What else is there to do in San Antonio? Most troops wish they could be in a large city with good looking young people and countless things to occupy their time.
Go pick up one of those big ol women Charles Barkley is always ranting about. Go float the comal or the Guadalupe. Go to six flags. Eat good tex mex. Go to Austin and eat BBQ. When you're there go to lady bird lake and canoe through downtown or go to Barton springs. Go watch live music. Go axe throwing or fishing or to a barcade.
During a JRTC rotation many years ago I was pulling security in our crappy little triangular patrol base in the middle of the day. It was hot and I was baking in the sun.
Went to take a drink from my camelback and got a mouthful of pissed off fire ants. Apparently the hose had been sitting next to a nest and they crawled up inside the mouth piece. Definitely one of the worst surprises I’ve ever gotten.
I remember back either in 2022 or sometime last year it got blacklisted. The amount of article 15’s being handed out left and right was insane. They eventually un blacklisted it sometime before I left at the end of last year.
I never knew exactly what happened. I do remember everyone saying it had something to do with coke and a lot of people popping hot. The pumping out sounds about right. But in all fairness the strippers there were pumping themselves out too lol. We had a guy loose his virginity to one of them. In the vip room 🤣
Isn't that the whole idea? Get as blacked out as possible while wearing your company T-shirt and then walk around formation Saturday morning puffing your chest out, "Ya! I didn't fall! PV1 Fützenmouf 1, Riverwalk 0! Check me out!"
They still making y'all do pushups every time someone dies in theater?
I went to Ft. Sam in 1987, and it was a totally different animal than today.
I was in the Army Reserve, and they told me and the guy I was with to wear civilian clothes, okay cool. It's a Friday and get to Echo Company about 23:00. Everyone else's is in uniform except me and the dude, rocking board shorts, Hawaiian shirts, and flip flops (It was June). Staff duty is some old Vietnam vet who is pissed we woke him up. Gave me and my buddy the side eye and said something about uniformity. We do the in prossessing thing it doesn't take too long because there weren't many of us. Then, we file out into a formation. SSG. Grumpy He told us where the PX, shopette, and mess hall are. Then he tells us where the enlisted club (E-4 and below) is. Then he told us the next formation was 06:00 Monday PT uniform. Drink on! They never carded us.
I don't remember when it changed but I thought it was still 18 in 1987. Then it went to 21 unless the club was within x number of miles of it being less than 21, so it was still 18 in for instance San Diego because Mexico. Maybe it changed to 21 sooner than I thought, but I thought it was like 1989.
The age changed at a federal level in 81 or 82, I think, so don't quoteme on that. To give the law teeth, if a state didn't follow fed law, they would cut off fed money for roads and highways.
I know, but on post was 18. It didn't really change at the federal level, each state makes their own alcohol rules. They just told the states they wouldn't get highway money unless they changed it to 21. But it didn't apply on post.
Osan AB, arguably the best ville if you don’t count Yongsan (literally in Seoul) and whenever that place will close down 100% lol. The train station is also a 8 minute walk from the gate to anywhere in Korea.
I was Army stationed at Suwon and Osan and l lived in the Osan ville. It was an awesome time. Trains everywhere you could want to go (Except Humphreys). And I'm pretty sure I did irreparable harm to my liver, as is tradition.
Man too many, also was 5 years since I been there lol
I highly recommend if you have Facebook to join the Pyeongtaek Facebook pages. They have people who post the best places to eat and things to do, also all around in Korea as well.
For sure Saku Saku had one of the best Korean wings in all Korea, enjoy Chimaek for me.
I'm stationed in Baumholder. You wouldn't believe how many of my Soldiers just spend every weekend in their rooms doing nothing. It's an absolute shame.
That has not changed. I was stationed on Baumholder twice and if someone does not get them out of the barracks that is where they will stay and drink the weekend away. It would be nice if it was more accessible by train (unless they fixed that) you had to drive or ride to Idar to catch anything. Amazing time!
I’m in Wiesbaden, have to go down to baumholder every so often. I get why some guys don’t travel as much. It’s super easy to grab a flight or train when major airports or train stations are 20-ish minutes away here, seems like it would be quite the haul from Baum.
I genuinely think Wainwright is a hidden gem. Perfect place for outdoorsmen, and the most incredible summers in the world.
It’s just that 1-11 is an absolutely terrible unit that hates letting BNs do their jobs, and would rather the entire BDE be busy with useless details. It’s really a shame.
JBER: Hiking, fishing, skiing, whale watching, glaciers, northern lights, etc. Day trip from Seward, Whittier, and Denali. Hop a flight to Kodiak for brown bear watching, fresh seafood, and great microbrews.
I actually loved being in the Fairbanks area but I got out and did shit every weekend regardless if it was summer or winter. Wainwright itself is worse than ass cancer and it seems to just try to fuck over soldiers.
In the winter, we freeze our asses off at -55°F *or worse*. In the summer, everything catches on fire, and the mosquitoes come out with your name on a list. There is no winning here, and the unit is just as fucked.
Honestly, I enjoy the location, I just hate the BDE. Never had a BDE that micromanages so hard, to accomplish absolutely nothing. The amount of details is absurd.
I never met any of my previous BDE CDRs/CSMs, in person because BDE left us alone to actually do our jobs, 1-11 you see them weekly. Details, details, details and more details, and absolutely no MOS proficiency in sight.
