CA: Marines offered to close MCRD (San Diego)

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.

Memories:

The constant drone of jets, mostly PSA air, taking off and landing over our heads.

In August, the smell of jasmine or some other fragrant plant, particularly at night when the winds off the ocean would push in.

Chow line chatter as we left the mess hall: 'where you from private?'; then finding someone from your hometown.

Best 25 cent haircuts in the world!

All the ambulences lined up around the grinder and any other place where young recruits were known to need medical assistance.

First woman seen in over a month - a BAM!

Those guys that could not cut the mustard, and that would get sent back a week; watching them wait outside the duty hut with seabag and rifle, wondering if they will ever make it.

Graduation week, and getting to go to the base theatre to see a movie! Being treated as pond scum by the DI - which meant that we were moving up from whale shit!

As we were about to graduate, watching new recruits in their tennis shoes and un-bloused utilities, walking arm-in-arm, making cow and duck sounds.

The mass religious conversions after the first Sunday, when those not going to church were digging holes while we went to mass - the next Sunday church attendance was close to 100%; the DI's reference to Mormons as LSD's.

Quonset huts were there when I went through MCRD-SD at the end of Reagan's second term. I seem to recall six of them or so on the far side of the chow hall from 2nd Bn along the gates facing the San Diego Airport flightline.

I remember:

1. I was a local SoCal boy and was dropped off in the EARLY AFTERNOON by my recruiter, that bastard. The Marines hazed me all day until the buses full of recruits showed up at midnight. I was given a traditional first meal of hard chipped beef and tabasco sauce, white bread, and applesauce on the side. Revolting. I had nothing but that to go on for the first 24 hours, which was pure agony.

2. The bus ride from MCRD to RFTD in 2nd phase. We had to keep our heads down in the bus so as not to be seen by civilians. That was the only time I remember napping during the day for a blissful 40 mins.

3. The frightening leadup to the dreaded 'Mount Mother****er' at RFTD. What a letdown when I finally saw it. I zipped right up to the summit. In the fleet, I climbed hills far worse carrying far more not too far from Mt. Mother.

4. The amusing little signs over the 'Slide for Life' on the Confidence Course that warned of disturbing the habitat of endangered guppies.

5. The disagreeable platoon Guide we had who thought it was his job to terrorize fellow recruits when the DIs went to sleep. In first phase, he fell from the top of the rope climb into the sand pit and shattered his ankle. I laughed and got burned for it by the DIs. I know he was still in PCP platoon when I graduated because he had to 'Gangway, Marine!' for me at the chow hall with my high & tight, cardboard-stiff utilities, bloused cuffs, shiny boots, and coveted 'elite' green t-shirt while he had a gray sweatshirt, crutches, and a cover that looked like 'Jiffy Pop®'. Yes, he was still yelling at some other PCP recruit as I came up from behind him. Quite happy to leave that miserably unlucky schmuck in my wake, I was.

6. The crack of rifles at 6:00am on Edson Range when the early morning fog smells like sea salt and decaying seaweed.

7. The red clay dirt ("California Loam") from the pits near the barracks at Edson Range: "Hi Ho! Hi HO! It's TOOOO the pit we GO! To bend and thrust and eat some dust ...Hi HO, Hi HO, Hi HO, Hi HOOOO!"

8. "Indy 500" the week before graduation: Put your footlockers on your bunks, fill two GI cans with soapy water, kick them over, grab your white hand towel, assume 'mountain climber' position on the floor, and use your feet to propel you in 100 slippery laps around the perimeter of the squad bay in an ocean of water until someone collapses from exhaustion or the SDI ("Daddy") comes in and saves you from the juniors. Worst punishment ever endured in all of USMC Basic.

9. I actually *liked* the gas chamber. I got in trouble again for laughing with snot running from my nose to my toes with my arms stretched out to the side. I wanted to go in again. Worst trouble I ever got in was when the prohibited MRE gum (two green Chicklets) fell out of my chest pocket *while* I was bending for some other perpetration I was guilty of.

10. Saved the best for last: I found a whole unsmoked cigarette on the ground near the porta-crappers in the field at RFTD. It was fresh too. I carried it around surreptitiously all day in my chest pocket (buttoned up this time after the lamentable 'Chicklet incident') until nighttime where I smoked it all alone in my fighting hole. That still counts as one of the finest seven minutes of my life. I returned the favor later on in the fleet when I dropped a cig or two near the same recruit training area as I was passing through in a LAV-25. If some recruit got caught, that's his problem.

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