Visit Summary
By Audrey Escarza

David and I rise so early on Christmas morning we wonder if we’ll disturb Santa in his rounds, but all is calm on our trek to meet our compatriots, Linda and Richard and then join the other early birds at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego. We’ve attached ourselves to Marine Moms Online for the day to spread Christmas cheer to Marine recruits at the medical ward (MRP). We are visiting recruits whose basic training has been interrupted by illness or injury, not serious enough to land them in a hospital.

As we arrive at the MCRD gate, the guards attempt to verbally guide us through the maze of gray buildings that all look the same. We explain if we get lost we’ll just ask someone, to which their reply is, “you won’t find anyone but us so just come back and we’ll start all over again.” Yeah, right, we have men with us, we won’t be back to ask directions twice. We’d be found wandering the farthest outreaches of the base before we ask directions again.

We manage to stumble onto the right place (the big signs that said Medical Ward didn’t hurt) and park, uncertainly, because we are the first civilian car there. My husband always makes sure we’re the first to arrive anywhere. He’s afraid of missing anything. Eventually other cars arrive, buoying our confidence that we have, indeed, found the right place.

Big Mike leads the way to MRP. Eventually all the visitors arrive and the rag tag group is organized into tasks. A group is sent to the rooms to distribute the home made patriotic stockings containing things like calling cards, letters from students and stationary to each rack (bed) while the recruits are gathered in a room listening to a Drill Instructor (DI) spring the news of our visit. The recruits thought this day was to be like all the others at MRP; lots of sitting around reading books, talking to other recruits and watching videos.

David, Linda, Richard and I are deployed armed with the over 750 letters and cards that have been collected from our coworkers at Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, our friends and schools plus some other last minute letters. The school students have made the cutest cards, of course, while the adult letters provide encouraging words. We follow the stocking distributors, adding a pile of letters to each rack. This year there are only about 80 recruits in MRP so each recruit has lots of letters and cards.

We meet back in the main room to be introduced as a group to the recruits. The recruits shout their replies to the DI, “YES, SIR. MERRY CHRISTMAS, SIR!” A little presentation is made to thank the Marine Moms Online and then the recruits are sent to their rooms. As they parade past us, some with crutches, their countenance is glum. They’re not sure what to make of the 50 or so civilians of all ages who have invaded their territory.

The assaulting visitors are again gathered and given our marching orders. Some are given the duty of passing out the piles of cookies, brownies and other treats; plentiful enough to feed an army, oops Marine company. We’re informed that because we are close to outnumbering the total number of recruits in MRP we should be able to give each recruit lots of love.

We enter the first room en masse. This room houses the recruits with minor injuries. We barge in with our cell phones raised high and a cry of “who wants to call home?” We were told giving up our cell phones is not required, we are just individually compelled to do this. David has even gotten a second cell phone so he can share two phones. Some of the recruits say “it’s long distance,” or “I don’t want to wake my parents.” We pooh pooh these excuses and shove the phones into their hands. Which parent would not want to hear from their son on Christmas and we’ve come prepared for lots of long distance calls.

Any recruit not on the phone is deluged with cookies and treats and pulled into conversations with visitors. “Where do you call home? How long have you been in MRP? What’s your MOS (or what will you be doing once you finish Basic)?” I talk to a recruit from Montana with the prettiest blue eyes. He has stress fractures in both legs, yet is anxious to get back to finishing his training. I go on to talk to as many recruits as I can, leaving each with a grandmotherly hug.

What these young men share, besides being so young, is their passion to serve their country. They chose to serve. Each is restlessly waiting to finish basic training and get on with their MOS (schooling) and earn the title of Marine. You see, as recruits, they have not yet earned the title of Marine. They come from small towns and large cities across the country and have a variety of goals. Some want to be career Marines and some will wait to see what the next 4 years brings. Many will go to infantry, but others want to serve in other ways, such as legal aid in the JAG (Judge Advocate General) Corp or working in data communications. Some come from military families and are following a tradition while others are the first in their families to serve. They come from all family sizes, from single parent to large families.

Gradually the chill in the room departs to be replaced by warm smiles and easy laughter. Each recruit has had the opportunity to call family and friends and is left with plenty of Christmas goodies and reading material. Linda wants to take them all home – she has a soft spot for strays. She admits she’d probably end up saying, “Can we keep them? They won’t eat much.”

For the next two rooms, we split up with half visiting the ill recruits and the rest visiting with the recruits who have medical problems serious enough to be waiting for surgery or require them to leave the service. We join the latter group. I hear someone say, there are only 12 of them while I think, wonderful, there are only 12 of them. Better, than 100 recruits with medical problems….better than 50…even better than 13. These young men are unsure of what faces them, yet, their deepest desire is to still serve. One of the recruits is waiting to leave the service and go home. He caught pneumonia and while under medical care found out he had diabetes. He hopes to go home, get his diabetes under control and come back. The impression I get from the recruits who will be separated from service is not one of relief, but disappointment. We visitors let them know that we are proud of them and their intention of serving the country.

Time is finally up and we leave with empty cookie tins and full hearts. It’s kind of funny though, even with the lack of sleep, I am energized and raring to go. David, Linda, Richard and I stop for breakfast and compare cells phones. “Look, this one spent 9 minutes talking to someone in area code 786.” It becomes a badge of honor to have a cell phone with multiple calls to multiple destinations.

I’ve had friends tell me what a wonderful thing I’m doing to give up time on Christmas. Nonsense, I’ve given up a few hours to meet recruits who give their lives. They make me proud of a country that produces such fine young men. I’m comforted in knowing that these future Marines will soon be out there as the first line of defense. My thoughts and prayers are with each man and woman serving in our military, whatever branch that may be.