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Great Lakes Naval Training Center

A one-hour drive north of Chicago's Loop ends in a different world. Although often overlooked by Chicagoans, it has been there for over 97 years. It is a world steeped in history and tradition. It is home to 39 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It generates more than $729 million in revenue each year for Chicago and the local economy. It services over 50,000 people and accommodates over 160,000 visitors each year. Most importantly however, it is a world of honor, courage and commitment. It is where a career in the United States Navy has begun for over three and one-half million young men and women. It is Great Lakes Naval Training Center. And it is with humble appreciation that the Chief Engineer is able to bring you its story.

Bill Dermody, who works with the Navy's Public Information Office, met us at the gates of Great Lakes. Our initial request to Bill had been one we ourselves didn't think quite possible. We told him we wanted to tour the 1,600 acres of land, visit the 1,100 buildings and 2,067 homes. We wanted to see the training facilities, barracks and mess halls. And finally we wanted to see and learn how the entire operation works and who the people were that made it work. Much to our surprise, Bill didn't hang the phone up on us when we made this initial request. Even more surprising, he accomplished all that we had asked and more.

We began our early morning tour with a trip to the heart of Great Lakes, Ross Field. Nestled in the midst of historical buildings, the huge field makes an ideal place for military parades and gatherings. But like everything contained within Great Lakes, Ross Field is home to great history as well. In years past, John Philip Sousa, who late in life formed the Navy Band at Great Lakes, gave concerts on the field during the weekends. Tens of thousands would travel by train from Chicago to be entertained by the "March King". The field also played home to the amazing football teams from Great Lakes. In 1918, the Great Lakes "Blue Jackets" fielded a team that would end up at the Rose Bowl and would be called by then Notre Dame Coach, Knute Rockne, the greatest football team he had ever seen. In retrospect Rockne's praise was small wonder, considering the 1918 Blue Jacket squad included George Halas, and Paddy Driscoll among its members.

At precisely eight o'clock, a group of young Navy men and women emerged from one of the buildings facing the field, and marched silently toward the flagpole that resides at its edge. Through loudspeakers that seemed to echo throughout the entire facility, Morning Colors was played and our national flag was slowly raised to greet the beginning of the day. These young men and women made it very clear to us, as it would to any American, the true purpose for all that lay around us. Here these young Americans were, demonstrating their love and respect for our nation, as well as their commitment towards the protection of our freedom. And here too, surrounding them was the history and experience of millions of others who had come before them, and had left for them the knowledge and experience that would see them succeed.

For all of its size, for all of its buildings, for its entire staff, Great Lakes Naval Training Center exists for each of these young sailors, one at a time.

Following Colors, we were escorted into the office of the Training Evaluation Department Head, Dale Kerkman. Here we were introduced to Lt. Cmdr. Michaela Bradley, the Public Works Officer, who would kindly escort us throughout the rest of the morning; and Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Mercado, Training Analyst at Great Lakes. Much to our delight, they had prepared a briefing to introduce us to Great Lakes and explain to us how this "city" within a city came to be and presently operates.

Directed by then President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1905 the Navy initially purchased 172 acres of land for the sum of one dollar. Actually, donations, spearheaded by an associate of Illinois Congressman, George E. Foss, a Mr. Graeme Stewart, went to purchase the land in Lake Bluff for $175,000. It was then generously donated to the Navy for the 1-dollar price tag. The idea of constructing a naval base so far from the ocean was met with more than a few raised eyebrows. But as historians will tell you, Teddy Roosevelt was mostly about raising eyebrows. Besides that, a Navy study conducted in 1902 concluded that the best place for a Navy Training Station was exactly where it wound up being; on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan.

From 1905 to 1911, the Navy set about building Great Lakes. Noted Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt was enlisted to design the initial buildings at Great Lakes. Along with Navy Civil Engineer George A. McKay and headed by Captain Albert Ross, construction proceeded. Hunt designed the buildings using a modern interpretation of Italian Renaissance architecture in the Romanesque style.