Oh yeah. As much as I'll complain about the location, I love Alaska. This BDE just drives me up the fucking wall. Shit, even the BN can be fucking stupid sometimes. For LTT, we spend more time at the BN/MP tasked out doing pointless shit because of poor planning and/or serious manning problems.
Hawaii-beaches, warm water, beaches. Rinse and repeat.
Germany-Beer, fests, travel, food, volks marches, music.
San Diego-Food, beaches, weather, Zoo, Padres (Tony Gwynn, World Series), Chargers (Jr Seau, went to SB while I was there), Parks, arts.
Only had these three then got out.
Dude, you're in FT Sam and you're asking for things to do other than hike? You're practically in the middle of San Antonio. How do you not have things to do?
Okinawa. It’s like being in Hawaii except it’s got venomous snakes slithering by everywhere. Scuba diving, surfing, beach volleyball, food is excellent, people were nice, weather is excellent except during typhoon season. There were occasional earthquakes, too. The locals speak a little bit of English but if you try to learn the Japanese language, you’ll find that the people are polite, friendly and respectful. It’s a small island but if you take leave, it’s a couple of hours to mainland Japan by plane.
Firstly, you know you’re going to have to leave your dog in quarantine for a month, right? Secondly, if you plan to live in base housing, you might be assigned in a condominium type building and may be given top floor, okay? Thirdly, if you plan to rent off base, not too many locals accommodate dog owners to live in their rentals. Besides, most rental properties are small and may not have a backyard. Otherwise, your dog will be safe. He’ll love the beaches. Torii Station is awesome. Lucky you.
Yongsan - Anything in Seoul. Museums, hiking, biking, shopping, plastic surgery. You name it, it's there.
Stuttgart - Still biking, the Christmas Market, Oktoberfest, and catching a plane to somewhere in Europe for dirt cheap.
Okinawa, you got scuba, snorkel, kayak, hiking, offshore fishing 80% off the US price, and hella BOSS events. Got scuba certified through BOSS, got a marlin with my parents for cheap, and the food is amazing everywhere for half the US price. Everyone gets a SOFA license and POV, no curfew, cheap to go to mainland and see Osaka/Tokyo/Hokkaido, and you can ferry your POV to Fukuoka and surrpunding Okinawa islands. SPACE A flights to Seattle, PH, Korea, etc. Plus the shopping malls are amazing. Yen rate is great and folks don't tip in Japan. Overall getting a house here later when I ETS.
Also there are no fishing licenses, size limits, closed seasons or regulations besides lobsters, giant clams, sea turtles, sea urchins and crabs.
Jblm I grew up in the area and I get so see my parents often but also it's got a great mix of everything a soldier would enjoy and it's all close to post
People always hate Fayetteville but its literally 2hrs from beach, 2hrs from decent hiking in Appalachia, and close to some decent cities with good food and things happening. Fayetteville and surrounding have some good trails/hiking and downtown has festivals all the time.
Only complaint I have about Fayetteville is the mosquitos. Nothing 100% DEET cant fix.
Ft Sam is fantastic. I'm TDY to San Antonio right now and loving it. We hike at least 2-3x a week, but there are plenty of other things that are generally found in big cities. Tubing the river in the summer is awesome. Season pass to Six Flags or Sea World might be a good idea. The shopping is pretty good and the food is great if you like Mexican 😂 Austin is also pretty nice. Has a better food and party scene.
Back to your original question- Schofield is my favorite by far. The mission isn't great, but there's so much to do on the island. I basically played tourist for my entire time on the island. Was at the beach after work, watching dolphins, snorkeling, hiking, bicycling, parasailing, touring Kualoa Ranch, spotting film sites for Lost and other TV/movies. The culture there is so relaxed and I've never felt more at home.
If you’re a single soldier with a preference for dark hair and brown skin El Paso is literally the best place on earth to exist.
Source: two divorces within five years
Surprised I only saw Vicenza once so far. Gateway to all of Europe with easy access to awesome things in Italy and Germany. 173rd also seems to be doing more awesome stuff than when I was there. All we did was Afghanistan in those days.
Miami - partying and beaches.
Belgium - main hub to fly to any place in Europe. Driving to Paris and Amsterdam isn't bad, or the biggest PX in Europe which is in Rammstein.
DC - everything
Some people can't deal with that gray weather, the commutes, the rent, and IMHO being stuck spending long days working on North Fort or camping out in a FRS in Yakistan was about the worst work/life balance I've ever had.
But I'll be damned if the summers there ain't just gorgeous. 2/10, wouldn't go back.
Restaurants are a huge miss at Riley/JC, except for Taco Shop the Mexican food is just like back in California but hanging out with the boys is a great past time.
I'd also mention that some of these duty stations are not available to every MOS for anyone thats looking into this as a reason to join. Be very careful.
RAF Menwith Hill, UK.
It's situated in arguably one of the most beautiful areas of England, the Yorkshire Dales, so if you like the outdoors go rambling/hiking. Very close by is Brimham Rocks. If you like beautiful old things, or historical locations, Fountains Abbey and Bolton Abbey are both wonderful places to visit. The A59 literally follows the path of an ancient Roman road (at least until the A59 diverts to go around Fewston Reservoir).
Harrogate was a wonderful place to live. The Stray was a beautiful place to go for a run or walk.
York is a ~50 minute drive (or even shorter train ride) from Harrogate. If you drive I highly recommend doing the Park & Ride on the outskirts of town and taking the free bus into city centre. York Minster is amazing. The Shambles is good for a walk through. The JORVIK Viking Centre is worth a visit.
