Community Correspondence - Letter from Allan C. Buss - MCRD San Diego Page: 1 of 1

                                
3505 Merrifield Road
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
19 May 2005
Mr. James Bilbray
BRAC Commission
2521 South Clark Street
Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22202
Dear Mr. Bilbray
Your questioning to the Navy/USMC Panel the other day that I saw on C-SPAN,
particularly about MCRD San Diego, caught my attention. Recently my wife and I
traveled to San Diego, and we had an occasion to visit the MCRD. One of my first
thoughts was, this place has to be near the top of the base closure list. I thought how
could they do effective basic training here when there is so little room to train, plus the
constant noise of jet planes at full throttle right next door. I understand the answer is they
bus the trainees to Camp Pendleton for much of the training. So what else do they do
there (?), apparently not much else, so I was amazed when it did not make the closure list.
Gen. Hagee's answer that the Marine Corps had in fact recommended closure, but do to
some kind of models and analyses by others, it was determined to be cost effective to
keep it. It would appear to me that Gen Hagee does not possess a good 'poker face', and
would have like to have broken out in a broad grin about the 'analyses' that had made
that determination. But being the good Marine he is...
The Air Force and the Navy each have only one basic training facility, so why not move
all Marine recruit training to Paris Island. But if that's not the answer move the training
to Camp Pendleton where the recruits go anyway for much of their training. Maybe only
the ghost of Randolph Scott knows the 'military value' of MCRD San Diego.
I do not have a 'horse in this race', I guess my feeling is that this looks like such an
obvious choice it sort of makes the rest of the list somewhat suspect. Good luck in your
deliberations.
Sincerely,
Allan C. Buss