This is what people who cause trouble call Great Lakes Naval Training Center, or Great Lakes Recruit Training Center. Another term used is The Mistake on the Lake. These terms were coined by those people who pretty much got into trouble while at eh base and had to pay the price.

The Navy sends all of its new recruits to Great Lakes and a major portion of it engineering training is now done there. Close to 50,000 mew sailors enter the Navy here each year. Some make it through, while other founder and go back home.
The NTC section of the base is built on a bluff over looking Lake Michigan. The RTC section is kept separate from the other parts of the base. The base is also home the Naval Hospital Great Lakes, or NAVHOSPGLAKES. There is also a corpsman training school on that portion of the base.

The only section of the base I never made it too was Recruit side, I attended boot camp in Orlando. I worked on Corps side and Main side. Main side is divided even further into its own different areas. The base contains several buildings that are registered historic places.

People who have ever been there for training will tell you stories of “Snipes Castle”, BEE school, dating corps girls, going to the strip, meeting some of the “local” ladies, and spending too much time at Great America. As for me I remember the cold wind coming in off the lake and sitting in my car outside the Gas Turbine barracks having a cool one with other guys in my training class.

Gas Turbine C-school at Service school command was my last duty station while in the Navy. Writing class for Gas Turbine A-school and standing watch as SSC Petty Officer on duty. It was boring, tedious, and not all the rewarding, but it had to be done.