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Guest Post: Ft. Bliss Army Post

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Hi guys!  I am in California for vacation and wanted to have a few guest posts share with you about where they call home at the moment!  If you would like to guest post about your duty station or location, please email me at soldierswifecrazylife (at) gmail (dot) com :)

My next guest post is from Sarah who blogs at My Life, Army Style.

HomepageSlideshow8aI have been an Army wife for 5 years now and I definitely view this life as an adventure. I currently live in El Paso/Ft. Bliss, TX with my husband and 3 adorable cats, and my blog is quite a random mixture of food, life updates, opinion pieces, and the military.

Hello from Ft. Bliss!

I’m excited to be participating in this guest series introducing various duty stations, and I will go ahead and announce up front that this review is going to be mostly positive. =)

Ft. Bliss is definitely an Army post that has gotten a pretty bad rap over the years. I got quite a few “Ugh, I’m sorry” responses when I found out we were moving there. I think part of this came from back when it was just a small, old Air Defense post, but it has grown SO MUCH in the past few years.

Last year they finished a brand new PX/commissary/theater/restaurants/shopping plaza called Freedom Crossing, and it is unlike anything on any other military installation at this point in time. Check out the link for it below and prepare to be jealous! The theater is fantastic and shows movies as soon as off-post theaters do. Restaurants currently include Buffalo Wild Wings, an Irish Pub, Dairy Queen, Smashburger, and a sushi place, along with the usual PX food court options, and Texas Roadhouse will be opening a location soon as well. It is always a happening place to be on weekend evenings, reminding me of a mini downtown city center. The gyms are all new or recently remodeled, nicely outfitted, and offer outstanding options for fitness classes and events. None of them offer childcare but there are CDCs nearby. Bliss is very good at planning fun events throughout the year and there is always plenty going on for families to do.

Housing is decent on post. Availability is low right now due to some units being moved here from overseas, but it is beginning to level out. A few neighborhoods are old and need remodeling, and do not seem to be worth BAH from what I have heard. But higher enlisted and officer housing is very nice. An advantage to Bliss is that finding nice, affordable neighborhoods off post is not very difficult. There are many parts of town that are safe and nice-looking, within 15-20 minutes from post.  Schools on post and off seem to be rather hit or miss, just like any post or large city, and seem to boil down to individual experiences most of the time. I do not have any kids though so this is an area I’m not very familiar with.

The city of El Paso can be a little difficult to get accustomed to, but if you go into it with an open mind and a determination to appreciate something different, it is very likeable! There is plenty of shopping, including 3 malls and one outlet mall, a thriving downtown area with lots of events and concerts, incredible food (and not just Mexican, although there is certainly plenty of that!), and plenty of outdoor opportunities in the immediate area and within a few hours of driving distance.  The city takes safety very seriously and as such there is very little to worry about despite being so close to such a turbulent border city as Juarez.  Some people find the scenery here to be ugly and the weather intolerable, but I personally think the mountains and desert views (and the sunsets/sunrises!) to be breathtaking, and the dry heat is so much easier to take than the humid summers elsewhere in the country. And you will certainly never be low in Vitamin D! =)

I hope this gives you a little peek into what it’s like at Ft. Bliss, TX and if you ever get orders here, remember this Army wife has no horror stories to share! =)

Links:

https://www.bliss.army.mil/

http://www.blissmwr.com/

http://www.ftblissfamilyhousing.com

http://freedomcrossingatfortbliss.com/

http://visitelpaso.com/

Guest Post: Langley Air Force Base

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Hi guys!  I am in California for vacation and wanted to have a few guest posts share with you about where they call home at the moment!  If you would like to guest post about your duty station or location, please email me at soldierswifecrazylife (at) gmail (dot) com :)

 

Hi! I’m LC from Faith & Deployments (link: http://flightlinefightline.blogspot.com). I was born and raised in what is known as: Hampton Roads Virginia. For 24 years it was my home. It’s where I went to school, college, got my first place of my own, my first full time job, met and married my husband, bought a house, and started our lives together.

