generalities about boot camps

Yes you're right, I did confuse Montford with Cherry Point. It had a point in it. That's where the dark green Marines came from, I remember reading that sometime back. Got into an "intellectual altercation" with another former Marine at a choir practice one night over the existence of Marines of the dark green variety. He swore up and down about the fact that there were no Marines of that persuasion during WW2. I told him that they were trained at Cherry Point, and their first action was at the Peleliu meatgrinder, and to go look it up and buy me a beer to boot. They were unloading ammo from landing craft and went to the front in small groups and such to volunteer for combat.

 

Did you get that beer?

Actually the dark green Marines served in two defense battalions, the 51st and 52d, 51 Depot Companies and 12 Ammunition Companies. The 51st Defense Battalion went overseas first, but neither it nor the 52d saw much action. The Ammunition and Depot Companies though, saw a great deal of action, starting with Saipan, not Peleliu. An excerpt from a Marine publication on the subject:

"On D-Day, 15 June 1944, the depot companies saw action at Saipan, manhandling cargo from ships' holds into landing craft and finally distributing the supplies among the combat units. The 18th and 20th Marine Depot Companies landed with the 4th Marine Division on D-Day, while 19th company was going ashore with the 2d Marine Division. Attached to the 3d Battalion, 23d Marines, 4th Marine Division, one platoon of the 18th Company arrived at its assigned beach about two and one-half hours after the first wave. A mortar shell wounded four men of the depot company, who had to be evacuated for emergency treatment offshore, but the others kept moving inland. One squad fought as infantry to reinforce a thinly held line about a hundred yards from the water's edge. The next morning, the bulk of the company helped eliminate Japanese infiltrators who had penetrated along the boundary between the 23d Marines and the 8th Marines of the adjacent 2d Marine Division."

and

"The depot and ammunition companies, however, saw savage fighting on the battlefields of Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa."



Dark Greens on Iwo Jima

 

Oh yeah, he coughed it up. He was always good on settling up on his debts, even to an Army man. And he ended up retiring from the USMCR as a full bird colonel. Good man. We both came under fire at the same time for the first time working the Fisher Projects on the New Orleans west bank. Multiple times. Ahhhh, the good ole days.

 

Thanks !
Here is a list of the points that are important to my story:
1. A young man from anywhere in the states volunteers in the immediate after Pearl Harbor
2. Ideally he should volunteer for the Marines, but the US Army could be OK as well. The choice is not definite.
3. He arrives in a training base (or boot camp) on the West Coast, near San Francisco for his basic training
4. He meets there a doctor-psychologist who works for the army / marines
5. When is basic training is over (I've read it was 5 weeks at that times for the Marines), he goes elsewhere for his "specialization". It should not be something"technical" (like radio or so), he will really have to take part to the battle
6. He is then transferred to a base in the Pacific where he stays some time, where he again meets the doctor (possibly they have travelled from the States to there on the same ship)
7. He takes part to a battle somewhere in the Pacific.
8. After the battle, he ends up in a base in the Pacific (the same as in point 6)
9. Ideally the whole story should occur in a timeframe of approximately one year.
Anything that would fit all this would be great for me
Many thanks in advance !

 

OK, I'd suggest he be from a state west of the Mississippi so he goes to MCRD San Diego (MCRD=Marine Corps Recruit Depot), then to Camp Elliot north of San Diego for infantry training.

He'd have to go to San Diego if a Marine. Until he graduates Boot Camp he doesn't leave the base. Once he get's to Camp Elliott he'd start getting periodic liberty. You could then assign him to the Marine Barracks at Mare Island, if it's important that he be near San Francisco. Alternately, he could be stationed near San Diego and take the train up to San Fran when on liberty if that's important to your story.

Either one, if the doctor/psychologist works for the Marines he'd be a Naval Officer which given the huge Naval presence in the San Franciso area during WWII would make it easy to fit into your story.

It depends, immediately after Pearl Harbor recruit training was cut from 7 weeks to six in order to handle the huge increase in recruits. It wasn't cut to five weeks until 01 January 1942, on 15 February it went back up to six and and on 1 March back to seven. The length of Boot Camp depends on which month you decide to have your character join.

The base kind of depends upon the time frame and which battle your main character is going to be involved in.

Again, a lot of options. You're also not limited to land battles because there were Marine detachments on most capital ships.

Fights a battle and ends up at the same base within a years time would narrow down the options, unless the Marine was a Raider.

