RTC SAN DIEGO * Remembered *

How how it does take us back. For those who trained there, it is something to see the closure of the base after all these years. While training there in 1991, I do remember that first 03:30 California morning and oh how it does bring back a memory.

The way GL is training recruits in todays NAVY take the true honor away somewhat...I remember marching and drilling every step of everywhere we went along with getting DROPPED along the way. GL now days, train in the same building including eating chow. They do not march like we did. Oh how things have changed. RTC San Diego will always be an experience that some of us will never forget as you guys would agree...I do not think the recruits of today could handle the tasks that we had to endure without there TIME OUT CHITS I hear is at GL today.
What is that? Get real. All we heard for 8 hours is DROP and DO NOT LET ME SEE YOUR GUT HIT THE DECK!!!!! or getting MASHED all the time....
REMEMBER this.....The Company Commander raising all thew windows in the barracks and cutting the heat on. Telling you to get in full gear and doing the 8 Count Body Builders in front of your racks till you lost your CHOW!!! Oh that is the way we trained. SWEAT and TEARS

RTC San Diego will Always be engraved as an unpleasant but rewarding experience and know others would feel the same....

LET THE JOURNEY BEGAN was the words....Oh how she will be remembered.

RTC - San Diego - 1991 CO- OO7 James Bond Co

And your point is?

Just because the way you got mashed doesn't make you a better Sailor.

By the way..how much marching did you do in the fleet after you left RTC?

The Sailors today still march..so don't let the one-stop "ships" fool you into thinking the Sailors of today are not still getting the best training.

Thanks for serving!

R/SKC(EXW/SW)

I almost cried when I went through the remains of NTC San Diego. No I didn't go to NTC, I went next door to MCRD. But that's beside the point.

Preble Field no longer exists. When I last drove by there two years ago, it was a gravel pit. I don't know what has been put in its place by now.

Some of the old buildings still exist. But it looks like they are blending into San Diego and the housing development (both civilian and military) next to it. When I started driving in that area, I started in the "new" Navy housing. The next thing I know, I'm driving by the old Navy Exchange, Chapel, Cafeteria, and places where the BEQ used to stand.

Now some business parks have been erected in some of the land where NTC used to be.

My father went through RTC San Diego in January 1965. So I have some connection to that place.

Now all that's left are memories. Hollywood immortalized NTC in "Top Gun" and "Pensacola: Wings of Gold." (Yeah, they stood in for NAS's, but the unmistakeable look of NTC is evident!)

Hey Chief,
I never intended to put the thought in your mind that I thought we we trained better than todays Navy, however it is true that they are trained different and NO Mashing is involved...

We are just remembering RTC San Diego...Let us have that moment. From your profile you went to ORLANDO...for Boot....

My eyes are closed the years are drifting back ah yes there it is RTC San Diego oh what glorious times, getting to scrub me clothes and duck walk around the company, the poor guy that was sent to 4013 for hashmarks on his scivvies. That was 1960 for your furture edification go to www.quarterdeck.org and pick your history or learn the history of RTC and the NTC complex. Now I will go cry in my beers as I never went anywhere for a beer. Westpac Willie

quote:

Originally posted by WestpacWillie:
My eyes are closed the years are drifting back ah yes there it is RTC San Diego oh what glorious times, getting to scrub me clothes and duck walk around the company, the poor guy that was sent to 4013 for hashmarks on his scivvies. That was 1960 for your furture edification go to www.quarterdeck.org and pick your history or learn the history of RTC and the NTC complex. Now I will go cry in my beers as I never went anywhere for a beer. Westpac Willie

Thanks for the link! I love the nostalgia stuff in it!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SgtLtUSMC,

Company 023 October 89-Dec 90. CC TORRES and MM1 Watson.

On VISITOR night, it actually RAINED in Southern California. Huge, golf ball sized icy rain drops as we marched back over the bridge in our dress blues. Our Dog dishes sloshed as we kept our heads level and eyes front.

We got our one call home at USS RECRUIT. Galley 5 served the crappiest chow I ever had in the Nav. It was only one step down and we would be eating prison food.

If you were white, you had a grinder reminder.

IF you were black, you STILL had a grinder reminder where your white hat (No command ballcaps, because YOU EARN a command ballcap, ricky recruit!) was a regulation one inch above your brow.

Every one went to church, because if you didn't, you had to field day the barracks. Plus, they hardly ever yelled at you in the chapel.

I remember.

I also remember.

Most vivid memory was towards the end when one the Company Commanders talked to us frankly and said that statistically most of the company would either only do four years and leave, or not even survive four years before getting in the deep darks and tossed to the curb by the Navy. That, and the civilian aircraft flying overhead going to and from Lindberg Field.

I'll never know the answer, but it would be interesting to know how close to the mark they were.

