CA: Marines offered to close MCRD (San Diego)

San Diego Union -Tribune ^ | 5/17/05 | Otto Kreisher - CNS

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON – The Marine Corps commandant casually acknowledged Tuesday something that would have been considered unthinkable only a few years ago – the Marines offered to close the San Diego Recruit Depot in this current base closure and realignment process.

But Gen. Michael Hagee told the independent closure commission that the proposal was dropped because the cost of moving the historic training post from its location next to Lindbergh Field outweighed the possible savings.

Hagee's comments were the first indication that the Marines had changed their previous strong opposition to losing the San Diego boot camp, which has been creating or supporting Marines since 1921.

The depot was looked at in previous base closure rounds because of its congested location, because much of the recruit training must be done at Camp Pendleton and because the Navy had consolidated all of its recruit training at one location.

It also was known that San Diego officials would like to have the property, which sits right alongside the main runway at Lindbergh, to expand the heavily used international airport.

But the Marines fought the proposal in the past, partly out of pride in the historic role of the base and because they argued they could not guarantee the ability to train all the recruits they might need in a rapid build-up of forces.

The past closure commissions accepted the Marines' judgment and kept the recruit depot open and the base was not on the closure list the Pentagon released Friday.

So Hagee's comments came as a surprise during the current commission's review of Navy and Marine proposal on the current list.

The issue was raised by retired Adm. Harold Gehman, who wondered if the Marines had considered closing the depot because of the encroachment from Lindbergh.

"Yes," Hagee replied. "The Marine Corps nominated the recruit depot for closure."

But, the top Marine added, "when it went through the analytical process, we found to have the same capacity elsewhere would cost us more."

Although the commission has the power to add bases to the proposed closure list, that would take the vote of seven of the nine commissioners, which is unlikely.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Tell him we're pretty proud of him too!!:-)"

I truly do. He knows about Free Republic through my email reamblings and I made mention many times of the good folks here sending their best, salutes, and prayers.
Now if I was thirty some years younger, after 9/11. I might now be wearing the red and yellow stripes of rank.

Stay healthy, and Semper Fi,
George

[GSWarrior]

The Pit bump.

[Marine_Uncle]

"I see you are in Pa. A couple of my 5th great grandfathers
served in the Rev. War. from PA."
Great state to hunt and fish in. For about 15 years I lived just south of the blue ridge mountains, north of Allentown.
Loved the trout fishing in natural limestone creeks, and hiking the mountain ranges. I'm currently in Philly, the place of my birth. Real cruddy far left liberal city. One wouldn't want to stay around here. See the liberty bell and get the hell out before someone kills you! But those northern woods where sure fine.
I will keep those prayers lifted for all our guys and gals in all our branches serving in harms way. They serve with honor and profesional commitment as far as I cam concerned.
They truly are amoung our best.

[stylin19a]

Swamp Rats & Hollywood Marines have been trading insults since Christ was a Corporal.

Same with:
SSN vs. Service Number
Old Corps vs. New Corps

But as excellent as we were, today's Marine is at a different level.

I'm still sitting here in shock that the Quonset huts are gone.

BTW - Hollywood Marine here - Platoon 3114 - June69 -(Service number, not SSN)

Grinder ! To this day, I still wear my athletic sox inside out.

Semper Fi

[elfman2]

"MCRD San Dog warms the heart.... Mount Mother F*cker bump... "

That’s something I’ll never forget. Even the smell of that freak’n hill.

I stayed in CA for 15 years after the Marines, all over, but there’s something that blooms in the summer at Pendleton, a kind of sage smell, that permeated the dirt and dust on those damn humps. For a long time I thought it was the dirt. I’d occasionally pick it up on the hills by the Santa Barbara coast in the middle of the summer. The 2-3 times that I smelled it again, I was brought right back.

Semper Fi

[elfman2]

"I'm still sitting here in shock that the Quonset huts are gone."

Those things were still used for a 3 week transition phase before the countdown clock started ticking when I was in. Then we were moved to new barracks. Just more space to kick our butts in.

[BBell]

I would have rather dealt with the sand fleas then watch those planes come and go everyday and night. I will never forget being on fire watch and watching the planes come and go, the boats in the harbor come and go(some with Christmas lights), and of course the cars on the highways. All the lights of the City surrounding the place and you are here, stuck for the time. I wanted to jumped the fence sooooo bad. I remember that when I went to ITS and we had our humps we dropped a whole lot of Parris Island Marines. They only humped through the sand there, no hills.I got so sick of those guys calling us Hollywood Marines. They must have brained washed them there to think that they were better.
All I can say is that I would have rather stared out in to the dark then into a City.

[Lurker]

Hollywood Marine bump rightbackatcha...

God how I hated Mt. Mofo....

Semper Fi.

L

[kellynla]

Well, I'll be sorry to see MCRD close if it is.

Hollywood Marine, 1968

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[JoeSixPack1]

'1' Swamp Rat reporting for duty, SIR!

And I can't help myself, I love this quote, so I gotta post:...

"Some people live their entire lifetime and wonder if they ever made a difference to the world. Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan, September 23, 1983

Semper Fi

[BBell]

I forgot. Spending our free time on Sundays washing our cloths by hand. The Parris Island Marines had their's done for them. I even remember a few who didn't believe me when I told them we washed our cloths by hand. And of course, we were issued boxers where they were issued briefs. But in San Diego we were allowed high and tights, they all were bald.

[NormsRevenge]

I was born on the wrong side of the Mississippi, I reckun, or I'd a been a chigger-bitten dude like you. ;-)

[NormsRevenge]

Memories .. Man, Im almost tearing up here..

Bend and moth'fo's forever, ladies,, uhh, make that 6 count Burpies 'til ya puke..

rolling in the dirt with your rifle and cleaning it afterward, that was on days when someone was very very bad.

policing the area for butts, breaking in new boots by wetting and smashing the bejeesus out of them on the laundry troughs and then shining 'em 'til they almost glow.


Summer of '72
D'ego

[Necrovore]

Completely agree with you there brother.

Plt: 1035
MCRD SD 1991

[JoeSixPack1]

Can't all be as lucky as me. :-)


OoooohhHRRrraaaHHH

[jonascord]

Platoon 3074, August, 1970...

[JoeSixPack1]

We used the wash troths my first week for washing, then we were issued mesh laundry bags with king kong safety pins.

From then on the wash troth was the smoking circle. Two rawcruits with steel buckets got up on the troths and walked around so we could deposit ashes.

Smokersssssssss, drawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww 2. was the sweetest sound ever!!


PS: I actually don't remember if we had boxers or briefs. :-)

[jonascord]

SSgt. Johnson walking out of his hootch, screaming "HOUSE MOUSE!!" and throwing his coffee cup in the air, expecting the scrambling boot to catch it before it hit the company street...

"Turn half right! Up an' on shoulders until I get tired!"

Maybe not good times, but they sure stick with you...

[NormsRevenge]

Talk about sticking with you.. ;-)

SSgt Updike had a knack for nailing ya in the solar plexus. He relished dropping ya to your knees gasping. A mean SOB but I remember his chat when he talked to the platoon about 'Nam and what may lie ahead of us, he was pretty cool.

I had a mix of mostly tunnel rats and snipers as DIs, a couple certifiables as well but they all got the job done in the end.

[CT]

Platoon 3074, August, 1970...

Was that induction or graduation?

DI's were: Crispi, Gonzales, Shaw, Pennington.