How to Find a Navy Boot Camp Yearbook: A Guide for Genealogists, Historians, and Veterans

📌 This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to find U.S. Navy boot camp yearbooks, offering practical tips and resources for genealogists, historians, and veterans interested in tracking down these historical treasures from various Naval Training Centers.

Finding Copies of a Navy Boot Camp Book

Relevance to the United States Navy for Teachers, Students, Genealogists, Historians, and Others

The article Finding Copies of a Navy Boot Camp Book serves as an essential guide for those interested in locating U.S. Navy boot camp yearbooks from various Naval Training Centers. Whether for genealogical research, military history studies, or simply for nostalgic personal interest, this resource is invaluable to teachers, students, genealogists, and historians.

It provides a comprehensive and practical approach to obtaining these historically significant yearbooks, some of which are the only physical records of the experiences of sailors during their boot camp training.

Over the years, many of you have enquired about the United States Navy USNTC Boot Camp Graduation Books.

According to the Recruit Training Command, the longer the time after the publication of a yearbook, the more exclusive it becomes. Recruit Training Command contracts with a publisher for a certain number of copies based on the recruit division's size and the yearbook's pre-sale. The best way to obtain a copy of your yearbook is to find someone in your recruit company or division and buy it from them or get a scan of their book.

Introduction

The article "Finding Copies of a Navy Boot Camp Book" provides guidance on locating replacement yearbooks from various U.S. Navy boot camps. It highlights the challenges and potential avenues for obtaining these historically valuable items.

Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval Training and Education Yearbooks in the Navy Department Library

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/cruise-books/naval-training-and-education-yearbooks.html

Browse by Location:

• Bainbridge, MD Compass (Naval Training Center) 41 Books
• Great Lakes, IL The Keel (United States Naval Training Center) 228 Books
• Orlando, FL Rudder (Recruit Training Command, Naval Training Center) 31 Books
• San Diego, CA The Anchor (US Naval Training Center) 58 Books

The Anchor: Naval Training Center San Diego, CA

1. 1953 - Companies 46, 47, 55,127, 2012
2. 1954 - Company 197
3. 1955 - Company 324
4. 1956 - Companies 392, 509
5. 1957 - Company 548
6. 1958 - Companies 109, 512
7. 1959 - Companies 168, 408
8. 1960 - Companies 137, 191, unidentified
9. 1961 - Companies 228, 230, 232
10. 1962 - Company 298
11. 1963 - Companies 181, 242, 286, 523
12. 1964 - Companies 39, 79, 205
13. 1965 - Companies 300, 306, 307, 910
14. 1966 - Companies 32, 291, 710
15. 1967 - Company 634
16. 1968 - Recruit Brigade Review, 12 July 1968
17. 1969 - Companies 328, 523
18. 1970 - Company 68
19. 1971 - Companies 916, Drum & Bugle
20. 1972 - Companies 268, 319
21. 1973 - Companies 124, 149, 248
22. 1974 - Companies 167, 235
23. 1975 - Company 922
24. 1976 - Companies 185, 326
25. 1978 - Company 197
26. 1979 - Company 072
27. 1981 - Companies 63, 273
28. 1982 - Company 34
29. 1984 - Company 920
30. 1985 - Company 136

Compass: Naval Training Center Bainbridge, MD

1. 1951 - Companies 1-2, 3-4, 201-202, 333-334
2. 1952 - Companies 39-40, 256, 257
3. 1953 - Companies 162, 167, 336, 339
4. 1954 - Companies 43, 182, 265, 266, 320
5. 1955 - Companies 4, 61, 69, 122, 300
6. 1956 - Companies 80, 107, 111, 216, 227
7. 1957 - Companies 61, 70
8. 1958 - Companies 12, 27, 31-32, 33-34
9. 1959 - Companies 13-14

