Retired Marine finds new mission with military business

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Rob Martinez, a retired Marine, has taken his business, All Clear Gear, off Camp Pendleton after receiving a cease-and-desist letter, aiming to help service members with their military-issued equipment returns.

Martinez, who served four years in the Marine Corps, founded All Clear Gear to assist Marines in cleaning and returning their military-issued equipment, a process that can take from two days to two weeks and often involves multiple rejections.

"All Clear Gear I created to help my brothers and sisters transition out of the military by taking the burden for them off their shoulders for cleaning their own CIF gear," said Martinez.

Martinez's company guarantees a 99 percent pass rate for the cleaning and return of up to 68 pieces of gear that Marines are issued during their service.

The cleaning process involves washing, scrubbing, spot cleaning, steaming, and even tweezing to ensure the gear meets military standards.

Martinez shared that his own experience with cleaning his gear was challenging, taking him four attempts to successfully turn it in.

During the pandemic, Martinez cleaned facilities on base at Camp Pendleton and attempted to open a storefront, which led to him receiving the cease-and-desist letter.

Despite not conducting sales or collecting money on base, Martinez was instructed to stop his operations there.

He posted the cease-and-desist letter online, receiving immediate community support, which he found encouraging.

The Marine Corps stated that Martinez submitted an unsolicited proposal and was invited to submit a full business plan, but due to an incomplete package, further steps could not be taken.

Martinez now keeps the cease-and-desist letter in his office as a reminder of the challenges he faced and the path he has taken.

Martinez remains grateful for the support he received and continues to help service members transition out of the military, despite the obstacles he encountered with Camp Pendleton.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KSWB. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KSWB staff before being published.