How many of the NTC San Diego graduates here remember "rowing" during Boot Camp? As I recall the only streamer we had on our company flag was for being the best "oarsmen" in our Batt.

Man that seems like a loooooong time ago. When all was said and done, it turned out to be the easiest duty station I had in my entire time in the Navy.

"On VISITOR night, it actually RAINED in Southern California. Huge, golf ball sized icy rain drops as we marched back over the bridge in our dress blues."



You may have marched to the bridge but you went accross it at route step, Your food tasted funny cause your fellow recruits had a hand in it. When I went through if you were from Calif or Tex you were in line for abuse. Thanks for reminding me. Westpac Willie

You know, I remember when I went through in 1991, we never trained on the USS RECRUIT, in fact we never got any training on shipboard life except for classroom. I do not know why our company did not. We marched along side of the ship from the barracks to the chow hall everyday wondering what and when we go on that ship!!

It was hard when getting to the fleet, that I did not know what to do during the first GQ or any drill for that matter. I sometimes think, they just hurried us up through the 8 weeks to get us to the fleet...

Marching Party For Some and Eating PIZZA for others...

This may be a bit gross, but the most burned in memory of RTC San Diego was the end of week 3
(summer 78) My company was moving off Worm Island for the barracks on the other side. Marching over the bridge it had a street light on it that hung over the bridge a little. Of course there was a big ugly seagull sitting up there.
I could just tell he was going to take a crap and was hoping I wasn't his target. The guy in front of me got ploped right on the back of his seabag. Big running gross multicolered goo slowly sliding down this guys seabag and I had to watch it for about 10 minutes until we broke formation at the new barracks. Funny, thirty years later and I can still see it like it was this morning

Sludgecat

RTC San Diego 1974

Worm Island

Morning uniform inspection, failed, morning rack inspection, failed..CC leaves for 2 hours. Comes back with a ton of Chiefs with braids on their shoulders. Oh BTW, its summer with 95 degree heat. Go inside put on our jackets,raincoats, turn on heater full blast, lok all the windows down tight, arrange tables in two long oderly rows and the PT begins all morning and throught the afternoon! That was one of my days in bootcamp..no fun! Came back there in 1994 for precom training, jogged by the old chow hall, grinder, etc. Looked alot smaller, but it was big and bad when I was there. Shut down now, just another old abandoned Navy base. No tears for that place, tho. Oh yeah, rifle PT, no fun either.

I was in CO. 236. Went in Aug of 1991. The hot months. CC's were Chief Diefenderfer and Chief Sweeny.

We got mashed several times and had our barracks torn apart one time, and I mean torn apart. Good memories.

I remember RTC San Dog Co 191 graduated August 1989. 8 weeks of great memories. Remember the cuffed dungarees!! I think I found two chicken bones and a balled up napkin in them after chow on my first week. Also remember having my wisdom teeth pulled out 2 weeks b4 graduation. Was great walking back to the barracks, it was done of a Friday.Graduation friday, some co was graduating and all the parents were parading to the grad field.Got many strange looks from parents,and such from the blood and saliva coming from my numbed mouth. Got to still grad with my company, but was unable to go through the gas chamber.Lucky I think. Anyhow any felow shipmantes know of anyone who was in my CO send me a PM

I remember my last watch in basic.

A sister company just cleared out and a new group of sock monsters moved in to the other side of our barracks.

The duty CC was a former SEAL driver, and Just Cause had kicked off three weeks prior. The Saturday before we were all leaving, I had duty at 0400-0800.

The CC showed up plastered, because he learned that one of the guys he worked with got killed assaulting an airfield where Noriegea? or whatshisbutt pineapple face kept his plane. He had a bottle of Gordons' in his arm and piled into a recruit rack, gave me orders to reveille his company at the right time.

I carried him over my shoulder to the duty chief room. I had graduated already, so I was doing him a favor. Racked out the RCPO with this: March the boys to chow and back, and return at 0730. Inform the CC that Battalion recognizes his situation. He does that, and asks no questions, he was going to have a good bootcamp. Eff it up, and it was going to be a long ten weeks.

Yep. Kept that to myself until now. Feels pretty good. I just hope that company turned out all right.

there is a table on mainside, that has my brother's carving name, my dad a pearl harbor survivor and my oldest brother and me... would love to see that table and get that for my backyard, but o well, the fact that all of us boys and my dad went to the same place, carved our name on the bottom of the same table, is pretty cool

Ahh yes. Good ol' San Diego. Great memories.

C163 Aug 1987 to Oct 1987.

The OP at least to me seems to suggest taht all those things that he so fondly remembers about San Diego that they don't do these days in Great Lakes ONLY happened in San Diego.

I can't speak for how it was in Orlando but I went through Great Lakes in the summer of 79, we most certainly did all those things too.

