[peculiar_lady]

I am new here and was at the chat last night. Someone invited me to check out this area, so here I am.

So I just wanted to know the basics about everyone...what branch, how long, where you have lived, etc.


Here s our basic info...
*12 years Army- three active, three and a half National Guard, then 6 regular active duty again.
*hubby has been to Kuwait, Iraq, and is now on his second trip to Korea.
*posts we have been stationed at are... Ft Hood, TX, Baumholder Germany, and now here in Ft Sill, OK. We will move again next year when his year of Korea is up. We have our list, now we just have to decide where to go.

[CRS]

Hi Sarah!

Let's see, dh was active duty Army, stationed at Ft. Sill when I met him. I moved there for a year with him, then he got out and we came back to NY (where we are both from). He stayed in the Army Reserve, worked as a Military Tech with his reserve unit for 7 yrs, and is now active duty again, as an AGR. He is currently deployed to Saudi Arabia, but is coming home for a short 5 day visit in August. He passed his 20 year mark in February, but I've only been along for the ride for the last 15 years. He's going to stay active duty for another 14 years then retire and hopefully find a civilian job working with the Army like he was before he went back active. I know we've been very lucky this is his first deployment in 20 years.

I have some fond memories of Ft. Sill. We used to walk the 3 mile track on post and drive to Texas every weekend to go to Sonic and get a lottery ticket. We never won. We were young newlyweds at the time with no children, and not a care in the world. I had no idea that I'd married the Army when I married dh and how my life would change! Dh was in OKC not long ago and drove down to Lawton to see how it's changed. He hardly recognized the place. The apartments we lived in were on the outskirts of town, but not any longer. There's a new Walmart right near there, the horse farm is now a car dealership, and there are new houses in the wide open fields.

Once dh gets back in March, he has a 6-8 month class to attend, then we'll have to move to a new duty station. It will be hard to leave our hometown, but I'm kind of excited to see where we'll end up. I'm guessing Wisconsin (Ft. McCoy) or Virginia (Ft. Lee).

Anyway, I've rambled long enough! Thanks for starting this thread!

[peculiar_lady]

ok...now I can type better. Sorry. I was nursing when I was typing before and couldn't really do it too well.

My hubby is a Bradley Mechanic. Originally a 63T but when he was NG they reclassified it as 63M. He says they are about to reclassify again and combine a bunch of mech's into one MOS. yay.

We aren't sure where we will go next or how much longer we will be in. We have these for our "options" for our next base....
If we don't choose another base, his orders state Ft Hood again (not gonna happen). Of our choices we have...Ft Stewart, GA; Ft Bliss, TX; Ft Riley, KS; Ft Benning, GA; Ft Carson, CO.
Ft Hood...btdt. Our first was born there, and with all the complications I had with his pregnancy and all we went through with his labor and the horrid way the hospital treated us, we would never willingly choose to go back there. Esp since we aren't sure yet if we are done having kids. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say it took an active miracle for both of us to make it through that hospital alive.
Ft Stewart...not sure about. One of the sgt's here that just came from there said the crime rate is horrendous. He said one night his wife went to Wal-Mart at 10pm and had to be escorted back to her car from the door because of the crime rate there. Doesn't sound too safe to me. Other then that, we haven't really heard too many good things about it from everyone.
Ft Bliss...not sure why this is even on the list since because of BRAC they are sending most of the soldier from there to here next year. We really don't want to go that close to Mexico though, so it's out. We also don't want to get there and be sent somewhere else...lol.
Ft Riley...not much bad or good about this base, so it's still in the running.
Ft Benning, GA...hubby has already had to deal with a training base here at Ft Sill, so he isn't sure he wants to deal with that again. The mech's are switching to civilian in the next few years also, so we aren't sure how long we would be there. They are trying to make the military all deployable once you are out of BIT and AIT, and mechanics are a support of the unit. So when they are attached to the training usit they are considered non-deployable. So since the Army wants all soldiers to be deployable, they are switching to civilian mech's with training units. Hubby already started to see the change over when he was here...his boss was a civi and several he worked with were civi's. One good thing is if he gets out he could work there.
Ft Carson, CO...we have friends and family close to there, but we aren't sure about the cost of living there or if we could handle it. I stay home with the kids and it isn't an option for me to work. So we are still looking at the finances to see if we could handle it.

OR Hubby was wait six months and call branch again. If at that time we don't like the choices they give us then or the choices we have now, we can choose to get a waiver to go back overseas. We may choose that...we loved being over in Germany and would love to go back.

