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You are here: Home / Stationed Overseas / Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

February 27, 2015 by Julie 34 Comments

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

Even though the Military is shutting down some Military installations in Germany, people are still PCSing to Germany. Sometimes they have a choice, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the spouse thinks about staying in the US.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

As someone who spent four years in Germany, I have to recommend that if you have the opportunity to go overseas, do it. I say this as someone who didn’t always enjoy being there, that missed the US a lot more than I should have, and who hated being so far away from everything.

It’s been years since we moved back to the states and because of that I can look back and see Germany for what it was. An experience. A sometimes really amazing one. A sometimes really frustrating one.

Being stationed in Germany was an experience I will always be thankful for.

So if I hear someone is trying to decide to go, I urge them to do so. Even though being there might get hard or be really frustrating at times. The experience is worth it, and living overseas will change your life forever.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

You simply can’t find that type of Military community in the states. Well, maybe you can but the community when you are stationed overseas is unique. For one thing, very few of the people stationed where you are can go home for the weekend. Why? Because home is 2,000+ miles away. Because of this, you spend a lot of time there and not as much time away.

You have to stick together because you only have each other. If you can speak the language, that will make things easier but at the end of the day, your Military friends will be your main link to America and you will feel the need to bond a little more than you do in the US.

The travel opportunities are simply amazing.

From taking a day trip to a castle to planning a post-deployment vacation to some amazing city you never thought you would ever travel to in your lifetime. I had little babies and toddlers when I was there. My kids were only 3 and 5 when we moved back.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

Traveling wasn’t easy but we did what we could. I took my two boys on a train to visit my friend in Austria, we went on a cruise to the Mediterranean, and I went on a few USO trips during my time there. And of course, there was Garmisch, one of my favorite places.

Another great thing about living in Germany is being around another culture. In some ways, Germans are a lot like us, in other ways they are completely different. Although this part of living there was frustrating at times, it really opened my mind to a different way of life and seeing the world.

For example, in the US, when you go out to eat, you are pretty much rushed out of the restaurant as soon as you eat your food. In Germany, you practically have to hunt your waitress down for your check when you need to go. Sitting, talking, and having a long time at a restaurant is expected. You are not rushed out in the same way.

With deployments, the time difference is only about 2-3 hours. That was hard for me when we had our first deployment in the US. Having just a few hours difference made life a lot easier.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

You can also ship things to your deployed spouse for free. That was another thing that kinda stopped me in my tracks. “You mean I have to pay for that?” Being a little closer to the war zone has its benefits. If something were to happen and they had to go to Germany, you are already in the country.

There is also the whole beer and flowers thing. Beer everywhere. We even had a beer delivery truck.

The festivals are so much fun and are a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. They seem to be happening all the time too. And the flowers. I used to buy flowers all the time. They were so cheap. I miss that.

As you can see there are a lot of great things about being stationed in Germany. So if you have the chance, do it. You will be glad you did.

Have you ever been stationed in Germany? Have you ever been stationed overseas?

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Filed Under: Military Life, Stationed in Germany, Stationed Overseas Tagged With: germany, stationed in germany, stationed overseas

About Julie

Owner of Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life. Writer, reader, coffee drinker. Mom to three boys, wife of a National Guard soldier. Living life in Tennessee.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amber

    February 27, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    I was there as a child and enjoyed it. My husband would love to go back now. I guess I’m hesitating because I enjoy stateside conveniences too much. I wouldn’t mind visiting though!

    Reply
    • Julie-Soldier'sWife,Crazy Life

      February 27, 2015 at 5:46 pm

      That can be really hard. I missed Target and Starbucks SO much!!!

      Reply
      • Constance and Dustin

        March 26, 2015 at 2:23 am

        We have Starbucks in the larger PX’s!!!

        Reply
        • Julie-Soldier'sWife,Crazy Life

          March 26, 2015 at 6:33 am

          I heard Graf did get one after we left!

          Reply
          • Elena

            May 9, 2020 at 6:41 am

            Yes, we have one in grafenwöhr and Dunkin‘ Donuts in grafenwöhr and vilseck

        • Julie-Soldier'sWife,Crazy Life

          April 30, 2015 at 5:04 pm

          Nice! We didn’t when we were there 🙁

          Reply
  2. Kara, the Hippy MIlspouse

    February 27, 2015 at 9:38 pm

    We’d LOVE to go to Germany! Unfortunately it’s really hard for Marines to go there! Not very many slots! I know we’d love it there because a) it’s just like home (Kinda, not really, but in someways) b) We’d be able to travel Europe (and see family!).

    Reply
    • Constance and Dustin

      March 26, 2015 at 2:23 am

      Hard does not mean Impossible. In the Joint MultiNational Training areas (Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels) there are plenty of Marines!!

      Reply
  3. Dina Farmer

    February 28, 2015 at 3:14 am

    I think if we got orders to Germany after this assignment I would be floored and would thank the military for a final few years in a wonderful assignment!

    Reply
  4. Aislinn Miner

    February 28, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    I loved being over there! It was so much fun anf Garmish was my favorite as well. My kids still talk about how much fun they had and now that we are out of the military, the town we live in they are the cool kids for having traveled so much!!

    Reply
  5. Jamie@HandlingWGrace

    February 28, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    Love this!

    Reply
  6. Constance and Dustin

    March 26, 2015 at 2:22 am

    Great article. We love it here! If you have some time please head on over to my new blog and get some tips and tricks to PCSing and living Germany as a US Army Family! http://www.militarylifeingermany.blogspot.com

    Reply
    • Julie-Soldier'sWife,Crazy Life

      March 26, 2015 at 6:33 am

      Thanks for visiting 🙂 Will check out your blog too.

      Reply
  7. Michelle Pollard

    November 13, 2016 at 10:19 am

    I’m truly toying with the idea of moving this up to our #1 spot, the opportunity seems amazing. However, our oldest is 12 and I’m wondering how school would be for her there?

    Reply
  8. Jamie

    September 20, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    Headed back to Germany after a brief stint in the US (a little over a year!). Did you live in Erbendorf? Would love to hear the feedback on the Gov Houses in that sweet neighborhood.

    Reply

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About Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life

Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Welcome to Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life! I am so glad you are here.

My name is Julie and I have been an Army wife for almost 15 years now.

My husband of 18 years has served in the active-duty Army and now the Army National Guard. We have lived in Germany & Tennessee during our time as a military family.

We have three boys and have been through four deployments together.

I hope that you can find support for your own deployments, pcs moves, or anything else military life brings you 🙂

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