Living in Hampton Roads Virginia had my incredibly spoiled. I used to hate it before I realized how much there is to do in the area. My husband was stationed at Langley AFB for six years and even he misses it.

If you’re getting stationed at:

Norfolk Naval

Fort Eustis

Yorktown Naval Weapons Station

Coast Guard Training Base

JEB Little Creek

Dam Neck Naval

Fort Story

Langley AFB

 

Then you are in for a treat. They are all within an hour of each other. Langley AFB to Norfolk Naval is a whopping 10 minutes (without traffic). It is a highly heavy military area, however the stores/restaurants are not as “military friendly” as many others. Since the area survives on more than 1 billion dollars of income because of the bases, few stores and restaurants offer discounts.

But don’t let the lack of discounts discourage you, the area is home to more historical significance than I have ever seen. Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown are all there. The birth of our USA began on these very lands.

During the summer the local area is flooded with outdoor festivals (food & beverage), concerts (free & cheap), the beach, amusement parks, and anything else under the sun you came dream of. The area from Williamsburg to the North Carolina Border is flooded with things to do 8 months out of the year. From spring until fall, if you are willing to be adventurous you will not be disappointed.

The one disclaimer I will say is that the traffic sucks. There is no way around that. VA has wacky road systems and to get from one peninsula to another (Langley AFB to Dam Neck, JEB, Norfolk Naval) you have to go through tunnels. Now ladies and gents these are always, always, always backed up. This area is full of tourists and military members all on the same schedule of work and there is no avoiding the traffic. But if you can get over that simple fact, there is no reason why you can’t make the most of what the area has to offer. So many military members complain about the traffic and never go out and experience this amazing area surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Don’t be one of those families. You will hate Virginia and the area if you do that.

But enough of the area. I’ll give you some insight on Langley AFB since I know it pretty well. It’s home of the fighter jets and one of the biggest Intel headquarters, so the base is giant. One whole side is offices alone and the other is housing. Langley is tearing down their old 40s 50s housing and putting up brand new: Officer, Senior Enlisted, Junior Enlisted housing. These new houses are gorgeous and well worth your BAH in gold. The local area is expensive and many places are not very safe off base, so if you can, live on base. It’s worth the fact alone that the area around the base is pretty sketchy. Wonderful, but some low income families make the area not what it used to be.

The base has separate enlisted and officer spouses clubs and both of them are incredibly active in the community and on base itself. I would definitely check them out if you get a chance.

The base offers tons of things to do for families, but you have to go out and find the information. The biggest complaint I had about the base was it’s lack of communication, even to the active duty members. So if you want the information you will have to work for it, or make friends with the right people: First Shirts, Squadron Commanders, Spouses Club board members, Flight Chiefs, etc.

All in all I loved the area just as much as the base. I lived in the area for 24 years and I miss the area so much more than I thought I would now that I am in the desert.

 

Guest Post: Goodfellow Air Force Base

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Hi guys!  I am in California for vacation and wanted to have a few guest posts share with you about where they call home at the moment!  If you would like to guest post about your duty station or location, please email me at soldierswifecrazylife (at) gmail (dot) com 🙂

Hi! I’m LC and I blog over at Faith & Deployments (link: http://flightlinefightline.blogspot.com). We recently just had our first PCS from Langley AFB to Goodfellow AFB. For those of you who don’t know, that’s in Texas, inside San Angelo to be exact. San Angelo is the largest “town” in Texas that is not located near an interstate. In fact the closest interstate is over 2 hours away in any direction. The town caters to the military and even the liquor stores give discounts to military. The graciousness of the town is heartwarming and the locals are more than generous on their hospitality and help.

Goodfellow

I absolutely love this town, but the base has been more than an adjustment. It is strictly a training base for all branches of the military. There are no planes and the only permanent party members (here for longer than 6 months at a time) are the instructors. Few families move here and only 240 base houses for all 5 branches of the military. So base housing is almost impossible unless you have special circumstances.