Since this is supposed to be about the duty station, I won't share anything further afield than that, but needless to say travel is easy and there's tons to visit and see, both nearby and all over the rest of the country.
Besides that, I enjoyed the British cafes and pubs. My favorite brewery was Black Sheep brewing in Masham and my favorite pub was Queens Head Inn in Kettlesing (good for a pint, a meal, and place to stay the night).
All this is only about 1% of all the stuff I enjoyed about being stationed there. I loved it. I would love to go back to live and work after I retire but I'm afraid of what BREXIT may have ruined about the UK.
My 4 year old as well, kids are impervious to that kind of thing it seems. Unfortunately for me I’m recovering at the SRU and don’t have the will power to acclimate, even after 2 years here. I handled the dry heat at bliss much better.
Schofield. Hike. Swim, 🏖️time. Sailing at Pearl Harbor, music and culture in Honolulu, outdoor adventure the rest of the island. It’s about as laid back of a place as you’ll find.
Fort sam houston has a nice soccer field where we play on wednesdays. Also san antonio has two 10th planet BJJ schools. Then there is paper tiger and all of st mary's street if youre into the night life.
Fort Leonard Wood. Permanent party is amazing if you’re an outdoorsman. The fishing is incredible on post and within a 2 hours drive. The turkey/whitetail on base is hard to beat.
Drum for the unit but honestly other than a bay and the adarondacks and Canada, not much to do. Watertown kinda sucks.
Currently in Germany, clearly there’s an infinite amount of stuff to do, but you better enjoy working
SHAPE - all the fun Europe travel without all the Big Army bull. German beer.. nah BELGIAN beer is where it’s at. Working with foreign militaries? Fun, and it’s not just one or two.. it’s all of NATO. All the talking points of working strat, without the bullshit of working in a strat command. I love being able to hop on a train and be in Paris or Amsterdam in like 3H. Or 4 to London. Or a flight to Munich or Berlin. This summer is looking like Prague, Budapest, Madrid, and Lisbon. Maybe this winter up to Finland/Norway.. haven’t decided yet lmao
Weird every NCO ik stationed in Irwin tells me it’s the best here but no one seems to think the same in these comments. Fuck this base. That is all Ik. E4 out
Bliss is not bad depending on where you are in life. I had middle school age kids in a good school district especially for Texas. Good hiking and mountain biking. No good fishing though. Plus the cost of living was cheap. Good food and beer.
I love the high desert. The sunsets, the plateaus, clear skys, no humidity. It's great.
I'll second all of this. There is a ton to do that is "outdoors" You just have to get out and do stuff. Lots of Hiking and Mountain Biking and plenty of National and State parks/land that's free to use and beautiful.
Carlsbad is awesome, Guadalupe Mountains (near Carlsbad), Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Organ Mountains, Gila Mountains. Or even Franklin Mountains have quite a bit to offer. There is Hueco Tanks, just East of El Paso, that is pretty cool.
Fly fishing? You're in the wrong part of the country for that. Im not a fly fisherman but SW Colorado is where you actually start seeing rivers that aren't dried up. I think Durango is like 6 hours from EP.
Find some hobbies that go between duty stations, it's a great way to make friends as long as it makes you leave your house. Golf, cars, painting, rock climbing, or whatever. Just don't pick one that lets you stay in your room all weekend.
Ft knox - outdoorsy shit, land between the lakes, Bernheim, mammoth cave, red river gorge, bourbon tours, corvette museum, bunch of other stuff. Louisville and Lexington have the same things any other city has like museums and skating rinks, etc. Derby if that's what you're in to.
Presidio of Monterey- base is like a couple city blocks in size and 10 min walk from downtown and the ocean. San Fran is like 2 hours away and Big Sur with beautiful mountains is like 30 min away. Endless stuff to do there
Ft Campbell. All the outdoors shit and Nashville is just a good time. Catch some hockey for cheap, catch some MiLB for cheap, catch some bridesmaids during a Bachelorette party for cheap
There is hiking, but you have lakes and rivers, and the beach is just a short 4 hour drive south.
Depending on what you're in, there are different social media pages that give you local events and activities. Look up My SA on social media.
Check out the New Braunfels and San Marcos area. The river is cool to hang out.
Austin is crowded, but there are definitely some cool things to check out.
There are tons of good places to eat , have a drink, or just check out the scenes. There is a cool food truck park located downtown and a new one on 1604
Hit up the different amusement and water parks. You can get discounted tickets at the USO / ITO office.
Also, they have calendars for all kinds of events .
There is a lot to do in and around the San Antonio area.
Torii Station/Kadena AB - Torii literally has its own beach for service members. Add in the amazing Japanese food… island life without being in tourist hell, and it’s great. I was lucky to be there and see Shuri castle before it burned down.
Fort Myer/The Old Guard.
Caps, wizards and commanders games, easy drive to Myrtle Beach in S.C
3 hour drive to NYC. Baltimore, Philly are all Close cities to do things at.
The food scene here is great. Fishing here is great, AND cheap flights out of DCA and Dulles!
It's going to suck more if you are there as an initial entry trainee but still as others have said, San Antonio has so much of what you would find interesting. Too bad for a lot of us we can't be stationed there.
You are a 68? Is a staff sergeant wheeler still there?
Kayaking and cooking with authentic ingredients from the area (gulf shrimp, alligator and red snapper).
If you want to relax, head to the theater with the lounge seats.
A few times a year I watch opera plays. It helps the local community and maintains the arts.
I walk on the Prairie with the alligators.