The red brick buildings designed by Hunt still stand in stunning tribute to his talent and the incredible skill of the long ago workmen who toiled for years during the construction. A ride through Great Lakes from the Main Gate, east to the Lake will still captivate a visitor with the grace and beauty of the design, as well as the detail and craftsmanship that went into the construction.

Following the completion of the original 39 buildings, on July 1, 1911, Great Lakes opened its gates for training. Two days later the first recruit, Joseph Gregg, from Terre Haute, Indiana, arrived. When he graduated with the first class of 300 sailors, President William Howard Taft, along with a crowd of 10,000, showed up for the ceremony and to dedicate Great Lakes. Taking the podium, the President dedicated the facility "To our country, our God, and our flag."

Throughout the years, and especially during the war years, Great Lakes expanded to its present 1,600 acres and 1,100 buildings. Throughout that time, the Navy has changed as well. During World War II, the first African-American Naval Officers arose from Great Lakes. Today, a building there is dedicated in their honor. Also during World War II, the Navy's WAVE program came to Great Lakes. The WAVE program stood as the only option for women seeking a Navy career, until they were fully integrated into the Navy in 1972 and the WAVE program was discontinued.

Today, Great Lakes Naval Training Center is home to approximately 29,000 military and civilian staff members and provides training and service to an additional 50,000 individuals each year.

Despite recent events, Great Lakes has remained relatively open to the public and welcomes about 160,000 visitors each year. Although we were assured of the Navy's desire to keep the American public fully informed of "their" Navy, and to allow as much access of citizens to the facility as is possible, security is understandably an essential priority and was ever present and noticeable throughout our visit.

Following a most informative briefing, we were joined by Lt. Commander Bradley who took us on a tour of Great Lakes. One of our first stops was at the construction site for the new Physical Training Center. The building is designed to accommodate the training of four full divisions of sailors at a single time. In response to our questions about design, engineering and contractor selection, Bradley explained to us how the Navy utilizes design-build contracting techniques. Essentially, the Navy will specify its needs for a new facility and the essential components necessary for the facility. At that point, private contractors are invited to use their own knowledge and experience to design a plan that will meet the Navy's needs. Unlike most government contracts, low bid is not the defining selection criteria for a Navy contract. "We look at the entire proposal," Bradley said. "If the contractor's plan exceeds our initial expectations or incorporates new innovative thinking regarding construction, we may well award the contract to them". This flexibility, she explained, allows the Navy to capitalize on new building technology and construction techniques that overall, provide taxpayers with the biggest bang for their investment dollars.

Although large Chicago area contractors were evident at the construction sites we toured, Bradley explained that many projects proceed only with appropriate small business subcontracting goals which include minority and woman owned participation.

It seemed that everywhere we turned, new construction was underway at Great Lakes. Besides the new Physical Training facility, new barracks were being constructed with an approach towards maximizing recruit training. Presently, all of the recruits at Great Lakes are serviced by massive Mess Halls or Galleys. Following a study by the Navy, it was determined that nearly two and one-half hours of potential recruit training were lost each day due to the logistics of getting the thousands of sailors to and from the mess halls. To eliminate this lost time, the Navy is adopting a plan to construct 16 smaller mess halls attached directly to the recruit's barracks. Once completed, recruits will have more time to devote to the important training which is vital both for their success and for Great Lakes mission of turning out fully trained sailors for the Fleet.

As we continued our tour, we could not help but be impressed with the knowledge and dedication of our guide. We asked Lt. Commander Bradley to share her Navy experience with us and learned that she joined the Navy as an enlisted woman after deciding to leave college a year into her studies. She became a welder and was assigned to a construction battalion or the "Seabees" as they have become famously known. The Navy then offered her the opportunity to complete her college education and receive a commission. She accepted and is now completing her 18th year in the Navy and will soon be heading to a new assignment in California.