That’s okay though because the entire town is teenie tiny (maybe a 20 minute drive from one side to the other) and renting an apartment or house is dirt cheap. Well worth living off base under your BAH limit. Which is a plus since GAFB has the lowest BAH rate of all the US bases.

Getting information on anything is rare and hard to get. Since 80% of the people in the offices are just students waiting for their classes to start they aren’t trained on information of the office they are volunteering in. Be prepared to do lots of research and get a lot of wrong answers. My suggestion is to take names and what branch they are from and when you find the individual you need to speak to, you can give them solid information to try and correct the issue.

Offices and activities on base are on odd operating hours, most of the entire base shuts down 2-3 times a month for “trainings” and this can create a problem with needing doctors’ appointments or papers signed during in-processing or out-processing.

Since the base is a training base the gyms are flooded with military members straight out of basic, lots of marching troops, which create long traffic jams; as the military members are required to march everywhere they go and have their meals at certain times during the day.

Fraternizations of different ranks is strictly enforced on the base as well, regardless if your husband is prior service or not, so be forewarned that it is incredibly hard to find a social group outside of personal interests or a spouses group.

They have a brand new combined spouses club that has been working to do more and gain membership. They mainly cater to moms and mid day activities, but are working hard to do more.

The one blessing and yet it’s a curse about this base is that it is in the middle of Texas. But it’s hours from any airports of awesome cities: 4.5 hours from Dallas, 4 Hours from both San Antonio & Austin, 6 hours from Houston. But it makes it nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

There are so many family-owned businesses that give San Angelo huge amounts of character. Surrounded by a town that idolizes the military, who couldn’t ask for a better base to be at?

Guest Post: Fort Stewart Army Post, GA

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Hi guys!  I am in California for vacation and wanted to have a few guest posts share with you about where they call home at the moment!  If you would like to guest post about your duty station or location, please email me at soldierswifecrazylife (at) gmail (dot) com 🙂

Hello there!  My name is Madeline and I blog over at Food, Fitness, and Family.  I tend to write about my three favorite things: yummy food, sweaty workouts, and life as a family of three.  Beneath the exterior though there is one important aspect of our lives that makes it onto my blog as well: our life as an ARMY family.  I am thrilled to be guest posting for Julie today on our amazing duty station of FORT STEWART, GA.

We recently PCSd to Fort Stewart and all I can say is: I’m in LOVE.  This is our 3rd duty station.  Previously we have been located at Fort Hood, TX and Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  While every duty station has its unique set of amazing attributes, Fort Stewart is by fay my favorite so far and here’s why:

LOCATION

For the geographically challenged (like me) Fort Stewart is located in the deep south along the Georgia coastline.  It is a mere 45 miles to Savannah, GA which is one of the most beautiful places in the country in my humble opinion.  Savannah is known for its deep historical significance, delicious food (Paula Deen’s restaurant is downtown), and family atmosphere.

Ft. Stewart

Forsyth Park, Savannah

In addition to the close proximity of Savannah, the beach is also right there.  Furthermore, within driving distance you have the entire east coast.  Atlanta, Orlando (DISNEY!!), Hilton Head Island, Charleston, is all within driving distance.  While we actually live closer to Savannah than to base it is an easy commute with minimal traffic.  After the chaos of Fort Hood it’s a welcome change.

SOUTHERN CHAM

Fort Stewart is a BEAUTIFUL installation that oozes Southern charm.  The buildings are gorgeous and coastal.

 

Ft. Stewart

Source

There is just something unique about living in the Deep South.  People are SO friendly and the entire area is incredibly family friendly.  The MWR on post hosts a variety of activities for every member of the family.  There is a swimming pool, bowling, and Corkan Family Recreation Area to keep you entertained.