The Helm: Recruit Training Command US Naval Training Station Newport, RI

1. 1951 - Company 168

The Keel United States Naval Training Center Great Lakes, IL

1. 1948 - Companies 1-99, 166, 230-283, 359, 413, 427, 451, 456, 640
2. 1949 - Company 273
3. 1951 - Companies 29-30, 73-74, 201-202, 575, 633, 715, 744, 925
4. 1954 - Companies 55, 78
5. 1955 - Company 317, 580
6. 1956 - Companies 511, 64, 425
7. 1957 - Companies 252, 260, 294, 429
8. 1958 - Generic (no specific company), Company 366
9. 1959 - Companies 86, 170, 263, 381, 491
10. 1960 - Generic, no specific company
11. 1961 - Companies 76, 87, 5903
12. 1962 - Company 492
13. 1963 - Company 230
14. 1964 - Companies 101, 493
15. 1965 - Company 379, 580
16. 1966 - Companies 8, 377, 385, 424, 432, 731, 5930
17. 1967 - Companies 2, 208, 273, 561
18. 1968 - Companies 207, 400, 666
19. 1969 - Company 465
20. 1970 - Company 251
21. 1971 - Companies 52, 117, 147
22. 1972 - Company 088
23. 1973 - Company 130
24. 1974 - Companies 045, 75, 186, 415
25. 1975 - Company 240
26. 1976 - Company 229
27. 1977 - Company 936
28. 1978 - Company 918
29. 1982 - Generic, no specific company
30. 1985 - Company 907
31. 1995 - Generic, no specific company
32. Unidentified year - Company 250

Newport Naval Training Station Newport, RI

1. 1918

The Portal: US Naval Training Center Bainbridge, MD

1. 1954 - Companies 2, 26, 147, 148, 151, 152
2. 1955 - Companies 1, 11, 29, 30, 32
3. 1956 - Companies 16, 24, 27, 28, 31

Recruit Training Women - Bainbridge: US Naval Training Center Bainbridge, MD

1. 1961 - Companies 5-6, 15-16, 17-18, 19-20, 26- 
   28, 40-41

Rudder: Recruit Training Command Naval Training Center Orlando, FL

1. 1970 - Companies 56, 153
2. 1971 - Companies 073, 185
3. 1972 - Companies 064, 120, 128
4. 1974 - Company 029
5. 1977 - Training Units 196, 360
6. 1978 - Training Units 101, 216
7. 1980 - Training Unit 3018
8. 1981 - Training Units K108, 155, 3030
9. 1984 - Company C210
10. 1985 - Companies C027, C091, C224
11. 1986 - Companies C040, C058, 102, 132, 189
12. 1987 - Companies 191, 239
13. 1988 - Companies 011, 040, 216
14. 1992 - Company I032

The Ship's Bell: United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, MD

1. 1953 - Companies 113, 114

WAVES: US Naval Training and Distribution Center Shoemaker, CA

1. Company A, Women's Reserve Overseas Unit, Volume I
2. Company C, Overseas Unit, Volume II
3. Company E, WAVE Detachment, Overseas Unit, 1945
4. Company F, WAVE Detachment, Overseas Unit, 1945
5. Company J, Overseas Unit 12th Naval District, 1947

Last Updated 2022-12-10

Recruit Training Command: The Navy’s Only Bootcamp

https://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/faq.html

Q. I was in boot camp in the early 1960s. Can I receive a copy of The Keel from my time onboard Recruit Training Command?

A. The longer the time after the publication of a yearbook, the less likely you are to be able to obtain a copy. Recruit Training Command contracts with a publisher for a certain number of copies based on the recruit division's size and the yearbook's pre-sale. The best way to obtain a copy of your yearbook is to find someone in your recruiting company or division and buy it from them. Please do not e-mail asking for copies of The Keel or the publisher's name. If it has been longer than a year since your graduation, you cannot buy a copy of The Keel from the publisher.