Asked what her greatest challenge is in shouldering so much responsibility at Great Lakes, Bradley told us it was in maintaining the older, deteriorating structures at the facility. The Navy operates on a relatively thin budget, she explained, with available money going to where it is most needed. Consequently, she added, there is presently a staggering $270 million dollar backlog in maintenance and repair projects.

Following that, Bradley cited the challenge of incorporating the modern needs of the Navy with preservation of the historic architecture as her next greatest concern. Some of the original buildings although historically significant, sit completely vacant because the cost to make them usable is higher than the cost of building a new facility. This makes it difficult for the Navy to acquire the necessary funding to restore them. In addition, the buildings are considered landmarks and the Navy cannot simply demolish them. Some public interest groups have expressed their concern for preserving the buildings, but at present Great Lakes has not received the necessary funding to refurbish and modernize the structures.

Our next stop was to visit some of the 2,067 houses located at the facility. We learned that besides these homes, 329 at the former Fort Sheridan and 400 at the former Glenview Naval Aviation Station are also under the care of the Great Lakes Naval Station. Here too construction was underway, with the housing units being completely renovated both inside and outside. In addition, new garages were being constructed to accommodate occupant vehicles.

All told, the Navy has planned nearly $1 billion for the Recruit Training Command's Recapitalization program. But considering the enormous size of Great Lakes, and the fact that it functions as a stand alone city, complete with its own police and fire departments, it is clear to see that amount can only represent a beginning of all that must be done.

As the time was now near noon, and we were scheduled to visit one of the two mess halls at the base, we bid good-bye and thanked Lt. Commander Bradley for giving us some of her valuable time. We left highly impressed with her knowledge and understanding of construction and planning. We were also left with the feeling that as she soon departs for her new assignment, she leaves behind a big part of herself in the design and construction of numerous buildings made more efficient, and capable of training the recruits who come to Great Lakes.

When we entered the largest of the two Mess Halls located at Great Lakes, we left "Officers Country" and were greeted by two men who clearly represent those who "really run" the Navy. Master Chief David Wisch and Chief Petty Officer Marshall Bradford welcomed us into the mess hall and into their own little part of the Navy's world. From the very beginning, you were made aware that these two men knew their assignments and were absolutely confident in their ability to operate the largest "restaurant" we ever had the privilege to patronize.

4,800 people were eating at one time! The Mess Hall was designed to seat 2,400 on each of two sides, with the center of the building housing a single kitchen area and serving from one of the two serving lines that flanked the kitchen. As we watched, dumfounded, groups of recruits entered, each group paced exactly 5 minutes apart. They entered the serving line where they had a choice of three entrees and exited that line into a self-serve salad bar area. Behind the salad bar was a beverage area where most every conceivable soft drink was available, along with iced tea, coffee and milk.

As Master Chief Wisch explained, the group pacing was designed to allow every recruit exactly 10 minutes to eat from the time they sit down with their tray of food. The pacing was such that every 5 minutes, a group rose to their feet and exited the Mess hall, allowing the Mess Orderlies time to clean the tables for the next group to sit down, 5 minutes later.

As we toured the kitchen we were amazed to learn that the vast majority of the food consumed at the mess hall is purchased pre-cooked. In the kitchen, only a small amount of baking, frying and sauce preparation is done. What small amount of cooking that is done, is performed by contractors. Goodwill Industries provides all of the cooking services for the Navy at Great Lakes. None-the-less, the logistics of feeding so many people keeps the kitchen buzzing with activity. While recruits are eating breakfast, lunch is being prepared. During lunch, dinner is being prepared. All the while, clean up is in full process.

The size and type of equipment used in the kitchen area amazed us. A large frying machine resides in the kitchen. Using a conveyor belt, food to be fried is placed upon the belt, which then conveys it through the cooking oil at just the right speed to emerge at the end, perfectly done. Every conscious of not wasting food, blast chillers are used that can quickly freeze leftover foods that can later be re-heated.

