Recruit companies also provide security watches for various areas of the RTC. One of those watches, the one that was responsible for the damage control training center, had a bit of a run in with a local criminal. I will relate the story the way that it was told to me by the sentry, as accurately as I can remember after more than thirty years.
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The recruit reported for sentry duty. The sentry he was relieving handed over the helmet, flashlight, nightstick, and radio. The time was 2345, and the sentry would not be relived until his replacement came out at 0345.
Now the layout of the RTC becomes important. The DC training area was right against the wall that surrounded the base. The wall in this area was 8 feet tall, made of concrete, and ran alongside of Corrine Drive.
A local criminal had committed a robbery and was being chased by the Orlando Police Department and was attempting to flee on foot. He attempted to get away by hopping over the wall to the Navy Base, where he landed right in front of the recruit sentry. The sentry immediately challenged the intruder, who tried to attack the sentry.
That sentry spent the next five minutes applying his nightstick to the criminal, until base security arrived to take him in custody.
The intruder was arrested by NIS and charged with a list of crimes, the most serious of which was "attacking a military sentry" and subjected him to prosecution.
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I tried to search for the case, but since it happened in the early 80's, I just couldn't find it. The point is that the Federal Government follows a different set of rules and doesn't need the permission of local government to protect its property and personnel.
3 comments:
Duh! Local governments, particularly in Portland, seem to have forgotten that they are part of the US, not over the US.
I'm surprised that Trump isn't making a bigger issue of local governments impeding Federal business - It would help him in the election, though he may be waiting to get into that more, especially if he can quiet things down first and then take credit for it.
I was at boot camp RTC Orlando approx mid 70s, give or take a year or so. Our final week (fleet week?) me and a few other recruits were assigned roving patrol outside our barracks. The company commander told us to be certain to go up on the roof because recruits were getting up there and using drugs. Recall after he walked out of earshot, we recruits wondered how other recruits were obtaining drugs in boot camp.
During same week was also assigned watch at a pedestrian gate that ran between possibly NTC/RTC, do not recall very well. I stood there at parade rest and a female officer, possibly an ENS or LTJG, in her summer whites, came up to me and started critiquing my military bearing or lack thereof. My memory is that I rather enjoyed this, even though there were female recruits round about us, I had not seen a young adult woman up close for a number of weeks.
One day our company was lined up in the chowhall waiting our turn at the serving line ("let's go gentlemen, let's pack it in, nut to butt"). There was an open door nearby and we could hear the Lou Rawls song "You're gonna miss my lovin". I've loved that song ever since that moment. if I hear it today I get a chill up my spine.
This was all basically 45 years ago, and time has faded the memories. Would not mind being that young again for a couple of days.
> Local governments, particularly in Portland, seem to have forgotten that they are part of the US, not over the US.
Well...I guess that's true. Especially after sovereign states tried to leave the party and the federal government said "No, you can't leave. You are slaves."
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