No we did not get mashed with the heat on and the windows closed, didn't get mashed much at all actually after the first week or so but then it didn't seem that we srewed up anything to deserve it either.

After about a week we only had one CC, a AK2, seemed like we were on autopilot, we got up in the morning on our own, went to breakfast, went to class, normally saw the guy for the first time between classes, went to lunch on our own, saw him for PT or COD, maybe some kind of inspection in the afternoon, saw him for the last time of the day around 1500-1600, he would put out whatever, told what we had to do for the rest of the night.

Went to dinner on our own, came back and passed out laundry, cleaned the barracks, studied whatever, that was it, the whole thing was do XYZ, we did XYZ, it was no big deal.

My G** what a difference 20 years and 1500 or so miles makes..

San Diego was tougher, and better than either Orlando or Great Lakes, if you don't believe it just ask anyone that went through Boot Camp at NTC San Diego.

Oh and on another note, the question was brought up about the most "laid back duty" somewhere on one of these threads, welllllll I think I just found it.. ETCPJ's Boot Camp Company

Ok Fellow RTC San Diego vets, here are some pictures taken at my E Division “Skimmer Reunion”, November 2007… These pictures will break your heart men…. Get ready to shed a tear……









I have some of the interiors of the barracks for those able to stand to look at them…

PS, fourth picture down from the top was my phase one barracks. Company 470...

CRUITRACOM, NTC, SDIEGO, CALIF. 28Jun1969 (My 18th Birthday) to 10Sep1969

This message has been edited. Last edited by: IC2SS19Z50C5,

I want to say THANK YOU for posting these pictures of RTC San Diego. Although we all share the past of RTC, one thing is for sure, with these pictures we can all stand and say, SHE WILL BE MISSED!!!!

What sad pictures of the base. I do remember kissing the deck outside the barracks many a mornings..and the Co Commanders helled DROP

Thanks again .....

RTC San Diego - 1991 - CO - 007

Sad to see it in such disrepair.

Why are we paying welfare people so much for sections 8 housing when we have barracks sitting idle that they can live in?


If it's good enough for a squid, it's good enough.

yes thanks very much for the pictures. How sad, but than if we were living in them, they would be in the press. I don't understand why we get rid of the new so quickly in the USA

Thanks for the great words Shipmates.. I'll post some more next week.

Have a great weekend

"May You All Fair Winds and Following Seas"

Did my Boots at the old NTC, SDiego. Plenty of Seamanship; JV phones, rifles, knot tying, Bluejackets Manual, scrub your own clothing, and those seabag inspections where every knot of the clothestop had to be lined up perfectly. If the Chiefs did not like the lay of the rolled and stopped seabag, you got a thump on the head or your complete seabag was tossed out the window landing on the tar decking.

We marched everywhere and this instilled competiveness as each Company would often march on the Grinder, thus leading to award banners for the best Companies, and extra marching for the unluckies.

SgtLtUSMC: We used to hear you Devil Dogs screaming on the other side of the wall at USMC RTC. Those stetch rack and thumb stretchers must have hurt. The screaming often interfered with our geedunks.

My CC: Chief Bos'n Mate Kroeker. If anyone ever forgets their Company Commander they never learned a damn thing.

I was in the area of NTC in may 2007 and they were working on the Recuit. There are several pictures of the place then in my photo galley if you want to look. I wonder what happened to all the plaques that were around the area. The saluting batterys and the base of the NTC Flag pole they are all gone. At the time I went accross the bridge to Nimiz as a Boot the bridge was wooden. Had ashpalt on it. As for having people live in the barracks it woul take as much to make them family livable as to build new houseing. Where did all the old cars come from i wonder. It's true you cann't go home again. Westpac Willie As an after thought Willie Nelson said on his 75th birthday that he has out lived his dick. Something to think about.

As far as making them family livable, who cares?

For someone living in their car, open bay barracks is a step up.

Plus, I don't think people would linger long if their only options were their car or that. Might get some people off their butts and motivated for once in their life.

Wow, I had no idea things had changed so much at RTC San Diego! I was there in the summer of '84 (Company Commander was a wiry Fillipino named Delosantos). I remember marching over that wooden bridge onto the other side of RTC (the Galley 5 side) and past the USS Recruit. Little did I know that 24 years later there would be a Sushi place within a rock's throw of where I marched past! The Sushi place in the photo looks about where I remember the gas chamber being.

I remember "Marching Party" (ugh) and my wonderful "Service Week" in Galley 5. And of course, I remember getting my precious white belt and singing that white belt song while holding it up.

I went to STS "A" school at the ASW base next door to NTC. Is it gone too???

Sludge

quote:

Originally posted by WestpacWillie:
As an after thought Willie Nelson said on his 75th birthday that he has out lived his dick. Something to think about.

Yes I read that in an e-mail about a week back... Too Funny!!!.