 

AbeBooks

https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/united-states-naval-training-center/

Fold 3

Navy Boot Camp Books at Fold3

U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command:

https://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/

Please use this platform also to find potential copies of your lost yearbook:

https://www.facebook.com/NavyRecruitTrainingCommand/posts/past-boot-camp-photos-yearbooks-and-dvdsthe-following-information-regards-what-i/10153639593419651/

Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/market/navy_yearbook

eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/

Many graduation books are sold via eBay. To facilitate your search on eBay, we have listed below the different search options which will give you the best results:

• Naval Training Center -matchbook -postcard -patch -coin
• the Rudder yearbook
• the Rudder navy
• Orlando Rudder
• the Anchor yearbook
• the Anchor San Diego
• the Keel great lakes
• the keel yearbook
• the Compass yearbook
• the Compass Bainbridge
• the Compass naval
• the Compass Bainbridge

As sellers are not uniform in what they call the book, it is best to work with more generic search terms. When setting up a search, include descriptions for Keel Great Lakes, Anchor San Diego, Keel Navy Book, or Anchor Navy Book.

NavyVets.com

Navy Veterans: A Social Network for Navy Veterans of the United States of America. Blog posting: The Anchor Yearbook - Read the comments by:

• Reunion Rudders RTC Orlando (2017-05-24)
• JO1 Jon Yim (retired), explains the yearbook process and history.

While the post focus was Orlando, the responses from the two postings listed above could be applied to Great Lakes, San Diego, Bainbridge, and Newport. (Page Removed from site)

Setting Up a Google Alert

Google Alerts are emails sent to you when Google finds new results -- such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs -- that match your search term.

You can use Google Alerts to monitor anything on the Web. We recommend setting up a broad-based query keyword such as 1951 Navy Keel Book or US Navy Graduation Book Company 343.

If you start receiving too many results that need to be more relevant, add more words to your queries, such as 1951 Navy Keel Book Great Lakes Company 343. One final note is that these books do not have a common name everyone uses to refer to them. Considering this, it is best not to insert queries within quotes.

Other options Include:

• Local Genealogical Society Libraries
• Biblio.com and other Used Book Stores, Online, and "Brick & Mortar" Stores
• Remember, you can use inter-library loan services for intra and interstate book loans at Public Libraries.
• Colleges and Universities (Unlikely but not beyond the realm of possibility)
• Military memorabilia dealers
• Local auctions

Contact your fellow sailors from boot camp. They are often your best source for a scanned copy.

We hope that this comprehensive list assists you in your search to replace your boot camp book. Unfortunately, we lack the resources to help you directly with your search.

Q: I was wondering why you don't have all the U.S. Navy "The Anchor" annuals. I went through boot camp beginning on Jan 12, 1978, but I can't find any record of it on your site.

A: I'm not quite sure what you're referring to when you say "annuals," such as the 1980 Anchor Yearbook, which presumably has all of the recruits who graduated during 1980. Not to be confused about all the company yearbooks that graduated in 1980, such as company 008 from 1980. Although we have an extensive collection of the company yearbooks, they are nowhere near complete. From 1946 through 2020 (75 Years), assuming there were about 600 companies per year, there would be 45,000 Books — for Great Lakes. San Diego was operational from 1923-1997 (74 years) for San Diego, so covering San Diego during the years it operated would add another 45,000 books. Add another 30,000 books covering Orlando. Just with these three Naval Training Centers, we would be looking somewhere in the neighborhood of 120,000 volumes of books.

 

We could purchase all of them for an average cost of $50 each, which would come up to about $6 million. On top of this, there is storage, insurance, the cost of scanning, and the cost of transcribing each book. You can envision how massive this would be regarding resources for a complete collection.

That being said, we rely almost entirely on the generosity of sailors and their families to donate books or high-resolution copies of the books. That's why it is completely hit or miss whether we have your graduation book.

Key Points

• Challenges in Availability: Limited copies due to time elapsed since publication.
• Sources for Yearbooks: Various websites and online marketplaces.
• Alternative Methods: Libraries, military memorabilia dealers, and direct contact with fellow sailors.