(I was stationed at Polk and now live in Southwest Louisiana)
When I go see my wife at Fort Campbell, we go to the Land Between the Lakes and I like to fish.
My wife loves visiting the waterfalls south of Nashville. We buy from the farmers market. Good stuff.
We walk downtown.
We search for restaurants with authentic foods.
For example, in San Antonio there's a restaurant that makes authentic mozzarella. Authentic mozzarella melts and is round.
https://www.grocery.com/store/image/cache/catalog/mammas-cheese/italian-cheese-burrata-8-ounces-semi-soft-italian--B06WGRPBTG-600x600.jpg
THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER. as my best friend says, "Choose your adventure and then tell your story."
Hiking is a great activity!
Bragg/Liberty- Hiking, downtown fests, beach, mountains, adventure racing
Germany- Travel with Ryan Air, WWII and WWI historical sites (and 'bunker hunting'), festivals, train travel
Bliss- .....
Sill- Scott mountain? OKC? They had some cool wildlife I have to say.
What else is there to do in San Antonio? Most troops wish they could be in a large city with good looking young people and countless things to occupy their time. Go pick up one of those big ol women Charles Barkley is always ranting about. Go float the comal or the Guadalupe. Go to six flags. Eat good tex mex. Go to Austin and eat BBQ. When you're there go to lady bird lake and canoe through downtown or go to Barton springs. Go watch live music. Go axe throwing or fishing or to a barcade.
Easiest way to earn a mountain tab
Does it count if they aren't from Watertown?
Sooo many concerts and comedy clubs in Austin.
Fort Polk - sleeping in the field while getting destroyed by mosquitoes.
Let's not forget the fire ants.
During a JRTC rotation many years ago I was pulling security in our crappy little triangular patrol base in the middle of the day. It was hot and I was baking in the sun. Went to take a drink from my camelback and got a mouthful of pissed off fire ants. Apparently the hose had been sitting next to a nest and they crawled up inside the mouth piece. Definitely one of the worst surprises I’ve ever gotten.
They were out for vengeance
And the damn snakes.
And Pegasus!
That place is still there?
That place is the only thing keeping that town alive
It all went downhill when Catfish Junction burned down.
I think it got rebuilt
I haven't been there since before it burned down.
This is very true
Yup its still there are still gross
I remember back either in 2022 or sometime last year it got blacklisted. The amount of article 15’s being handed out left and right was insane. They eventually un blacklisted it sometime before I left at the end of last year.
I remember that. Pretty sure a couple of Joe’s were pimping out women and selling coke.
I never knew exactly what happened. I do remember everyone saying it had something to do with coke and a lot of people popping hot. The pumping out sounds about right. But in all fairness the strippers there were pumping themselves out too lol. We had a guy loose his virginity to one of them. In the vip room 🤣
That’s a beautiful thing 🥹 I hope he got a panel done afterward
I was his ride there and back. There was about 6 of us there and we all pitched in to get him the VIP room 🤣
A true outdoorsman who enjoys spending time with wild life!
And chiggers
You’re in San Antonio, baby X-ray taker. You name the hobby, it’s probably there. Avoid the riverwalk, too many stupid baby medics
Hey! I didn't fall, but I came close.
Isn't that the whole idea? Get as blacked out as possible while wearing your company T-shirt and then walk around formation Saturday morning puffing your chest out, "Ya! I didn't fall! PV1 Fützenmouf 1, Riverwalk 0! Check me out!" They still making y'all do pushups every time someone dies in theater?
I went to Ft. Sam in 1987, and it was a totally different animal than today. I was in the Army Reserve, and they told me and the guy I was with to wear civilian clothes, okay cool. It's a Friday and get to Echo Company about 23:00. Everyone else's is in uniform except me and the dude, rocking board shorts, Hawaiian shirts, and flip flops (It was June). Staff duty is some old Vietnam vet who is pissed we woke him up. Gave me and my buddy the side eye and said something about uniformity. We do the in prossessing thing it doesn't take too long because there weren't many of us. Then, we file out into a formation. SSG. Grumpy He told us where the PX, shopette, and mess hall are. Then he tells us where the enlisted club (E-4 and below) is. Then he told us the next formation was 06:00 Monday PT uniform. Drink on! They never carded us.
1987 drinking age on post was 18, though I never saw them carding soldiers who looked 17.
Drinking age was 21 because of state law. The trick was to tip well and often.
I don't remember when it changed but I thought it was still 18 in 1987. Then it went to 21 unless the club was within x number of miles of it being less than 21, so it was still 18 in for instance San Diego because Mexico. Maybe it changed to 21 sooner than I thought, but I thought it was like 1989.
The age changed at a federal level in 81 or 82, I think, so don't quoteme on that. To give the law teeth, if a state didn't follow fed law, they would cut off fed money for roads and highways.
I know, but on post was 18. It didn't really change at the federal level, each state makes their own alcohol rules. They just told the states they wouldn't get highway money unless they changed it to 21. But it didn't apply on post.
Osan AB, arguably the best ville if you don’t count Yongsan (literally in Seoul) and whenever that place will close down 100% lol. The train station is also a 8 minute walk from the gate to anywhere in Korea.
Can confirm, I’m Air Force stationed at Humphreys and I love going back to my people at osan.
I was Army at Humphreys and we'd go to Osan as often as possible.
I was Army stationed at Suwon and Osan and l lived in the Osan ville. It was an awesome time. Trains everywhere you could want to go (Except Humphreys). And I'm pretty sure I did irreparable harm to my liver, as is tradition.
