| Show A city in itself great lakes naval training center Is largest of its kind in the world thousands of youths are trained there each day from farms factories offices and classrooms of the great midwest plains area thousands of men today are on the march since that fateful sunday of december 7 when japanese bombs rained on pearl harbor they have been heading toward the naval training station great lakes ill bent on becoming seagoing fighters with uncle sams fleet at this great naval training base 40 miles north of chicago on lake michigan far from salt water the navy is undertaking the huge task of transforming land lubbers into hard hitting men of the greatest fleet in the world greatest of all naval training centers in the world during world war 1 I the station again bears that reputation in the near future 11 camps each bearing the name of a navy hero will provide training and living quarters for men on the station these camps will be barry bronson luce paul jones perry dewey lawrence porter moffet morrow and mcintire the latter being the hospital area of the station supplying approximately 35 per cent of the enlisted personnel of the fleet great lakes is the headquarters of the ninth naval district the district includes 13 midwestern states north and south dakota nebraska kansas missouri miss ouri iowa minnesota wisconsin illinois kentucky indiana ohio and michigan commandant of the district and commanding officer of the station is rear adm john downes construction of the original training station at great lakes was authorized zed by an act of congress in in april 1904 seven years later president william howard taft officially opened the station on october 28 1911 it consisted of 33 buildings located on a acre tract of land and it housed 1400 men with the outbreak of war in 1917 90 0 build ings were constructed more than men were trained for the fleet during the first world conflict the buildings erected during world war I 1 were temporary structures and were dismantled after the signing of the armistice today other temporary structures are being provided to handle the daily influx of recruits in this new war A self sufficient unit extensive facilities of the station make it a self sufficient unit there are offices barracks mess halls classrooms drill halls gymnasiums store houses and large hospitals the station has its own barber shops hostess house post office tailor shop laundry and shoe shop there are three swimming pools and ten regulation ABC bowling alleys but more important than the buildings and facilities are the men thousands of americans ranging from beardless youths to men in their forties who were Blue jackets in 1917 and 1918 besides being a perfect physical specimen the bluejacket of 1942 is al A l 1 in intelligence courage and patriotism anxiously he learns the seafaring lessons being taught by veterans of the fleet expectantly he awaits the day when he will graduate from the ranks of a recruit to that of a full fledged sailor requirements of recruits fundamentally a recruit must be between the ages of 17 and 50 and must be no shorter than five feet K I 1 AP ax ax X A u V color guard at great lakes naval training station three inches and no taller than six feet four inches but would be sailors who answer this general description are subjected to a rigid and thorough physical and dental examination upon arrival at the station before they are finally accepted primary examinations are given at various recruiting stations and sometimes physical defects are overlooked because many of the tests required are not available at outlying recruiting centers statistics show that between 50 and 60 per cent of applicants applying at recruiting cr stations are rejected for physical or mental defects or other conditions the physical examination at great lakes is of a routine but thorough nature conducted by medical officers who are specialists in the various fields of medicine the examination includes surgical orthopedic ic psychiatric psychological xray X ray and eye ear nose and throat examinations the results of which determine a mans physical fitness for the service each man is subjected to a photo fluoroscopic examination of his chest and to the various blood and laboratory tests he is also immunized for smallpox typhoid yellow fever and tetanus in some cases where there is is doubt as to the physical or mental fitness of an individual he is sent to the U S naval hospital here for a period of observation and study after this period if the in individual is found to be physically and mentally qualified he is outfitted and takes his place in recruit training in cases where minor surgical conditions are discovered the individuals are sent to the naval hospital where the conditions are corrected before the recruit is accepted for naval service men from all walks of life the navy is a great leveler when contingents of recruits pour into the naval training station to begin boot training they present a colorful picture in contrast but not nor for long there are professional men and highly paid factory workers men in smartly tailored suits farm boys boy s in overalls cow hands from the west in high heeled boots and sombreros sombre ros prosperous men and poor men men with long hair men with short hair a cross section of america after recruits have undergone physical and dental examinations to 0 y e 01 5 1 A flying fortress of the latest series a B wings its way at more than miles an hour to drop its tons of bombs with deadly accuracy on an enemy objective B hold seven national speed records and ha have V e a range of more than miles determine their fitness for naval service the stripping process begins first the civvies divvies go into boxes for shipment home then the men go through the line each enlisted man in the navy or naval reserve is given an allotment of for uniforms and equipment more than experienced stewards bakers butchers and storekeepers man huge mess halls on the station while a veritable army of mess attendants recruits who must spend some time in mess halls as part of their training serve the Blue jackets twelve general mess halls now are operated on the station cafeteria style because of the great number of men consuming three squares a day the navy serves its food cafeteria style in compartment trays the men boish off their meals at long cleanly scrubbed tables to facilitate operations at the conclusion of each meal the sailors stack their trays dishes and silverware siler ware which are then sent to automatic dish washers for a speedy cleansing each mess hall is equipped with a modern galley butcher shop vegetable locker bake shop refrigerators bread room store rooms and issuing rooms fruits and vegetables are delivered daily to insure freshness carrots onions and rutabagas are locally grown and locally purchased cheese butter eggs and poultry are trucked in from illinois and wisconsin dry provisions such as canned tomatoes are requisitioned in carload lots from the navy naty supply depot at norfolk va coffee is received in pound lots from the provision and clothing depot at brooklyn N Y where the navy operates its own roasting plant sixteen different varieties of fruits and vegetables are served tn in general mess potatoes cabbage turnips tomatoes broccoli apples tan tall garines ge rines oranges lettuce celery peppers cucumbers onions bananas and cranberries |
