Dear Sgt Grit,
Sgt. Dennis Warn's comments about D.I.s and San Diego International
Airport (aka Lindberg Field… see SW corner) brought back a few
memories from my time at MCRD (June-Aug 1968).
MCRD formed a triangle… along one side was the Interstate, along
the base of the triangle was a pond… with the Navy boot camp on the
other side… and the airport on the third side. Perhaps not as
grisly as P.I. for a recruit trying to "flip the fence" but tough
enough. Airport security turned over a good number of misguided
recruits to SDPD who returned them to the Depot.
A good portion of our morning runs took us along the fence line.
While in graduate casual awaiting further orders, I ran on my own at
first light. I once saw several Staff NCOs near the fence line…
shouting… seemingly at nobody.
I discovered later that they were attending D.I. School. Seems that
one of their instructors felt that they were not "projecting" their
commands properly and had them out before the recruits came by
shouting commands at the aircraft moving on the field… "To The
Rear"!
Jim Owings
0311
1968-70