We've been in the military for, oh, 8 and a half years now. We've lived in 4 states and 7 different houses in that time. I have to say the best place we lived was Monterey, Ca. I loved the ocean view, the beautiful parks, the weather, the friends (remember game day?), the ward. It was fun and just gorgeous.
The worst place was probably the 6 months we stayed in San Angelo, TX (sorry, Crystal). We were in a 2 bedroom, furnished apt, and we had 1 car. It had a pool, but it was out of commission for most of the summer. I spent a lot of time at the library and at the gym and the WIC drive-thru. Yes, they have a drive-thru. It was awesome. The friends were still awesome though.
I've always wanted to go overseas, but we're pretty much stuck here, not that I mind too much. I love the Ft Meade area. This is the place that's felt the most like home...the people that have felt the most like family. You know who you are. :)
Here's my question:
What's the best place you've been stationed? the worst? Where is your dream post?
8 comments:
Sam will surely on here and answer this far better then I will. The posts I don't want to EVER go to is the deserty west- like New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, or Death Valley. Sam's job does typically have to go to one of those (not Utah but the others) because they do research there because they are remote areas. I really don't want to go to any of them I do poorly in the desert west. I'm a midwest girl that basks in the humid heat- I know I'm sick and wrong, but I don't deal well with dry heat. Plus, did I mention, those posts are in the middle of no where- I would go insane.
Okay so we've been to Ft Meade, Wright Patterson AFB, and briefly Maxwell AFB (for training). Out of those I liked Maxwell the least, but I didn't hate it. It was just hard b/c we had one car and were staying in temp lodging that was one room (the kitchen, dining, and bedroom was all one room) and 1 bathroom. Not a super big deal b/c at the time we only had Bridgette who was about 5 months old. We met a family there though that we're still close to now though and followed us to Ft Meade and now WPAFB- how funny, but it's pretty awesome.
The best place we were stationed was Ft. Meade. We fell in love. Monterey was pretty awesome though and I have to say... we did like San Angelo =)
We've lived in Ft. Gordon, Georgia (near Augusta) twice now, Ft. Meade and Mannheim, Germany.
Mannheim was far and away the best place. I loved living in Europe. LOVED IT. The ward was small and close knit. I loved the ward at Ft. Meade, also, but there was something about the one in Germany that I don't think can ever be replicated. (It had a lot to do with the fact that it was right after 9/11 and all the husbands were heading out in the first wave of the war and it was all an unknown. When they all enlisted, the scariest assignment you could get was 6 months in Bosnia).
The worst place of the three is here in Georgia. Rednecks abound and my husband's hours are horrible. But it's not a terrible place. I've heard there are worse fates than Ft. Gordon (like Texas).
My dream is to go back to Europe--Spain or Portugal ideally, but I'll take anywhere.
We've been stationed in Monterey, San Angelo, Fort Meade, and Pensacola. The best was Fort Meade, with Monterey a close second. The worst, Pensacola, hands down. It never felt like home, and all the husbands were stressed to the max. Not fun.
I did the DLI, Goodfellow, Ft. Meade route as well, and then to Mildenhall, England--and now I'm back at Ft. Meade as a spouse. I've loved each location and all for different reasons. Ft. Meade is awesome because there's just SO much to do around here. I was only in Texas for 3 months, so it was fun, temporary, and I lived with my best friend. England was amazing and life changing. I went while I was still single, lived by myself for the first time in my life, traveled with girlfriends, and then eloped to Scotland with John, and eventually had Alora there too--I feel a tie to the UK now because of all of that.
I've found that moving around has everything to do with 1) your attitude and 2) the job. Your attitude can only take you so far if you or your husband is working horrible shift work and working for idiots that have the power to mess you over. Thankfully we haven't had that--but I know quite a few friends that have.
I've been quite a few places...here's the list in order:
Lackland AFB, TX: Least favorite by far, but shouldn't count; basic training. The actual area isn't bad, but it's also not anything fabulous IMHO...San Antonio is ok, but not great.
