| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| Parris Island to close? |
| 2004-10-22 |
| Military "jointness" is being put to the acid test by a proposal to shut down the U.S. Marine Corps recruit training facility at Parris Island, South Carolina, and moving the marine recruit training 240 kilometers to the army training base at Ft Jackson, South Carolina. The Parris Island base covers 8,000 acres, while Fort Jackson sprawls over 52,000 acres. The army has room for the marines. The Department of Defense wants to close over twenty percent of the bases it currently uses, mainly because it has more space available than it has troops. But closing a base arouses anger in Congress, since a military base long been seen as a prime piece of patronage to keep the folks back home happy. Take away a base, and the incumbent politicians (both local and federal), are at risk of losing elections. Closing the smaller Parris Island base, and moving its activities to an army base in the same state, appears to have overcome some of the political danger. The benefits of the move are obvious. The marines could share the army base infrastructure for training areas, food service, medical care (especially the base hospital), security and fire service, maintenance and other services. On the downside, some new facilities will have to be built. No matter what the army has vacant and available, it will not exactly suit what the marines need. This will also be a good test of the Department of Defense's proposal that there be more "joint" bases. However, the Parris Island base carries a lot of history with it, and the marines public relations machine can muster a considerable mass of public and Congressional opinion to the cause of "saving the base." That said, most closed bases end up being a net gain for the surrounding community. But the process is contentious and painful for all concerned. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #9 If this actually happens (which I doubt) the Army will benefit from it, but the Marines won't. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2004-10-22 7:55:59 PM |
| #8 It's nice to hear you speak bureaucratese, OS, but why don't you tell us what you really think? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-10-22 6:01:09 PM |
| #7 No F'ing way. Marine Boot is the real deal compared to the candy-assed stuff going on at Ft Jackson these days. If anything, send the Army troops thru Marine boot at PI. They'd live longer in combat. No way PI goes away - they'll have Devil Dogs from all the past wars sandbagged across the hiway to defend Iron Mike and the whole of PI. This one is not going to happen - no Marine in Congress will let this one get by. If anything they will close MCRD San Diego and the "Hollywood Marines" before they let PI close. And this from an Army veteran. Also, I dont generally like Hackworth - he is a has-been still fighting the Vietnam war - but do search out his articles on "Porcelain soldiers" and the basic training crap at Ft Jackson. You'll know why units liek the QM unit wussed out - bad basic training and piss poor NCOs that never even knew there IS a hard way, much less learned anything the hard way. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-10-22 5:56:31 PM |
| #6 RJ - ya forgot MCRD on Pac Highway. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-22 4:28:27 PM |
| #5 I understand costs and such but this seems foolish to me. I live in San Diego, we've got two Marine bases. Camp Pendelton (the West Coast version of Parris Island) and Mirimar Marine Air Station (the old Navy Top Gun School). If they want to save money they should consolidate aviation bases with the Navy or Air Force. They absolutely should not move the basic training locations. |
| Posted by: RJ Schwarz 2004-10-22 4:25:21 PM |
| #4 bad move - you can't get any new land for bases. Save what you have... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-22 3:39:44 PM |
| #3 No matter what the army has () available, it will not exactly suit what the marines need. If they do move to Ft. Jackson, you can bet the DI's will order their sand fleas into the trucks to make the trip too. It just wouldn't be the same without them!! |
| Posted by: Doc8404 2004-10-22 3:31:13 PM |
| #2 This may be rational, but it sure ain't smart. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-10-22 3:10:39 PM |
| #1 No military genius here, but why would the marines leave the coast to be 100 miles inland? Has the definition of "marine" changed that much? |
| Posted by: Doolittle 2004-10-22 2:46:42 PM |