Memories of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California (2010 0415)

1973b Got them cozmic blues mama

Recently, a young lady contacted me at Facebook.  She’d noticed I’d become a ‘fan’ of the Camp Pendleton page there.  Since she had been born there, and moved when her father was reassigned, she had few memories of it, and asked if I could remember any details.  The following were the recollections I could bring forth, slightly edited; they may be of interest to you, as well. . .

Oooooooooooooooo. . . it's been a while. . .say, about 35 years.  This old man apologizes right now if he starts rambling, being very stream of consciousness. . .I can say that the original video for Fatboy Slim's 'Rockafeller Skank' is--to me--an accurate depiction of Southern California when I was there, from the Arizona state line to the Pacific Ocean.)

It really started 3 years even earlier, during Boot Camp. I went to San Diego. Second month of training, firearms and combat, was at Pendleton. First and third months at San Diego. The barracks at the time had just been constructed for recruits. we arrived at night.

On daylight, my first impressions were (1) variable geography (hills, gullies, small mountains, etc), (2) aridity and (3) beauty.

My home, here in northeast Texas, has rolling hills here and there, but it's largely flat. It's also pretty green with vegetation. I was raised on a farm in my early years; my father was a poor white sharecropper at that time, and i picked cotton alongside poor blacks and whites.

There wasn't a topography like there was at Pendleton. We later moved into town, but that's irrelevant. I mention it as something to compare the two.

I remember it as being dry, as well. . .lots of sand and rather sparse vegetation in most of the places, whereas my home was fairly green. It's a fact that Los Angeles could not survive without the water being pumped from Colorado River/Lake Mead (i believe) in Nevada. . .it's part of the Southwestern Desert that's been modified by man. The whole area--from LA possibly down to San Diego--may owe its existence to that water.

Which may be problematic if global warming continues. . .since existing aquifiers may not make up for any water loss. and population is still growing.

The presence of rattlesnakes and such reminded me of home; we had 'em on the farm.  I don't remember seeing roadrunners or horned toads. . .the rattlesnakes could provide an extra jolt during some parts of training. . .

While many of the buildings were of a purely military nature, there were still buildings that were based on the Spanish colonial style--or were original Spanish colonial in style, much like some of the buildings in OLD downtown San Diego. They were gorgeous; if you watch any of the 'Zorro' movies, note the architecture. That's what it was like.

While I was there in late '75-'76, two of my friends got married in such a hacienda on base. It was absolutely beautiful.  Glorious.

The high hills and small mountains were nothing like home at all. The problem was that we all had to march or run up and down them, over and over. Scenery--flat or otherwise--was fantastic; the running and marching, with and without full gear, not so much.

My best memory during Boot at Pendleton was that I lost my glasses climbing up (excuse me) "Mount Motherfucker".

(They had to give me my civilian glasses when I got back to San Diego, which changed shade with light, and I got the name "Hollywood".)

This had consequences for other parts of my combat training with weapons later. Everything for the rest of my time there (then) was done, literally, in a visual fog.

Since I was a recruit then, we were restricted--severely--to certain areas, for Boot training only. Rifle/pistol/grenade ranges and such.

When I came back from Japan in mid-75, I was assigned to a Field Communications unit in the First Division. I was with them about a month or so--and did a small exercise on the USS Blue Ridge--when they FAPped me over to the Military Police Battalion at Headquarters Company. I'd had three years in communications at my local police department, so I knew a lot of the things I could do there. I was also a court clerk for one of the judges.

The AMTRAK (amphibious tractor) museum was located next to the MP HQ. A friend of mine at home (Pat McHam, now deceased) had been there when her husband was stationed there after WW II, and Steve McQueen was serving in the Corps at that time.

One night McQueen got drunk in an AMTRAK and decided to take it for a joyride. He took it off-base and into Oceanside; no one could stop him until he got to the other side of town.

Pat and her husband--a top sergeant--saw it happen.

Wikipedia mentions some of the stuff McQueen pulled in the Corps, before he was finally kicked out; I don't remember seeing that particular stunt listed. Eventually he went into acting. And so it goes. . .

As for the AMTRAKs, they took the wheels and treads off each and every one of them and put them by the MP Company HQ, so that it wouldn't happen again. I usedta go down and check 'em out when i got bored. Some were captured Japanese models, and it was funny to read the sign and see that this particular model held 'Six American' or Ten Japanese'.

Whether they're still there or not, I don't know. Military priorities change; they might have moved them.

Richard Nixon had resigned as POTUS while I was in Japan; his home (Santa Catalina Island) was relatively close to Pendleton. He came by to play golf every week; I'd see the convoy, the golf course being close to the Field Comm Unit I'd been with.

One day a new MP at the gate refused to let him or his escort through due to insufficient identification. The matter was cleared up, but i hope he didn't get into trouble, because he was definitely doing his duty under military guidelines.