Keesler AFB, MS: Pretty nice area, when there isn't a hurricane coming through...I survived Hurricane Georges (yes that is spelled correctly) there. Otherwise, it was a good experience, and I made some good friends there.
Minot AFB, ND: Not as bad as people make it out to be, but probably my least favorite other than basic training because basic training is just not fun at all! :) Be prepared for long winters; get lots of indoor games. On the plus side, lots of family time!
Tyndall AFB, FL: This was for the ROTC 4-month training; area is nice but again I didn't get to enjoy the area much because it was training every day.
Fort Meade, MD: As far as jobs go, this is definitely my favorite area. When it comes to the actual base, the base is pretty run-down and lacking, especially by Air Force standards. When it comes to the surrounding area, and the wonderful people we met there, it is AMAZING!!! The drawbacks are concerns with the quality of the schools in some areas, and the cost of housing.
Maxwell AFB, AL (6-week training): This time, we had a life while in training, so I did get to experience the area; probably my least favorite area that I've been to for significant time as an officer, but not by much; the area isn't horrid, but it's not as good as other places I've been. The base is nice, but immediately off-base is a ghetto, so you either live on-base or a little ways away from base. The medical care is also quite a drive away if you want something more than being told you are dehydrated.
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH: *Wonderful* base, some people who have been around awhile call it the crown jewel of the entire military as far as bases go. Just to give you an idea of how big the base is, the annual Air Force marathon is held here in September, and runs around the perimeter without really going too far from the base at any point and without really doubling back, and even then it doesn't get all the way around the perimeter!
There's a lot of acquisitions and research here, in addition to the traditional stuff. This assignment has been fabulous, who can complain about going to school full-time?!
I am hard-pressed to pick a favorite; it would either be Fort Meade or Wright-Patterson AFB. I really miss the job at Fort Meade, but the actual base is much nicer here at Wright-Patt, and the area is very nice without being completely crowded, and my brother just moved here, totally awesome!! On the other hand, I really miss a lot of our friends out at Fort Meade, and there is always something to do in the immediate area. So, there's my dilemma, I just can't choose. In an ideal world, Fort Meade would be replaced by Wright-Patterson AFB but still be in Maryland (or Virginia), definitely put the Air Force in charge of the base not the Army, the Air Force takes better care of its bases, and the job would be the same, with all the job stuff to do still, but the immediate area would have traffic patterns resembling Wright-Patt. Then my dilemmas would all be solved!!! :) As it is, I would be happy either at Fort Meade or at Wright-Patt.
Monterey is awesome, but I used to live near there in a town called Hollister, CA when growing up, no experience directly with Monterey other than occasional visits to the aquarium there. I don't remember it real well, but remember having a great time there. I think the drawbacks of California would weigh on me enough to outweigh the benefits though and although it would be great to visit/be stationed for a tour, I wouldn't want to stay there or settle there. The Fort Meade or Wright-Patt areas are both nice enough that I would consider staying at either place permanently if given the chance.
Don't worry Ariella, when my dad was training in SA, my mom HATED it. So much that when my dad received orders to be an instructor my mom threw things. (She might have threatened to leave him, but that could just be my imagination) Now it's home and she even has a Texas license.
As a spouse I have lived at Ft Meade and Japan. That's it. All the other training was too short and we all know how long we tossed back and forth at Ft Meade. We loved the friends we made there so all was well. Japan has been fun, but it would be more fun if Cheyenne wasn't on a ship. There's something unfun about being in a foriegn country without your spouse. Sightseeing is not nearly as thrilling when you are sharing it with a precocious 3 year old and a screaming baby.
I second you Ariella, Monterey was wonderful! I to had an ocean view and was able to live in a cul-de-sac. If anyone is given the option to go to Monterey you are seriously crazy if you don't take it!!!
The other place we went was Sierra Vista, AZ. Not totally bad... but it easy to get board there. The husbnd was just National Guard, so he did his tour, and then wait to get out.... but I really enjoyed the military life style.
Post a Comment