BTW, there was a huge Naval and Psychiatric hospital located in San Diego at Balboa Park. (Balboa Naval Hospital). You could have your psychatrist assigned there, but from the San Fransisco area. You can get a lot of the feel by watching "Pride of the Marines" (1945) with John Garfield, the true story of Al Schmid. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038000/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Medical_Center_San_Diego

My grandmother and her mother were flown out there by the Marine Corps to be with her brother (son) when he was evacuated there from Guam in WWII.

 

Thank you very much !

 

I think that you should make your protagonist a soldier and have him be a paratrooper in the 11th Airborne Division.

 

That would be an interesting choice, and I think a good one. Problem is it falls outside the OP's initial parameters, join shortly after Pearl Harbor and conclude around one year later. The 11th Airborne wasn't raised until Feb. 1943 and went to the Pacific in June '44, first seeing combat around 22 November, (as infantry) on Leyte. If the OP can modify the story timeline to accomodate those dates it would be an excellent group to use. Not much is written about Airborne in the Pacific, and the ground fighting in the Philippines not as well covered as it should be. I'd be more apt to pick up the book if it dealt with those subjects.

 

Hello again.
USMCPrice, I've re-read your answers and try to sum it up and come with new questions, if you don't mind.

Let's assume at the moment that a guy volunteers for the Marines in december 1941 (just after Pearl Harbour) (am I right that there were only volunteers for the Marines, and no draftees ?).

So he would go first to MCRD San Diego (boot camp) for his "basic training". His training there would last between 5 and 7 weeks, depending on the exact date of his arrival.

During his stay at the MCRD San Diego, he cannot leave the camp and stays there 24/24 (no exception ? Even for some exercices ?)

After those weeks, he then goes to Camp Eliott for infantry training, where he starts getting some periodic liberty.

My questions at that stage:
- how long would his infantry training be ?
- would he be with the same people he met in MCRD San Diego ?
- would the periodic liberty be sufficient for him to spend a couple of days in San Francisco for instance ?
- I'm getting confused when you talk about the Marine Baracks at Mare Island. Is that in addition to (after) Camp Eliott, or is it an alternative ?
- If it is in addition, how long would he stay there ?

Other questions concern another character is the doctor / psychiatrist. I see him as a young man, just having finished his studies and working since a few months. He also volunteers at the army just after Pearl Harbour. In my idea, he would be assigned to the MCRD where he would have to evaluate if the volunteers / new recruits are psychologically fit enough to enter the Marines.
- would he receive a grade ? (which one)
- would he receive a miltary training ?

I would like that both characters are then (let's say around march/april) transferred to a US base in the Pacific. The marine is sent there (has no choice, while the Doctor volunteers again). They would stay in the same base for some time (between 2 weeks and 2 months) before taking part in a (preferably relatively short) battle, and then they come back to the same US base in the Pacific.

- could you suggest me a company / division to which they could belong that would fit with this ?
- could you suggest a place for the US base ?
- could you suggest a place for the battle ?

Last question: would all of this also be possible with a soldier instead of a Marine (as the last intervenant suggests ?)

That would be of great help. Many thanks in advance.

 

Let's take the last question first. Yes, it would be possible with a soldier. If that's the course you prefer to take, let's not continue with the Marine discussion and focus on finding you the proper Army information.

In addition to, not instead of. Marine Barracks are posts where security forces are stationed, historically in conjunction with Naval shipyards.

 

Actually the 503 PIR was regimental combat team independant of the 11th Airborne Division. It made the first combat jump into Nadzab, New Guinea. Although unopposed, they did engage Japanese forces near Lae, prompting the IJA to evacuate their outpost there. There were other jumps in New Guinea later on in 1944. The 503 later landed amphibiously at Leyte as reinforcements, not under fire. Later combat included fighting on Mindinoro, and a combat jump onto Corregidor. Tight DZ there!

But you are right, the timeframes of the OPs does not line up with this outfit either. He'll have to make him a Marine afterall. Which is not a bad thing necessarily.

 

I think I was not clear. When I wrote "that would be of great help", I was making a general statement, I was not referring that the fact that he could be a soldier (instead of a Marine) would be of great help . At the moment, I still haven't decided if he will be a soldier of a Marine.

 

Whatever you decide is fine with us. It's your book. We'll just read it, or wait for it to be adapted into a movie and see it then.