His contract is up in 2012 and we aren't sure if he will stay in or not. Running all those years on cement messed up his knees. Last year he had knee surgery on both knees, and since then he is in a lot of pain every day. He says he regrets having the surgery since he is in more pain now. He is trying to get a permanent profile...has been for over a year now. He had one but it was signed by the wrong person, so he had to start the whole process over again back in the spring...then he had orders come up for Korea, so that put a kink in that plan. He just got to his new base in Korea (left here a week and a half ago), so now he is going to start the process over again. Hopefully he can do it. A permanent profile will do one of two things...
either it will get him a medical discharge (highly likely considering the Army is over populated right now), or it will get his the chance to be reclassifies into a new MOS. He has been trying to change MOS's for years...probably 10 or so...with no luck. He wants out of the mechanics side and wants to be Chaplain's Assistant. He can't do his job anymore...he can't climb up on the Bradley's or pull some of the parts out that he needs to be able to pull out to do his job.

If he ends up getting out then it would be good for us to be close to a base since all of his training is in the military side of things. After all, you don't see too many Bradley's driving down the road. When he got out before (because of a contract problem, not because he wanted to get out), he ended up working fast food and such until he could get back in. A three and a half year fight for him to get back in, with us having to work hand in hand with two states, three senators, and numerous other high honcho's. So he really doesn't want to have to del with the civilian world again without having an opportunity to still work with the military.


Anyway...that's where we are now...lots of crossroads ahead, and only time will tell which onces we can or will walk down.

[SandiC.]

Ok, let's see. 15 years USAF and 6 1/2 USA.

USAF- bandsman (oboe); medic; Physician Assistant (commissioned), Reserve for a year then US Health Professions Schalarship (USA) for med school then active USA Medical Corps.

Places I've been: Lackland AFB, TX; March AFB, CA; Loring AFB, ME; Malmstom AFB, MT; Sheppard AFB, TX; Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ: back to Malmastrom AFB, MT; Whiteman AFB, MO; Madigan Army Medical Center, Ft. Lewis, WA. 21 1/2 years and never left CONUS. How weird is that?

[Sarah in VA]

Sandi, that sounds about as weird as ours - 22 years all in CONUS! We've been all the way up and down and all across the United States, but never out of it.

My husband was in the AF for 22 years. He began his career at Reese AFB in Lubbock, TX where he got his pilot's wings, and ME! From there we lived at Castle, AFB in CA; Minot AFB, ND; Vance AFB, Enid, OK; Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH (twice); Randolph AFB, San Antonio, TX (three times); Norton AFB, San Bernadino, CA; Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL; Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, TX; and eventually the Pentagon.

The longest we lived in one place was four years, the shortest, one year. And we did a lot of 6 - 8 month TDYs. It was quite a ride! He's been retired now for 13 years - not really "retired" retired, just from the AF - and while there are things I miss about military life, notably the friends we've had to leave all over, it sure has been nice staying put for a while!

[sprinklz]

Hi -

My husband is active duty in the Navy and has been for 18 1/2 years: the first 14 as enlisted, the last 4 1/2 as an officer. His offical rating is an Information Warfare Officer, but in this assignment he is on staff at CIDD, Center for Information Dominance, at Defense Language Institute on the Presidio of Monterey and has been everything from Director of Operations to Assistant Officer in Charge to Legal Officer.

We have been stationed in Monterey, CA; Homestead, FL; Ft. Meade, MD; Sabana Seca, PR; DLI East in Wash. DC; Rota, Spain; China Lake, CA; Kunia, Hawaii; and Monterey, CA (this is the second time). We're hoping that after this set of orders is over, we'll be able to stay here so he can attend Naval Postgraduate School to get his Master's (crossing fingers on that one ).

Michael has been sent to both Iraq and Kosovo and was deployed at least 6 months of each year for 13 years straight. Needless to say, I'm very happy to have him home this time around.

Although there are a few quirks involved with the military life, we have been blessed with duty stations in areas of the world we couldn't have afforded to visit otherwise. During our time in Spain, we were able to take a family trip to Paris over Spring Break with my dad, stepmom, aunt, and uncle coming along with us. We've met some amazing people and made great friends. And our children have experienced things they never would have if we'd continued our lives in our hometate of OK. Overall, it has been a positive and enriching experience.

[CRS]

Oh, I used to love going to Sheppard AFB! Not sure why, but it used to be a fun place to get away to every once in awhile.

We have friends who have been stationed at Ft. Carson, and loved it. But one of them had family nearby and I think that's why.

The one thing I can't get used to is not having a plan and having things change constantly. You'd think I'd get used to that after 15 yrs, wouldn't you?

[Sarah in VA]

Carla, I just had to respond! Knowing both Lawton and Wichita Falls, I have to agree it would have been a treat to go to Wichita Falls! And please believe this comes from a native of the area. I was born and raised in Vernon, TX, just 50 miles NW of Wichita Falls and probably the same distance SW of Lawton!

And yes, the change is constant. That's the big thing you have to get used to. You'd think in "retirement" we'd be over that, but we have good friends here on our street who are still active duty AF and they are leaving just today for a new assignment in OKCY. They are a sweet young couple who have a new baby, just born on 3 July. They will do fine, I'm sure. Just like we all have when faced with the same thing. But again, I'm saying goodbye to good friends.