Although equipped with modern equipment, as it is, some things in the Navy Mess have still not changed. Rounding a corner on our tour, we were greeted by numerous young recruit trainees, cleaning the dishes and performing those typical Mess Duty (KP) our veteran readers may remember.

Each recruit entering Great Lakes is placed into a basic training program that runs for nine and one-half weeks. During the fifth week of training, the recruits perform what is called: "Service Week". It is during this time that they may pull duty in the Mess, or perform other duties throughout the base such as cleaning up the grounds or doing light painting. As Master Chief Wisch explained, the Navy was presently reconsidering the effectiveness of "Service Week". Very soon, Wisch said, private contractors will be permanently replacing recruits and Mess Duty will be relegated to the past.

So how good is the food you may wonder? Well after paying our $3.20 we grabbed a tray and entered the line to find out. We had a choice of Bar-B-Que Pork, Beef and Onions, or Turkey and Gravy. In addition, Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers were offered upon request. The salad bar contained potato salad, macaroni salad and assorted vegetables, along with plenty of fresh lettuce. And everything tasted like it's supposed to taste!

According to Wisch, the Navy maintains high standards of cleanliness and nutrition by promoting competition within its mess service. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of America grades each Navy mess hall in the exact, same manner they grade private restaurants and hotels. Following several annual inspections, including one surprise inspection, the Association will assign a star rating to the mess halls. Five stars is the maximum that can be attained. The mess we were in had a current 4-star rating and, as Wisch assured us, would be at 5-stars next year.

With lunch complete, we thanked Master Chief Wisch and Chief Petty Officer Bradford for allowing us to visit and headed off to our afternoon meeting with the Facilities Team, Great Lakes.

The Facilities Team is comprised of two organizations, the Public Works Center (PWC), Great Lakes, and Engineering Field Activity (EFA), Midwest. The PWC provides over 37 products and services throughout Great Lakes including maintenance services, transportation services, engineering support and utilities. These services are provided to multiple clients throughout Great Lakes, using pre-determined billing rates. The EFA provides facility service and construction contract support for Great Lakes.

Greg Pye, the Utilities Superintendent, directs the PWC Utilities Department at Great Lakes. The team is comprised of approximately 60 workers, assigned into two Divisions. The Utilities Engineering Division, headed by Brad Baley, which has 10 employees, is responsible for the long-term system planning and technical support to the operations group. The Utilities Operations Division, headed by Cliff Sindles, has 45 employees and is responsible for the day-to-day operation, maintenance and repairs at the facility.

Together, the department operates and maintains the Navy's second largest steam plant and distribution system, the electrical cogeneration and distribution, potable (drinkable) water pumping and purification, sewage collection and transport. The group is also responsible for duct and pole rental agreements, utility allocation and energy purchasing agreements for Facilities Team Great Lakes.

Upon our arrival Lt. Cmdr. Nick L. Peterson greeted us and introduced us to the various managers within the Facilities Team. Lt. Cmdr. Peterson, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, serves as the Production Officer for the Public Works Center and was kind enough to direct our tour throughout the remaining afternoon and to answer our many questions about operating the massive facility.

Greg Pye started our tour off with an excellent briefing that brought into perspective the magnitude of responsibilities the Utilities Department has at Great Lakes. To begin with, PWC does not have an annual budget for operations. Instead, the team provides reimbursable services to the Naval community at Great Lakes, much as a private contractor would. Each part of the naval community is responsible for the purchase of needed utilities and maintenance services.

PWC operates with annual revenue of approximately $80 million per year, $25 million of which comes from the utilities commodities. Nearly every large building at Great Lakes is serviced by a steam distribution system. Consequently, steam represents nearly half the annual utility revenue obtained by PWC Great Lakes, followed closely by electrical service, and then sewage, water, and natural gas.

The utility infrastructure includes an electrical production system capable of a little over 4 MW and a 153-mile long cabling system. The steam system includes production capacity of 1,205 MBTU/hr and a distribution system of over 53 miles. Water production is rated in excess of 10 million gallons per day, with over 45 miles of distribution piping. Finally, the sewage infrastructure is comprised of nearly 50 miles of collection piping. Together, the utilities production and distribution systems support over 240 facilities and 16 million square feet of living space.

