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The Naval Support Facility Thurmont, popularly known as Camp David, is the rustic 125-acre (0.5 km²) mountain retreat of the President of the United States. Camp David is part of the Catoctin Mountain Park recreational area in Frederick County, Maryland, 60 miles (97 km) north of Washington, D.C., about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and about 15 miles (24 km) east of Hagerstown, Maryland.
First known as Hi-Catoctin, Camp David was originally built as a camp for federal government employees and their families, by the WPA, starting in 1935, opening in 1938. In 1942 it was converted to a presidential retreat by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and renamed Shangri-La. Camp David received its present name from Dwight Eisenhower, in honor of his grandson, Dwight David Eisenhower II.[1]
The Camp is very isolated and quiet. The compound consists of several cabins hidden throughout the woods, only connected by small mulch walking paths. They are all named after various trees, plants, and flowers.
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Navy operations
Camp David (or Naval Support Facility Thurmont) is a United States Navy installation. The Camp is commanded by an O-5 (Commander's Rank.) Sailors are mostly Seabees and most officers are in the civil engineering field. The Navy Seabee Detachment does maintenance and beautification. The sailors must receive a "Yankee White" security clearance, which involves passing the most rigorous background check conducted by the Department of Defense (DOD). The sailors are hand-picked for their service at Camp David, and represent the best of the U.S. Navy. Some of the sailors include: grounds and maintenance personnel, electricians, carpenters, corpsman, and the President's cooks (mess specialists).
The Camp is alleged to be one of the most secure facilities in the world, as reported by a Department of Defense journal in 1998. The Facility is guarded by one of the United States Marine Corps' most elite units, MSC-CD (Marine Security Company, Camp David). Each Marine is hand-picked from the infantry and sent through a battery of psychological and physical tests. The chosen Marine must then undergo specialized security training at the Marine Corps Security Forces School in Chesapeake, Virginia. The candidate then reports to the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. Assuming the Marine successfully completes all of his schooling, he still must receive the "Yankee White" security clearance. Only then will the candidate be eligible for the assignment at Camp David. After 12 months of service at Camp David, a Marine is awarded the Presidential Service Badge. Typically tours at Camp David are 18–24 months.
Analogous facilities
Analogous facilities include:
- Novo-Ogaryovo and Zavidovo, country residences of the President of Russia
- Chequers, country residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Harpsund, country residence of the Prime Minister of Sweden
- Harrington Lake, country residence of the Prime Minister of Canada
- Marienborg, summer residence of the Prime Minister of Denmark
- Kultaranta, summer residence of the President of Finland
- Lohn, country estate of the Swiss Federal Council outside Berne
- Mansion House, summer residence of the President of the Philippines
- Palacio de Marivent, summer residence of the King of Spain in Palma de Mallorca.
- Hacienda Hato Grande, country residence of the President of Colombia
- Pavillon de la Lanterne (subsidiary structure of the Palace of Versailles), country residence of President of France, Fort de Brégançon, summer residence, Chateau de Rambouillet, guest residence, Domaine National de Marly and Domaine de Souzy-la-Biche, week end residences
Gallery
 George H. W. Bush meets with his National Security advisors in the Laurel Lodge conference room on August 4, 1990. |
 George W. Bush meets up with his advisors at Camp David on January 17, 2004, while preparing for his State of the Union address. |
 From Camp David, Vice President Dick Cheney and members of the Interagency Team on Iraq participate in a video teleconference with President George W. Bush in Baghdad, Iraq. |
 President George W. Bush and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten walk together with the President's dog, Barney, at Camp David, July 21, 2007. |
 Shinzo Abe and George W. Bush at Camp David in 2007. |
 Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter, and Anwar Sadat at Camp David, September 7, 1978. |
 Menachem Begin poses at Camp David, 1978. |
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 Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat with U.S. president Jimmy Carter at Camp David in 1978. |
 President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, and Jimmy Carter meet at the beginning of the Camp David Summit in 1978. |
 Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter, and Menachem Begin meet on the Aspen Lodge patio of Camp David on September 6, 1978. |
 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan walk at Camp David in 1986. |
 British Prime Minister Thatcher and President Reagan sitting in Aspen Lodge, 1986 |
See also
- White House, official residence of the President of the United States
- List of official residences
- Site R, nearby bunker and communications center
- Rapidan Camp, the predecessor of Camp David
- Camp Misty Mount Historic District and Camp Greentop Historic District, built at the same time in Catoctin Mountain Park as Camps 1 and 2.
References
External links
- Camp David official White House page
- Camp David from the Federation of American Scientists
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 23 September 2008, at 11:18.
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