21. Camp David is an operating military facility when the president is there and when he is not.
Naval Support Facility Thurmont is an operating US Naval facility, staffed with Navy and Marine Corps personnel. Most of the maintenance and support operations are performed by the sailors; the Marines are stationed there to provide security. One responsibility for the military personnel stationed at Camp David is to ensure that it is ready, in all aspects, for a presidential visit at any time. Since FDR’s first visit, when the camp was manned by crew from the presidential yacht, supplemented by US Marines and Seabees, the Navy has been tasked with maintaining the property.
Of all the presidents since Camp David opened as Shangri La, only Harry Truman and Gerald Ford exhibited a reluctance to visit the facility (except the current occupant of the Oval Office in 2019). Truman’s objections to the camp have been noted, and Ford preferred other forms of recreation. The other ten availed themselves of the facilities with varying degrees of frequency, and all of their wives praised the camp for its services, its ability to help the president relax, and the performance of the men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps who complete their tasks while remaining, as much as possible, in the background.
