fire Chief Darryl Hebert said to the Camp Pendleton Patch.

California Career School at TAP Class

Your separation date is coming up. What will you do next?

This is the question many of the members of our military face when active service is coming to an end. Camp Pendleton’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) provides classes to separating service members during their period of transition into civilian life, providing job-search assistance and related services within 180 days prior to separation or retirement.


Our Operations Manager Kristine Lewis & San Diego Military Representative Natalie Tinkham

Camp Pendleton hosts TAP classes several times per month, allowing California Career School the opportunity to extend our educational services to those looking for work after separating from the military. To attend at California Career School, service members don’t need to be on active duty at all– we are a VA approved school! You can receive your class A license in as little as 6 weeks and have a job waiting for you upon graduation! Regardless of your time remaining with the military, California Career School will help you get your license in a timely manner. We will put you in our full-size trucks in your first week of class; our training is hands-on from the very beginning.

California Career School representatives use time at TAP class to meet potential students, learn what their career goals are, and see how we may be able to help them. A potential student came right up to our table and said, “My Commanding Officer told me to get a Commercial Driver’s License as something to fall back on.” We were able to talk to him to see if our school would be a good fit for him and we showed him how his Tuition Assistance would cover the cost of the program. So if you see us at the next TAP class, stop by and say hello! With your separation coming up, want to help you decide what to do next.

Call us today at 1(800) 499-6585 to meet with us!

Author: Sarah Bantay

Happy 4th of July!

It’s July 4th weekend! A time of delicious barbecues, fireworks in the sky, carnivals, family reunions, and patriotism. In celebration of this weekend’s festivities, we’d like to share the story of Sgt. Reckless and why she is named one of America’s 100 greatest all time heroes. She went on to retire at one of our very own contract training locations at Camp Pendleton.

We wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

US Marine Gets CDL in Time from Southern California Truck Driving School

We want to congratulate another US Marine who attended our Truck Driving School in Southern California for passing her CDL test on the first try.  Connie is very special to us because she was from Camp Pendleton and we love helping US Marines.  She actually was granted a full scholarship to attend our Truck Driving School in Southern California because she was not eligible for Tuition Assistance.  We had hundreds of US Marines use their Tuition Assistance program to attend our California Career School just this past year with a 96% success rate of receiving a real career after separating out of the military with no previous training or experience.

Semper Fi,
Chuck

Connie wrote us the following letter:

“I wanted to get my CDL because it’s what I know. I grew up around trucks and equipment and I’m a mechanic in the Marine Corps. My Grandma is a truck driver and drives long hauls with her husband as team. Just recently my Grandpa had surgery and isn’t able to drive like he used to, so my Grandma is counting on me to help her drive across country when needed. I also have a job lined up helping my cousin drive his truck so I wanted to be able go to school and help my Grandparents when needed and not worry about losing my job.

I heard about ************** and started taking their courses. I would go at lunch time to do the class time and then I was driving on Saturdays. I tried to attend driving classes during the week but they were usually gone by the time I got off work. I felt like I was imposing on them by asking them to come in on Saturdays. One day I ran into one of the instructors that used to work there and he asked if I was still going through the course with **************. I told him that I was having difficulty getting drive time based on my schedule. He then told me that they changed the rules and you now have to have 200 hours before you can take the DMV test and that I should check out California Career Schools.

I was pretty discouraged at that point and thought I might have to wait until I got to Texas and practice on my Grandma’s truck. I realized I really needed to get my license before I went on terminal because my Grandma hasn’t had an income for a while and she is counting on me to drive with her as soon as I get back home.

Although I was discouraged, I contacted California Career School and they told me that they could develop an accelerated training plan for me and that I could obtain my CDL before I went home. To make a long story short, California Career School lived up to their promise and reputation and I obtained my CDL last week on my first try with a very high score.

I would wholeheartedly recommend California Career School to any military personnel who is interested in obtaining their CDL. After attending both programs, I can say that the CCS program is a better program.”

Sincerely,
Connie Fowler

P.S. Connie was not eligible for Tuition Assistance and did not have any money to pay for this program, so California Career School gave her a scholarship that covered all of her training expenses. Good luck helping your grandma drive the family trucks Connie!

Former Marine Secures a Civilian Firefighter Job with the Help of California Career School

Amanda Smith stands in front of her fire truck on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base as she thanks the CCS instructors for helping her obtain her CDL license which enabled her to secure her civilian firefighter job.

Congratulations Amanda, and good luck in your new career!

Amanda Smith” As my time in the Marine Corps was coming to an end, I decided that I wanted to further my firefighter career in the civilian side. Obtaining my class A license became a priority. I first went to another school that offered a class A license and after only attending a couple of weeks I dreaded going to class and began to doubt I would obtain my license. Because of personal reasons I had to drop the school and postpone getting my license.
About six months later I met with one of the recruiters from California Career Schools and just from speaking to him for fifteen minutes my confidence was back to obtain my class A. After going to class and meeting the instructors I realized how fun learning to drive a tractor and trailer could be. The instructors at CCS were always there to answer questions and always made going to school fun and stress free.

I would recommend CCS to any and all individuals interested in obtaining their Class A. I had to go through the hassle of dealing with another school and wouldn’t want someone else to make the same mistake. I thank all the instructors and CCS personnel on my class A success.”

Sincerely,
Amanda Smith

Moving Day Update

Our Oceanside instructor Jose Ballesteros went down to the Hyatt Huntington Beach Hotel for the 3rd time yesterday to continue the furniture move coordinated with Liz Diaz at Camp Pendleton’s Family Readiness Center.

According to Miss Diaz, one trailer will definitely not fit what will be transported this Wednesday. She has asked if we will be available again today. More updates later on the event!

Here are a few clips from the previous trips taken by one of our students with his phone:
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Author: Sarah Bantay