Peak loads at the facility include electricity at 33 MW, Water at 7.4 MGD, Steam at 350,000 lb/hr and sewage of 6.8 MGD.

Electrical cogeneration at the PWC steam plant is accomplished with two, 1.5 MW, backpressure steam, turbine powered generators, and one, 1.5 MW diesel engine generator. With their cogen in operation, the center can produce about 7 percent of the facilities summer load and about 15 percent of the winter load.

Six boilers are housed in the large steam plant ranging in age from 35 to 65 years. Three boilers are rated at 50,000 lb/hr, one at 100,000 lb/hr, and two at 250,000 lb/hr. All are water tube boilers and are served by combination burners of natural gas or number six fuel oil.

As we began our tour of the power plant, we were initially impressed with the cleanliness and care that was evident throughout. A first stop in the water purification area provided us an informative briefing from Bob Kane on the water distribution system for the facility. Then it was off to the power plant.

Future plans for the PWC include converting the boilers to Number 2 diesel, installing VSD's on two of the boilers forced draft fans, replacing up to a mile in condensate return piping, installing two 5 MW combustion turbine generators with waste heat boilers and an additional 3.5 MW diesel back up generator.

An important issue which will determine the future of the Facility Team is one of privatization. The Navy is presently considering options which include the sale of the utilities infrastructure to one or more private concerns. Under such a proposal, a private firm could assume ownership of the Great Lakes power plant and other utilities, and continue to provide services to the facility under terms of an agreed to contract. Although at this time a final decision has not been made on this issue, private companies and at least one local municipality near Great Lakes, have expressed an interest in making a deal with the Navy.

Following our tour, Lt. Cmdr. Petersen introduced us to his Commanding Officer, Captain Mark Samuels. Captain Samuels is with the Navy Seabees and graciously offered us some time to explain the managerial aspects of the Great Lakes Facilities Team. We were left very impressed by the professionalism and devotion to duty apparent in all the staff members we encountered with the Facilities Team. It was very clear that Lt. Cmdr. Petersen operated a "tight ship" at Great Lakes. It was equally apparent that Gregory Pye had a firm grasp of both the current state of operations and a solid vision for future plans at the facility.

The utility infrastructure at Great Lakes is similar to most small cities in the United States. Following our tour and the briefings provided to us, we could clearly see that if such a thing were allowed, Great Lakes could well be declared one of the best run cities in the country.

It was therefore appropriate that our final destination take us to meet with the person who could best be described as the "City Manager" of Great Lakes. One look at Captain Jerry Hart and you immediately know you were in the presence of a man who is in charge of his command.

Within moments of our meeting, Captain Hart made clear to us that there was no aspect of Great Lakes Naval Training Center that he was not fully, and intimately aware of. What's more, he knew exactly where he was steering the facility.

Captain Hart made certain that we were comfortable with the information we had obtained and the access we had been granted throughout our visit to Great Lakes. He impressed us greatly with his ability to immediately provide us detailed answers to questions regarding both construction development and operation of the facility.

Entering the Navy as an enlisted man during the Vietnam era, Captain Hart's 35-year "Mustang" career with the Navy has been both distinguished and remarkable. Married with a daughter who works as a schoolteacher in Virginia, Captain Hart's present command challenges him to construct the ideal facility for training the Navy's next generation of sailors.

As we prepared to depart Great Lakes we reflected upon all that we had seen. The hospital located at the facility would merit an entire feature story to itself. So would many of the other buildings and facilities located on the base. But more than just what we had seen and learned, we also felt the deep privilege of having been able to spend time with these dedicated men and women who serve their country and their Navy at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

It is very clear that the Navy has much to be proud of in its accomplishments at Great Lakes. It is also very clear that we American's have much to be proud of in our Navy and the young men and women who don those "blue jackets" just north of Chicago.

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