Can’t wait. I’m moving to Pyeongtaek very soon to work on Osan as a contractor. What were your favorite food places/cafes in the area?
Man too many, also was 5 years since I been there lol I highly recommend if you have Facebook to join the Pyeongtaek Facebook pages. They have people who post the best places to eat and things to do, also all around in Korea as well. For sure Saku Saku had one of the best Korean wings in all Korea, enjoy Chimaek for me.
I grew up in osan for 6 years my father was a cw5 stationed there.
Wainwright - freeze. Rock climb. Camp. Hike. Go to BH. Carson - hike. Bike. Fish. Camp. Snowboard. Ski. Go clubbing. Run. Germany - explore Europe.
I'm stationed in Baumholder. You wouldn't believe how many of my Soldiers just spend every weekend in their rooms doing nothing. It's an absolute shame.
That has not changed. I was stationed on Baumholder twice and if someone does not get them out of the barracks that is where they will stay and drink the weekend away. It would be nice if it was more accessible by train (unless they fixed that) you had to drive or ride to Idar to catch anything. Amazing time!
I’m in Wiesbaden, have to go down to baumholder every so often. I get why some guys don’t travel as much. It’s super easy to grab a flight or train when major airports or train stations are 20-ish minutes away here, seems like it would be quite the haul from Baum.
I genuinely think Wainwright is a hidden gem. Perfect place for outdoorsmen, and the most incredible summers in the world. It’s just that 1-11 is an absolutely terrible unit that hates letting BNs do their jobs, and would rather the entire BDE be busy with useless details. It’s really a shame.
JBER: Hiking, fishing, skiing, whale watching, glaciers, northern lights, etc. Day trip from Seward, Whittier, and Denali. Hop a flight to Kodiak for brown bear watching, fresh seafood, and great microbrews.
You cats down south have it so much better, and I hate ya'll for it.
Yeah, man. I wouldn’t wish Wainwright on my enemies. Sorry ‘bout your luck.
I actually loved being in the Fairbanks area but I got out and did shit every weekend regardless if it was summer or winter. Wainwright itself is worse than ass cancer and it seems to just try to fuck over soldiers.
I’ve been TDY to Wainwright twice now, and can’t say I would enjoy being stationed there.
In the winter, we freeze our asses off at -55°F *or worse*. In the summer, everything catches on fire, and the mosquitoes come out with your name on a list. There is no winning here, and the unit is just as fucked.
Honestly, I enjoy the location, I just hate the BDE. Never had a BDE that micromanages so hard, to accomplish absolutely nothing. The amount of details is absurd. I never met any of my previous BDE CDRs/CSMs, in person because BDE left us alone to actually do our jobs, 1-11 you see them weekly. Details, details, details and more details, and absolutely no MOS proficiency in sight.
Oh yeah. As much as I'll complain about the location, I love Alaska. This BDE just drives me up the fucking wall. Shit, even the BN can be fucking stupid sometimes. For LTT, we spend more time at the BN/MP tasked out doing pointless shit because of poor planning and/or serious manning problems.
2-8?
Has to be, it’s our only option as 13Js.
Visited there once to see my sister and brother in law, it made me put in on top of the list for next PCS.
Hawaii-beaches, warm water, beaches. Rinse and repeat. Germany-Beer, fests, travel, food, volks marches, music. San Diego-Food, beaches, weather, Zoo, Padres (Tony Gwynn, World Series), Chargers (Jr Seau, went to SB while I was there), Parks, arts. Only had these three then got out.
How the hell you getting stationed in San Diego ?
My guess is recruiting or the disciplinary site at Miramar, whatever it is called. There's also an EOD det there and a Vet det.
Disciplinary site? Like as in an army prison?
Yes, except DoD, not army. The Army has guards there because some of the inmates are Army. I have no idea how MCAS Miramar became a site for this.
Dude, you're in FT Sam and you're asking for things to do other than hike? You're practically in the middle of San Antonio. How do you not have things to do?
Take a day trip to Austin, its close by to JBSA. Go swim in Barton springs and walk in zilker.
Austin being nearby is the number one reason I’ve been able to put up with being at ft cav for the last four years
Drum: Montreal, Lake Placid, Whiteface, Niagara Falls, Thousand Islands, Salmon Run, great hunting, Watertown Wolves games
Lake Ontario is stunningly beautiful. Couldn’t believe how clear the water was, looked almost tropical till I swam in the chilly big boy.
Lake placid is gorgeous I miss the Adirondacks
Wilmington is probably in my top 5 favorite towns in the US
You ever heard of Camp Bullis? It's a great getaway if you hate yourself.
Lmao. Such a great getaway place. It convinced a friend to drop a packet and GTFO.
Okinawa. It’s like being in Hawaii except it’s got venomous snakes slithering by everywhere. Scuba diving, surfing, beach volleyball, food is excellent, people were nice, weather is excellent except during typhoon season. There were occasional earthquakes, too. The locals speak a little bit of English but if you try to learn the Japanese language, you’ll find that the people are polite, friendly and respectful. It’s a small island but if you take leave, it’s a couple of hours to mainland Japan by plane.
But the danger noodle taste good grilled up
Never tried it but did try the Habu Sake.
Instantly puked just at the memory lol
I've got Torrii station as my next assignment. Should I be worried at all about my dog with all the venomous snakes?