LOCAL ACTIVITIES

Even off-post there is a never-ending supply of activities and festivals for your family to experience.  Whether that is the abundance of local farmer’s markets or heading to Tybee Island for kayaking and paddle boarding everyone can find something that they enjoy.  For those that like to indulge in retail therapy … there are 2 malls in Savannah, every home store you want, and tons of local boutiques.

I could go on and on about Fort Stewart … I seriously love it here that much!  If you’re thinking about moving here or are on orders feel free to shoot me an email at foodfitnessandfamily {at} gmail {dot} com.  I would LOVE to chat with you!  Thanks again Julie for the opportunity for me to share my love of the south on your blog 🙂

Fort Hood, Texas

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I wanted to have some guest posts about different duty stations.  The first one is by Daneilia who is stationed at Ft. Hood with her family.  She blogs at Anchors Away.  She is about to join the Military herself 🙂  If you would like to do a guest post about where you live, please send me an email at soldierswifecrazylife@gmail.com.  I would love to have you 🙂

Living at Fort Hood Texas

Hi, everyone! I’m Daneilia, my family and I are currently stationed at Fort Hood and if you didn’t know it is the largest Military installation in the United States. I think its just one of those things that make it really neat and interesting. At the gates when they say “Welcome To The Great Place”, it is true at least I think so. There are an unlimited amount of resources at this base for Military families. When I say unlimited, I mean it. I had no idea about support groups for Autism, Cancer, Diabetes, and so on until I arrived here. There are so many resources I know about and am still learning about many more. There are an extreme amount of housing sections, there are a couple of Commissaries and PXs’. Also, Fort Hood has so many resources for Religions, Finance, Parenting (there are classes and groups), any kind of assistance you can think of. Of course, many duty stations have this, but being the largest installation to thousands of Soldiers and families they have to provide much more.

Every year Fort Hood hosts a couple of handfuls of free events for Military families. Every now and again you’ll catch Sesame Street performing because of our wonderful USO on post. Sesame Street works in coordination with the USO on providing things for the Military Children. Ah-MAZ-ing right?! The United Service Organization provides Soldiers and families with so much. Soldiers always have access to free internet and computer services as well as other services. Not only do they work with Sesame Street but they work with Fort Hood and famous music artists to come and do performances at large events on base.

Do you like to exercise? Well you’ll never have to go off post for a gym and if you like to Run 5ks or 10ks they have a 5k every month and every so often host a 10k as well. They have more than a handful of gyms on post. If you need childcare some of them provide it. But there are plenty of Child Care buildings if you can’t get your child in the ones at the gym. All child care is really great and I can vouch for that because I’ve used plenty of the child care resources with my daughter. They don’t just watch them and let them play. The providers do crafts as well as other fun things too. If your child is of a certain age they are eligible to attend Head Start on post which is a preschool for your little ones. If you are unable to get your child to the day care on post you can go off post and there is a program called NACCRRA which you may be eligible for too. It would help with the costs.

If you think you are missing out on something don’t be afraid to ask people for help. There will always be one good person who will give you the ins and outs.

I think maybe one of the frustrating things about being at this post here is the City of Killeen. Its a very small town and traffic is awful. But the good part is Austin is only an hour out. There are outlets in Georgetown which is right before Austin. There are fun parks and museums for older kids. There is the Austin Children’s Museum which is pretty fun for little ones. But if you want to get farther out Dallas/Fort Worth area is about 2 1/2 – 3 hours out and there is a Six Flags up there. Then down South you have San Antonio and the Alamo and all other sorts of fun things to do. There is good and bad wherever you go so don’t be discouraged.

I’m hoping that some of this information can assist you as you make your journey here or if you are already here. I’ve mentioned some resources below.

