Wood blanks from Naval Station Great Lakes Building 1.

All blanks will come with one COA per blank. COAs are 4" x 6" card stock with silver foil embossed COA seal.

Blank Tube Size Descriptions:

• Pen Blanks are 7/8" sq minimum
  

The largest single training facility for the U.S. Navy is a thousand miles from the nearest ocean. Great Lakes Naval Training Station, located in North Chicago, IL, formally opened in 1911 on land donated by the Merchants Club of Chicago. It was a product of the expansive nationalism of the era following the Spanish-American War, as well as aggressive self-promotion by Chicago businessmen and Illinois politicians. Ideally located at the nation's rail hub and near its population center, the camp gained great significance during World War I, but reached its nadir when it was closed to new trainees between 1933 and 1935. Within a month after Pearl Harbor, the navy announced that a $33-million expansion would increase its recruit capacity from 10,000 to 45,000; by the end of 1942, 75,000 were on base. During World War II, Great Lakes supplied about a million men, over a third of all personnel who served in the U.S. Navy.

Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current boot camp. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center, and Navy Recruiting District Chicago. Naval Station Great Lakes is the largest military installation in Illinois and the largest training station in the Navy. The base has 1,153 buildings situated on 1,628 acres and has 69 mi of roadway to provide access to the base's facilities. Within the naval service, it has several different nicknames, including "The Quarterdeck of the Navy", or the more derogatory "Great Mistakes".

One of the landmarks of Naval Station Great Lakes is Building 1, also known as the clocktower building. Completed in 1911, the building is made of red brick, and has a tower standing over the third floor of the building. Building one, with offices for the base commander and staff, was originally known as the Administration Building. Designed as the focal point of the base, its 155-foot tower overlooks the parade field and was the tallest structure on the original Training Station. The large parade ground in front of the building is named Ross Field.