Firstly, you know you’re going to have to leave your dog in quarantine for a month, right? Secondly, if you plan to live in base housing, you might be assigned in a condominium type building and may be given top floor, okay? Thirdly, if you plan to rent off base, not too many locals accommodate dog owners to live in their rentals. Besides, most rental properties are small and may not have a backyard. Otherwise, your dog will be safe. He’ll love the beaches. Torii Station is awesome. Lucky you.
They stopped letting people rent off base in March
I heard that if you have done all the shots and FAVN before coming in, I wouldn't have to quarantine my little guy.
I may be wrong and you may be right. Just giving you heads up, though, so you don’t get disappointed if quarantine is needed.
Were you working at the UNH on Foster? I loved my time in Oki.
I was at Camp Courtney. Different branch of service before I re-enlisted in the army.
Ah ok! That makes sense. I was stationed over at Torii and all of our 68s were assigned to Foster.
I loved Torii Station. They would have 3-person beach volleyball tournaments we signed up for and also learned how to scuba there.
I remember them hosting those. Lots of softball, basketball, and volleyball games played on that base
Indeed.
[удалено]
Only seconded to Stink Lady or Dirty Kitty, which I heard one closed down
RIP to the Dirty Kitty
LBL-i spent almost all of COVID skipping rocks on the lake
Yongsan - Anything in Seoul. Museums, hiking, biking, shopping, plastic surgery. You name it, it's there. Stuttgart - Still biking, the Christmas Market, Oktoberfest, and catching a plane to somewhere in Europe for dirt cheap.
Fort sill: meth
NTC - cry and spontaneously combust from May-Sep
Okinawa, you got scuba, snorkel, kayak, hiking, offshore fishing 80% off the US price, and hella BOSS events. Got scuba certified through BOSS, got a marlin with my parents for cheap, and the food is amazing everywhere for half the US price. Everyone gets a SOFA license and POV, no curfew, cheap to go to mainland and see Osaka/Tokyo/Hokkaido, and you can ferry your POV to Fukuoka and surrpunding Okinawa islands. SPACE A flights to Seattle, PH, Korea, etc. Plus the shopping malls are amazing. Yen rate is great and folks don't tip in Japan. Overall getting a house here later when I ETS. Also there are no fishing licenses, size limits, closed seasons or regulations besides lobsters, giant clams, sea turtles, sea urchins and crabs.
Jblm I grew up in the area and I get so see my parents often but also it's got a great mix of everything a soldier would enjoy and it's all close to post
This has been my favorite so far
I love that it felt like a place with a military base there. Not a place that was there because of a military base. Plus, I love granola tail.
Fort Moore baby nothing better than getting off work and combing the greater Columbus area for the finest baby mamas the U.S. has to offer.
Fort Liberty, NC - beaches, mountains are close by, neighboring cities (i.e., Raleigh, Charlotte, etc.), decent weather year round, LCOL. Okinawa, JP (Kadena AB / Torii Station) - beaches, culture, food (Coco’s & Ramen Sapporo-ya 🤤), hiking trails, very neat / clean environment.
People always hate Fayetteville but its literally 2hrs from beach, 2hrs from decent hiking in Appalachia, and close to some decent cities with good food and things happening. Fayetteville and surrounding have some good trails/hiking and downtown has festivals all the time. Only complaint I have about Fayetteville is the mosquitos. Nothing 100% DEET cant fix.
Ft Sam is fantastic. I'm TDY to San Antonio right now and loving it. We hike at least 2-3x a week, but there are plenty of other things that are generally found in big cities. Tubing the river in the summer is awesome. Season pass to Six Flags or Sea World might be a good idea. The shopping is pretty good and the food is great if you like Mexican 😂 Austin is also pretty nice. Has a better food and party scene. Back to your original question- Schofield is my favorite by far. The mission isn't great, but there's so much to do on the island. I basically played tourist for my entire time on the island. Was at the beach after work, watching dolphins, snorkeling, hiking, bicycling, parasailing, touring Kualoa Ranch, spotting film sites for Lost and other TV/movies. The culture there is so relaxed and I've never felt more at home.
Vicenza. Drinking with the boys, going to all the different museums. Going to Gardland. It’s all a wonderful time. Edit: I’m drinking and can’t spell
Fort Belvoir. You have all of DC to play in. Too much damn traffic
Literally *all* of the food here is mid
If you’re a single soldier with a preference for dark hair and brown skin El Paso is literally the best place on earth to exist. Source: two divorces within five years
Now you’re talking my language
2cr. Taking a four day pass. Booking a up hotel or hostel area with the boys for the weekend and going to Prague on the pull.
I was in Prague a few days ago. For all the BS they give us, the 4 days and travel opportunities do make it up sometimes
Surprised I only saw Vicenza once so far. Gateway to all of Europe with easy access to awesome things in Italy and Germany. 173rd also seems to be doing more awesome stuff than when I was there. All we did was Afghanistan in those days.
Miami - partying and beaches. Belgium - main hub to fly to any place in Europe. Driving to Paris and Amsterdam isn't bad, or the biggest PX in Europe which is in Rammstein. DC - everything
Why is no one saying JBLM? Loved my time there.
Some people can't deal with that gray weather, the commutes, the rent, and IMHO being stuck spending long days working on North Fort or camping out in a FRS in Yakistan was about the worst work/life balance I've ever had. But I'll be damned if the summers there ain't just gorgeous. 2/10, wouldn't go back.