After all, Ulysses S Grant was stopped for speeding. Presidents aren't any different from others, regardless of egos.)

There was a heated outdoor swimming pool which was open year-round.  Never could swim, but I loved it. Had a 60-foot-tall diving board. Loved jumping from it.

Next to it was the movie theater, pretty big and classy (to me) for the time.

While I was in Japan, Mel Brooks' 'Blazing Saddles' had been released. For every day they showed that movie, and every showing OF that movie, the line was literally blocks long.

A year later, at Pendleton, it was STILL the same thing. They showed it there for a few days, and the lines of Marines and civilians waiting was literally blocks long.

And whenever it was shown--Iwakuni or Pendleton--there wasn't a bare spot of floor in the building. People barely had enough room to breathe.

This was before videotape, before DVD and before flash memory. Stuff like this was very important to us.

There were almost no channels on TV (at home there'd only been three; we got PBS a bit before i enlisted.)  But i saw the first episodes of 'Saturday Night Live'--THE BEST--at Camp Pendleton.  With the 'Not Ready For Prime Time Players' (John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Lorraine Newman).

That in itself was a wonder.

There were different recreational and exercise facilities scattered about, training and live-firing ranges. Good restaurants and a great bowling alley I usedta go to. Food vendors would come by at different times of the day to hawk their stuff. PX was okay, but I remember San Diego's much better.

This was the days of Sweet's 'Fox On The Run' and 'Ballroom Blitz'. . .the time of the Moody Blues' 'Seventh Sojourn' album, before they broke up. These were the days of Jim Croce and Harry Chapin. Stevie Wonder was in his prime, and there were songs like 'Sausalito Summer Nights', musical albums like Peter Frampton's 'Frampton Comes Alive', and--best of all--Richard Pryor's album 'That Nigger's Crazy'.

White or black, brown or red or yellow, each and every one of us idolized that album and Richard Pryor himself. I ended up playing two-three copies of it till they warped, and I made dozens of copies on cassette or 8-track for others.

You just don't see that thing in music stores anymore. He was a comedic genius. . .the recipient of the very first Mark Twain Award for Comedy. Dammit, but i miss him. . .

CB (citizen's band) radio and truckers were starting to make their influence felt in country music and popular culture at the time. Soon after, country music devolved into songs about (1) CB radio, (2) trucking, (3) fighting & (4) cheating.  It's never been the same to me since.

And then there was disco, the counterpoint to what country became. . .disco, which corrupted the Bee Gees. Its only saving grace was Donna Summer, whom i still love. . .

. . .and it was the time, if memory serves, of Rufus Thomas' 'Funky Chicken'.  Less said about that, the better.

(all songs on YouTube or other music/video sites.)

I didn't explore all that much of the base. I didn't have a car. there were regular bus runs 24 hours a day, and Marines rode for free (if i remember right).

I divided my time, basically, between the buildings I functioned within and going to Oceanside or San Diego, which i already knew a bit of. Oceanside wasn't San Diego, but I thought it was a cool little town. Great pool halls, bookstores and head shops. Great people and great food.

One of the head shops manufactured jewelry. There was a Naval Hospital at Pendleton then; and when they had a surplus of glass eyes, they'd sell them off to the head shops, who made jewelry of them. . .rings, bracelets, belt buckles. . .all kindsa stuff. They put small animals (spiders, scorpions, etc) into lucite and made belt buckles and rings.

Right now I'm wearing the ring i bought in one of those shops. . .a small crab embedded in lucite, the ring itself being silver. I'm a Cancer (Crab), so it fitted me. it hasn't been off my finger since '76.

there was another--a scorpion, also embedded in lucite and silver--which i should have bought. I got married some years later, and she was a Scorpio. Would have been a nice wedding ring set. Unique, too.

I'm quite a loner. Whenever I got my check, I'd go into Oceanside and scrounge around. Bought two pair of blue felt cowboy boots (brand name 'Texas') from a shoe store there. Fringe jacket, too. Smoked a pipe at the time, and picked up the name 'Old Man'.

I might buy $50-$100 of books, and then I'd go to Tortilla Flats. I'd get two plates heaping with Mexican food and tortillas, hunker down and start to read and eat. Afterwards i'd pick up a few things at the bakery, get on the bus and go back to base.

I also spent a lot of time just being on the docks, watching the ocean. . .and thinking. . .

Anyway. . .those are the immediate and most important impressions and memories that come to mind. I apologize if I can't give you anything better. i loved Southern California only second to Japan. . .and if I couldn't get back to Japan, I'd love to get back to San Diego or Oceanside.

I dunno if this will mean anything to you. certain of my memories aren't connected so much to the base itself, as the memories and emotions I associated with it. I guess i'm trying to give you a flavor of the times, too. Some of it you got in history class, some from TV or the internet, some from your parents or others.

For me, those years were a magical and wonderful time. Even with the associated hassles and problems that came with them.

Please take care of yourself and yours. Smile and laugh and be happy.