Daneilia
Anchors Away

Resources
Hood MWR
U.S. Army Fort Hood

Fort Hood Community Resources
Fort Hood Area Resources
Post with the Most: Fort Hood, TX | Army Wife Network

Facebook Resources:
Fort Hood Area Events
Fort Hood Army Wives
Fort Hood MOPS [Mothers of Preschoolers)
Fort Hood MWR
Fort Hood Living

Living in Korea

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My next guest poster is Megan who blogs at Megan Dub-Yuh.  She is an Army wife & Math teacher living in Korea right now. Thanks so much for the post Megan!

living in koreaLiving in Korea

We have lived in Korea for a year now.  Adam had been here a year before that,  unaccompanied.  We were drawn to the promise of 2 full years together without that big D word looming over our heads after Adam was sent here to heal from a broken ankle he received while training for the big D to Iraq.  (I am very grateful for that rod and 6 screws in his leg.)

Living in Korea
It has been a new challenge almost daily to live in country whose culture is so different from our own.  It can be very frustrating at times but when all is said and done my husband comes home at night and almost works regular hours (with the exception of a few TDYs).  When put in to that perspective I will deal with any cultural or language frustration.

When I began thinking about this post on what it is like to be stationed in Korea I began thinking about posts I have already made.  {If you would like to read any of them check out posts under the label Korea.  It has been pretty entertaining at times.}  But in the end I have decided to poll my followers on Twitter and see what they wanted to know about being stationed here.  Below are those questions and my answers to them (most of the answers apply to my experience with our location and the Army).

How hard is it to bring animals over?
It is a challenge but not impossible.  We have three yorkies and we decided to not bring them but left them with my parents.  When deciding whether we were going to bring them we took a few things in to consideration: housing, travel, and vet services.

Even though Adam was here already they wouldn’t let him get housing for the both of us until I was physically in the country.  I was coming in during the peak time for PCS and so we didn’t know if we would be living on post (where they have very strict animal noise regulations), in an apartment off post or what.  There was no telling if we would be able to find a place that was three yorkie friendly.  Also, there are no yards anywhere in Korea so if you have a pet that requires one don’t bring them.  Most Koreans, that do have pets, have small dogs since most Koreans live in apartments.

I was flying here via a 20 hour commercial flight.  The thought of taking my babies on that was overwhelming plus they only allow one dog per person in the cabin.
Finally, the vet services on post weren’t well established when we started to plan our move here.  They have become more established since getting here but we would probably have had to try and find an English speaking Korean vet regardless.
Lastly, if there is to be a civilian evacuation there are many regulations and very specific things you have to have done in order for you to get your pet evacuated.  They will be evacuated at a lower priority than you and your stuff so once you leave them in the pet area you won’t know about them again for a while.  More stress I wouldn’t want to deal with in the event of an evacuation.

What if you don’t like Korean food?
If you don’t like Korean food then you can eat on Post.  There is all of your normal food court fare.  BUT you are bound to find some Korean food that you like.  It isn’t all kimchi and spicy fish… even though that is a large part of their diets.  My favorite is Samgyupasal, or Korean bacon, cooked on a table grill and served with Kimchi, salad and roasted garlic.

Is it hard for the spouse to find a job?
Yes, it is very hard.  They do not have jobs for spouses on post and any jobs available that you may be qualified for are given first priority to Koreans because of the agreement we have with their country.  Korea has a ridiculously high unemployment rate and to get a job on post is amazing for them.  Before you get upset at this discrimination just keep in mind they will live here in this country that it is impossible to get a job in even if with a specialized degree and you are here temporarily.  Working off post will require you to get special work permissions added to your Visa and if it is a job that a Korean can do, again, they probably will deny you the permission.

What kinds of schools are available for kids?
If you are Command Sponsored (and I would recommend you only come here with your husband if you are Command Sponsored) there are the DoDDs schools on post.  Otherwise you will have to enroll your child in a Korean or International School which could cost you a lot of money.

How is the TriCare system there? Dentists?
There is a medical shortage here and it takes FOREVER to get an appointment on post and they only book two weeks out so hopefully whatever time they have available works for you else you will have to call back over and over again.  They also have very little equipment on post and if you have to have any tests done they probably will send you off to a Korean partner hospital, which is a whole new experience (not necessarily bad) of its own.
Once you get an appointment or if you have to go to the after-hours care clinic (ER) then you will have a short waiting room wait and very friendly, efficient service.
As for the dentists, I’m ashamed to say that I have yet to figure out how to make a dentist appointment.  It seems to be very convoluted and everyone I talk to tell me a different thing.