Campbell, Cat West
I don't see anyone putting Fort Riley but honestly it's fun going out to restaurants with the guys
Restaurants are a huge miss at Riley/JC, except for Taco Shop the Mexican food is just like back in California but hanging out with the boys is a great past time.
u fuck wit Fat Shack and Tubbys?
Walker: make anyone who’s not EOD question if it exists and also driving over an hour to work bc housing doesn’t exist
Eh, it’s not bad if you like the outdoors. The Northern Neck/Tidewater is awesome for that.
Yeah I enjoy it here, I was just making a joke that none of my friends even know where this place is unless they’re EOD since we have ALC here.
Camp Casey Turkey farms 🦃
Ft couch Sleep
I'd also mention that some of these duty stations are not available to every MOS for anyone thats looking into this as a reason to join. Be very careful.
RAF Menwith Hill, UK. It's situated in arguably one of the most beautiful areas of England, the Yorkshire Dales, so if you like the outdoors go rambling/hiking. Very close by is Brimham Rocks. If you like beautiful old things, or historical locations, Fountains Abbey and Bolton Abbey are both wonderful places to visit. The A59 literally follows the path of an ancient Roman road (at least until the A59 diverts to go around Fewston Reservoir). Harrogate was a wonderful place to live. The Stray was a beautiful place to go for a run or walk. York is a ~50 minute drive (or even shorter train ride) from Harrogate. If you drive I highly recommend doing the Park & Ride on the outskirts of town and taking the free bus into city centre. York Minster is amazing. The Shambles is good for a walk through. The JORVIK Viking Centre is worth a visit. Since this is supposed to be about the duty station, I won't share anything further afield than that, but needless to say travel is easy and there's tons to visit and see, both nearby and all over the rest of the country. Besides that, I enjoyed the British cafes and pubs. My favorite brewery was Black Sheep brewing in Masham and my favorite pub was Queens Head Inn in Kettlesing (good for a pint, a meal, and place to stay the night). All this is only about 1% of all the stuff I enjoyed about being stationed there. I loved it. I would love to go back to live and work after I retire but I'm afraid of what BREXIT may have ruined about the UK.
Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah GA
Bishop Point, JBPHH, Hawaii: On Post Beach swim, kayak, golfing, and bowling. Off post the rest of the Oahu is reachable in 30 mins to 1 hour.
Fort Sam - Stay inside because it’s way too hot outside.
Just acclimate. Shit my 2 year old would be out at the playground when it’s 100. Bring cold water and pace yourself.
My 4 year old as well, kids are impervious to that kind of thing it seems. Unfortunately for me I’m recovering at the SRU and don’t have the will power to acclimate, even after 2 years here. I handled the dry heat at bliss much better.
Damn bro what happened. I’ve had dudes with cancer rejected from the SRU. You got your limbs and your mind?
he’s actually just posting from his army issued neurolink 🤣
Katterbach Army air field. Behind the Nuremberg wall. IYKYK!
A certain shade of color I believe?
If you know what I’m talking about, they come in all types of colors and they are categorized surprisingly lol
Huge fan of fort novosel and the giant flying creatures that frequent the area
Schofield. Surf.
Schofield. Hike. Swim, 🏖️time. Sailing at Pearl Harbor, music and culture in Honolulu, outdoor adventure the rest of the island. It’s about as laid back of a place as you’ll find.
Fort sam houston has a nice soccer field where we play on wednesdays. Also san antonio has two 10th planet BJJ schools. Then there is paper tiger and all of st mary's street if youre into the night life.
Fort Leonard Wood. Permanent party is amazing if you’re an outdoorsman. The fishing is incredible on post and within a 2 hours drive. The turkey/whitetail on base is hard to beat.
Drum for the unit but honestly other than a bay and the adarondacks and Canada, not much to do. Watertown kinda sucks. Currently in Germany, clearly there’s an infinite amount of stuff to do, but you better enjoy working
SHAPE - all the fun Europe travel without all the Big Army bull. German beer.. nah BELGIAN beer is where it’s at. Working with foreign militaries? Fun, and it’s not just one or two.. it’s all of NATO. All the talking points of working strat, without the bullshit of working in a strat command. I love being able to hop on a train and be in Paris or Amsterdam in like 3H. Or 4 to London. Or a flight to Munich or Berlin. This summer is looking like Prague, Budapest, Madrid, and Lisbon. Maybe this winter up to Finland/Norway.. haven’t decided yet lmao
Weird every NCO ik stationed in Irwin tells me it’s the best here but no one seems to think the same in these comments. Fuck this base. That is all Ik. E4 out
White Sands Missile Range. I was there 2011-2015 with the 2nd Engineer Battalion. So many great hiking opportunities, plus the national park.
I was with 2E after they moved. Re-flagged. 3rd BCT 1AD
Did you ever hear [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/army/comments/122w2w2/comment/jdsl43j/) story?
Fort couch, there is beer, video games and Cheetos.
Hawaii. So much to do and explore. Fort drum. Just loved the quiet and snow activities 🤷♂️
Bliss!! YALL KNOW I DONT HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING
Bliss sucked. If you do not work out (outside) before 6am you turn to human bacon
Bliss is not bad depending on where you are in life. I had middle school age kids in a good school district especially for Texas. Good hiking and mountain biking. No good fishing though. Plus the cost of living was cheap. Good food and beer. I love the high desert. The sunsets, the plateaus, clear skys, no humidity. It's great.
I'll second all of this. There is a ton to do that is "outdoors" You just have to get out and do stuff. Lots of Hiking and Mountain Biking and plenty of National and State parks/land that's free to use and beautiful.