Summary

The article outlines ways to find Navy boot camp yearbooks, emphasizing online sources and personal networks.

Conclusion

Obtaining a replacement Navy boot camp yearbook requires persistence, utilizing online platforms, libraries, and reaching out to past recruits.

Key Highlights and Engaging Content

Challenges in Obtaining Yearbooks

The article clearly outlines the difficulty in obtaining yearbooks, especially the further one is from the publication date. The Recruit Training Command's process of printing limited copies based on pre-sale data and recruit division size makes these books increasingly exclusive over time. This insight is crucial for genealogists researching their military ancestors or historians studying the evolution of naval training and its records. 📚⚓

List of Resources for Finding Yearbooks

A standout feature is the comprehensive list of sources where users can find Navy yearbooks. The article references websites such as Naval History and Heritage Command, Fold3, Etsy, and eBay, which provide avenues for obtaining yearbooks from specific Naval Training Centers like Great Lakes, San Diego, Bainbridge, and others.

This section is incredibly useful for military historians and students researching historical military training at these locations. The image captions (e.g., "Immigrants Held Under Detention at Ellis Island" and "The Keel yearbook") are linked to different training centers, adding to the article's educational value. 💻💡

Search Strategies for Finding Yearbooks

The article provides several practical tips on how to search for yearbooks, particularly through generic search terms on platforms like eBay and Google Alerts.

The inclusion of real-world examples like specific yearbook names (e.g., "Keel Great Lakes" or "Anchor San Diego") is highly relevant for individuals looking to track down specific editions or companies within the yearbooks. This helps streamline the search process and is particularly useful for teachers and students who may be looking to teach or study these historical artifacts. 🔍📖

Personal Networks as a Resource

Another key point is the personal connection suggested—finding someone from the recruit's company or division and purchasing a copy from them or obtaining a scan of their book.

This method is particularly valuable for genealogists tracing family history and veterans reconnecting with old comrades. The social aspect adds a layer of personal engagement to the historical research process, making it more dynamic and accessible. 👫👬

Ethical Considerations and Financial Constraints

The article also touches on the ethical issue of accessibility and the financial constraints faced by organizations attempting to preserve these yearbooks. The logistical challenge of acquiring and maintaining 120,000 books—spread across multiple decades and locations—is a significant hurdle.

This aspect is valuable for historians interested in archival preservation and military researchers who seek to understand the barriers faced by public and private institutions in maintaining military records. 🏛️💰

Educational and Historical Insights

Historical Context of Navy Training: The yearbooks themselves are more than just commemorative items; they offer a snapshot of the military culture, training experiences, and daily life of recruits during boot camp.

For teachers, these yearbooks serve as valuable primary sources for teaching about military life in the 20th century, specifically the changes in training processes, equipment, and the demographic makeup of recruits over the years. 🏫🧑‍🏫

Impact on Military Genealogy: For genealogists, these yearbooks serve as essential tools for piecing together the stories of ancestors who served in the Navy. They provide names, faces, and company numbers—crucial data points for anyone researching military service history. This makes the yearbooks not only a personal keepsake but also a key resource in documenting familial ties to military service. 🌳👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Social and Cultural Insights: The yearbooks capture the diversity of Navy recruits over the decades, which reflects broader social and cultural shifts in the United States. For historians, they offer a microcosmic view of how different groups were represented in the military during different eras. 📅🌍

Final Thoughts

Finding Copies of a Navy Boot Camp Book is a highly practical article that addresses the challenges and resources available for obtaining Navy boot camp yearbooks. For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this article offers invaluable insights into military documentation and preservation efforts, while also emphasizing the human stories behind these historical artifacts. It connects the past and present, illustrating the importance of maintaining and locating these records for future generations.

The guidance on navigating online sources, interpersonal networks, and library resources makes it a must-read for anyone involved in military history or genealogy research, offering practical solutions to a common problem faced by families and researchers alike.