Are the locals friendly toward military families?
We have not encountered any animosity towards us.  If anything the woman are always telling Adam how handsome he is even if I am standing right there.  They also like to dig in your shopping cart if you are at their grocery stores.  They are just super curious to see non-Koreans most of the time.  In fact, a friend of mine had an old man tell her that although he had seen it on tv he didn’t believe people really had round eyes.

What size are the houses on base/post and off post? Will a kingsize bed fit?
The houses are super small.  Korea is a very crammed place and the people are generally pretty efficient and Spartan.  But if you think about it the country has a population of about 49 million people in the size of the state of Kentucky.  So, when trying to figure out what to have the packers send to your new home in Korea go with the bare minimum.  We lucked out and got a larger than average home outside the city we live in.  They have super small closets, cabinets, etc.  We brought a lot more than we needed and if we had moved in to the apartment that we originally thought we were going to then we wouldn’t have had enough room (we only brought about 1/3 of our HHG from our 2000 sq ft home in Texas).  As for a king size bed the answer is yes but there may not be any room for anything else in your bedroom if you do.

Is the water potable, or should you drink bottled water?
The tap water is safe to drink but it isn’t recommended.  It is full of extra minerals that we were told have caused Americans to have allergic reactions.  We cook with and bathe in it with no problem but for drinking we have a water filtration system that our land lords installed and that we pay about $20 a month to have.  It is serviced by a funny little lady every 3 months.  It also has instant hot water which is awesome.  I want one when we get back to the States.

How expensive is it to take vacations (not CONUS) to other countries?
To travel to other countries in Asia is pretty inexpensive.  Since you are so much closer the airfares are cheaper.  One thing to keep in mind is that many countries require for Americans to have Visas purchased and approved before traveling.  Some of these Visas are expensive (China is about $200 a person).

Traveling within Korea is infinite and also very cheap especially if you can stay on one of the many military installations throughout the peninsula or off the beaten tourist path.  There is relatively low crime here.  There is occasional pick-pockets, etc, in the touristy areas of the big cities but you really don’t have too much to worry about.  If you decide to stay in one of the “love” hotels which can be nice, inexpensive accommodations you could see human trafficking, which is a very real problem here.  So, just be careful.

Is it worth shipping your car over or should you buy one there?
Yes, it is worth shipping your car over here.  Cars are very expensive unless you can get one of the many OLD beaters on post, which if you need a second car you will have to do that.  Traveling by car is a lot more convenient than traveling by the vast public transportation systems that are available here and all of the signs are in Korea.  If you do drive in Korea you should definitely invest in an English-speaking GPS, it is well worth the money.  Driving here is a lot like playing Grand Theft Auto and you are guaranteed to get lost or miss your turn many times.

Living in Korea

What are no-nos in Korean culture that are fine in American?
For more information check out the book Rude American, Rude Korean.

What we do…

  • Writing someone’s name in Red ink.
  • Pointing
  • Sticking your fork in your food to rest it when not using it.
  • If you use the middle finger they won’t know you are insulting them.

 

What they do…

  • Cut in line.
  • Not make lines at food carts they just yell out their order.  So don’t wait your turn.
  • Run red lights.
  • Drive on the sidewalk.
  • Walk out in front of moving cars while holding their hands out expecting you to just stop.
  • Stare like you are a rare zoo animal.
  • Their version of the middle finger is to ball their hand up in a fist and point their thumb at you.
  • They don’t make their children behave and be quiet in public… they basically ignore them.
  • Park anywhere… even in the middle of a busy street.
  • Old ladies will grab children’s butts… even your children that they don’t know.
  • Pretend like they don’t understand you whether you are speaking English (and they do, too) or you are speaking Korean.