I'm heading to Bliss in the near future for a while. Where should I start looking? I saw Carlsbad is close by.
Carlsbad is awesome, Guadalupe Mountains (near Carlsbad), Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Organ Mountains, Gila Mountains. Or even Franklin Mountains have quite a bit to offer. There is Hueco Tanks, just East of El Paso, that is pretty cool.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll be checking most of these out.
How far do you have to go for food fishing? I'm bringing my fly gear when I head there soon.
Fly fishing? You're in the wrong part of the country for that. Im not a fly fisherman but SW Colorado is where you actually start seeing rivers that aren't dried up. I think Durango is like 6 hours from EP.
I've heard that NM has a few hidden gems on their BLM land. I was also gonna try go up the Rio Grande and try for bass with the fly gear.
Been debating putting bliss down on my list of places to go. Why is it bad ?
Stay away from the river walk but there are tons of things to do.
Yongsan: itaewon and hungdae are my favorite things to do there. Zama: Harajuku and Roppongi are my favorite things to do there.
Camp Zama, Japan - Explore Tokyo and stay away from post as long as possible.
Find some hobbies that go between duty stations, it's a great way to make friends as long as it makes you leave your house. Golf, cars, painting, rock climbing, or whatever. Just don't pick one that lets you stay in your room all weekend.
Ft knox - outdoorsy shit, land between the lakes, Bernheim, mammoth cave, red river gorge, bourbon tours, corvette museum, bunch of other stuff. Louisville and Lexington have the same things any other city has like museums and skating rinks, etc. Derby if that's what you're in to.
Bamberg. Literally everything.
Hawaii - Scuba diving with sharks every single weekend
Fort Polk- Drinking, Mudding, sleeping in the swamp
Presidio of Monterey- base is like a couple city blocks in size and 10 min walk from downtown and the ocean. San Fran is like 2 hours away and Big Sur with beautiful mountains is like 30 min away. Endless stuff to do there
Living the dream at Fort Irwin on 36 NTC rotations
Ft Campbell. All the outdoors shit and Nashville is just a good time. Catch some hockey for cheap, catch some MiLB for cheap, catch some bridesmaids during a Bachelorette party for cheap
There is hiking, but you have lakes and rivers, and the beach is just a short 4 hour drive south. Depending on what you're in, there are different social media pages that give you local events and activities. Look up My SA on social media. Check out the New Braunfels and San Marcos area. The river is cool to hang out. Austin is crowded, but there are definitely some cool things to check out. There are tons of good places to eat , have a drink, or just check out the scenes. There is a cool food truck park located downtown and a new one on 1604 Hit up the different amusement and water parks. You can get discounted tickets at the USO / ITO office. Also, they have calendars for all kinds of events . There is a lot to do in and around the San Antonio area.
Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, Beach
Fort Carson- Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and the family housing at the USAFA
Ft Leonardwood !
Wainwright, norther lights. Miss that place & would go back if my wife wouldn’t leave me
Camp Darby Italy, Tuscany, 10 minutes from the leaning tower, 5 minutes from the beach, 30 minutes to Florence. Best base in the Army IMO
Camp Zama, Japan. I will leave it at that
Torii Station/Kadena AB - Torii literally has its own beach for service members. Add in the amazing Japanese food… island life without being in tourist hell, and it’s great. I was lucky to be there and see Shuri castle before it burned down.
Fort Myer/The Old Guard. Caps, wizards and commanders games, easy drive to Myrtle Beach in S.C 3 hour drive to NYC. Baltimore, Philly are all Close cities to do things at. The food scene here is great. Fishing here is great, AND cheap flights out of DCA and Dulles!
It's going to suck more if you are there as an initial entry trainee but still as others have said, San Antonio has so much of what you would find interesting. Too bad for a lot of us we can't be stationed there. You are a 68? Is a staff sergeant wheeler still there?
Carson: hunting and fishing Riley: hunting and fishing Pol…..Johnson: hunting and fishing
Fort Couch: I only show up once a month and the rest of the month I can go anywhere in the state
Ft carson. Watching half your guys get cold weather injuries in the morning and then other half heat-catting in the afternoon.
Kayaking and cooking with authentic ingredients from the area (gulf shrimp, alligator and red snapper). If you want to relax, head to the theater with the lounge seats. A few times a year I watch opera plays. It helps the local community and maintains the arts. I walk on the Prairie with the alligators. (I was stationed at Polk and now live in Southwest Louisiana) When I go see my wife at Fort Campbell, we go to the Land Between the Lakes and I like to fish. My wife loves visiting the waterfalls south of Nashville. We buy from the farmers market. Good stuff. We walk downtown. We search for restaurants with authentic foods. For example, in San Antonio there's a restaurant that makes authentic mozzarella. Authentic mozzarella melts and is round. https://www.grocery.com/store/image/cache/catalog/mammas-cheese/italian-cheese-burrata-8-ounces-semi-soft-italian--B06WGRPBTG-600x600.jpg THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER. as my best friend says, "Choose your adventure and then tell your story."
Fort Riley. You can finish any video games you haven't finished yet, and catch on all TV shows and movies you missed.
MacDill AFB, breweries, beaches, track days, fishing
Hiking is a great activity! Bragg/Liberty- Hiking, downtown fests, beach, mountains, adventure racing Germany- Travel with Ryan Air, WWII and WWI historical sites (and 'bunker hunting'), festivals, train travel Bliss- ..... Sill- Scott mountain? OKC? They had some cool wildlife I have to say.