Sludge, to answer your question, I drove by the gates to ASW base and yes it is still an operating school for Sonar "A" school and etc. Maybe some of the "kids" here can give us an update. There is a small NEX and Gas station at the corner of Nimitz Blvd and Rosecrans also. I'll post more comments and pictures next week.

Now the pictures brought it all back. It is sad to see the disrepair of that base. I was in CO 139 for RTC Aug-Oct 83 then after graduation marched over the bridge to go to A achool. Went back in '87 for C school. I did really enjoy my time there. Ironic how I was just reliving some of the experiences with my wife the last few days as we drove home from our son's graduation from Army Basic Training.

NTC San Diego tougher than Great Lakes? I hope it isn't or wasn't in the weather and living conditions. I, for the life of me can never remember it being -10 and -15 below in January and February in San Diego? I guess while marching in that cold with just leather gloves, peacoat, watch cap, no long johns, and carrying that 03 Springfield, it wasn't as tough as California. wow.

I was in one of the last companies/divisions out of SD - March through June 1993 (bootcamp and SN Apprentice "school"). Bootcamp was pretty laid back since we were the last company our CCs were going to get. I remember playing pool with one of them on liberty weekend at the base club and getting sent back to the barracks for beating him. I also remember the incredibly stupid graduation party we had down at some hotel off of Rosecrans. We pretty much rented the entire third floor of the place and there was lots of booze and hookers floating around.

The SN school was a joke by then - our instructor was a ROAD OM1 who never showed up until 0900-1000 everyday. We were his last class and never stepped foot out of the classroom. When he came in he'd just put us on self-study until lunch and then told us to take the rest of the day off. Easiest three weeks I've had in the Navy while not on leave.

Our CCs/instructor may have thought they were doing us a favor by being so easy on us, but I learned some hard lessons about discipline and military bearing at my first command that I prob should have learned in bootcamp. No mast (well, one as a witness...), but I did some pretty dumb ****. Remember that next time you cut training short or let someone off the hook for a seemingly minor trespass....

I was back there last year for a conference (Toocon anyone?) and was shocked to see certain parts of the old base so bad off. The new housing looks pretty nice though. The strip bars down on Rosecrans are pretty bad off now it seems (didn't have time to visit). Might be going back next month for another conference.

-Mario

Thanks for the pictures IC2SS...When I was there in 82' the R & O bridge was wooden and green. We had a sailor in our Company from San Diego who had his friends/family put rocks just outside the fence of that bridge that read 027...Those rocks gave our Company a lot of pride when we marched over that bridge...Others would ask how we were able to jump the fence of the base and keep the 027 intact without getting caught.

I think someone should buy up the whole lot and turn it into a BSA or some other type camp for adults and kids. Or maybe a "old navy" theme park for people.

Imagine this: You check in and they give you a quick R&O and a bunk.

After that, you muster and march to chow, then a movie, then back to the barracks for a sing a long or something. Have some "stern" company commanders do the Don Rickles on people, gigging them for marching out of step, their uniforms, etc...

Offer the recruit experience as a combination of nostalgia theatre and education, depending on the crowd.

Oooh, I know, have annual "chief initiation" and Officer Wet Downs. Find a way to honor the heart of the place yet still have a little squidly fun. (Do I see a McMenamins style brew pub in there or what?)

It just doesn't seem right to let it rot and turn into a tenement neighborhood in mexico. It's like a slap in the face to see it run down and neglected as it is, now.

New RTC San Deigo

This is what San Diego is doing with the old RTC complex. Sounds like a good idea.

Looks to me like they are just going to turn it into some touchy feelie urban renewal project that will go super ghetto in ten years.

Why not treat it like old town? Allow it to retain its flavor and character. Adding "affordable housing and child care" is just gonna turn it into a rundown crudhole. Class the joint up. Make it the "it" place that it should be based on its locale. The hotel and resort complex is a good idea. So it the idea of a parks and the other ideas. Those grinders would be a great place for skating, outdoor fairs and concerts, swap meets like over by OB. The old buildings could be great spots for people to shop and experience history. Why use that location and place of history to house low lifes?

Don't we all go back and remember smelling that California Air, the first morning of BootCamp, in our smurfs and tennis shoes...at 03:30

I remember so well, finally getting through the P-Days just to wear to stiff and smelly Dungarees...

San Diego will always remain a part of all our lives that passed through it's doors. I wish too, they would design the ole base to be an historical collection so that we all could go back and rememeber that GRINDER...

She is and will always be missed....Great Photos...Love to see more of old RTC...

I also want to say thank you for the pictures from RTC San Diego, brings back a lot of memories. I went through from October through December of 1966, Company 518D, Company Commander was BTC Limeux. I've been back to San Diego a couple of times since I got out but only got to see from a distance how everything was, again thanks.