[siskitkat]

DH and I are both originally from Kansas. We are currently stationed at Ft. Gordon, GA. I did 3 1/2 years active duty before taking an early out. I was at DLI, Presidio for Monterey for Czech, the San Angelo TX for AIT before finishing up in Augsburg Germany. I joined the Reserves after active duty. I met DH in my first reserve unit. He was a 54B, NBC at the time. I left the reserves after about 17 years after a mobilization because we had made the decision to adopt. Six months later, we were chosen to be the parents of a sibling group of three.
After our marriage, DH took a demotion with a pay raise and went on active duty as a Nuclear Medical Science officer. We've been to Ft. Sam Houston, Ft. Jackson, SC (where I did basic), Corvallis OR (DH went to grad. school.), then Ft. Lewis WA (adopted our kids there), and now Ft. Gordon, GA.
DH is currently in Iraq. He left the Tuesday after Memorial Day. We will have one more year here when he gets back, then Germany. Forget where.

[Smiles]

I did my 20 active duty all in CONUS, too. I was a personnel officer (AG).
I was in the Active Guard Reserve program, in support of the USAR.
my first tour was at Ft. Baker, CA (a subpost of Presidio of San Francisco), then Vancouver Barracks, WA, where I met DH, then Ft. Lewis, WA, the Pentagon, and back to Vancouver Barracks for my retirement tour as a Division IG. I retired about 3 years ago.

DH started out Infantry, became a drill sergeant, made SSG, went to Infantry OCS then ABN and Special Forces School, then Germany with some TDY side trips to places he'd just as soon forget, then Basic Training Co Cdr at Ft. Leonard Wood, then Korea for a year, then Ft. Bragg. He left active duty after that tour and joined the Army Reserve. He retired in 1997 with 33 years total service. He was a great military spouse for 9 years too!

Do you think you could get quarters at Ft. Carson? That might make a big difference.

Fun to find out more about our Scrap Girls!

[AmandaFace]

my father was a marine for 22 years. a warrant office for a lot of those.

some random military memories:

i was born in panama city panama while my father was stationed there.
we also lived in japan, north and south carolina. most of my life was spent in NC.
my father was in a marine corps commercial when he was younger.
my brother is in the AF now. hes been in 11 years? something like that now.
both my uncles and grandfather were marines - lots of those in my family.
my dad is now a sheriffs deputy.

but saving the best for last - my father joined the marines while he and my mother were dating. they got into a fight and he threatened to off and join the military. she told him to do it (dramatic teens no?). he marched down to the recruiting place, the air force one was closed. the marine corps recruiting guy happened to be there and told my dad "come on over son, weve got planes too!". the rest is history so they say.

[CRS]

Amanda, that's a great story about your dad! You should scrap that! Your kids will love hearing it someday.

[AmandaFace]

good idea carla! ill have to do that.

[peculiar_lady]

Smiles, on Jul 29 2009, 08:16 PM, said:

Do you think you could get quarters at Ft. Carson? That might make a big difference.

Housing anywhere isn't as easy to get into as it used to be years ago...avg wait is 1-2 years most places, and with a large family (requiring the most bedrooms available), that makes it even harder. The web site doesn't even give you an avg time anymore, just says to contact the housing office of whatever base. When we were at Ft Hood (the only place CONUS we were in housing) we finally came up on the list after two years, and then moved two months later. I can't imagine doing that with five kiddos. Moves were always hard, but the more kids we have the harder I find the moving to be. The only place we got housing immediately was of course Germany. That's really one big reason we are thinking of going back OCONUS somewhere...IF we can get someone to house-sit for us since we have a pretty good feeling we will be back here very soon. (If hubby doesn't get the MOS change he has to have, he will NOT renew his contract in 2012). We really do not want to sell if we will end up back here...and we really do not want to have to take all our animals to an OCONUS station. (1 dog and 2-3 cats...one that decided after our last trip to "punish us" and ran away...we have seen her a few times though so we know she is still around. She was a stray before she came to us, so it's no surprise to us).

[catinkeri]

I came across this thread the other day and was happily typing a long-winded reply and my husband didn't realise that I was online and cut me off! I have been meaning to get back and post since then ... and ... taaa daaa here I am.
This has been a great thread to read - not only has it made me realise how many military compounds I've visited since marrying into the military, but also how many of them I have now lived at.
On the 15th of this month I have been in this country for 11 years - on the 17th of this month it's my 11th anniversary. My husband had just left Laughlin AFB, TX when I met him online - we got married straight after I came to America.
Here is where we've lived - sometimes two houses at the same base.
Ft Rucker, AL - husband finished off pilot training; Kirtland AFB, NM; Malmstrom AFB, MT; Andrews AFB, MD; Randolph AFB, TX; Laughlin AFB, TX and now we're at Wright-Patterson for a year while my husband is at AFIT.
We have absolutely no idea where we'll be going from here, but like I keep telling my DH, as long as he takes me and the kids with him, I'm happy with that.
It's been a learning experience coming from New Zealand to be a military spouse. NZ doesn't really have a military presence and I had no idea what the military life held in store until I got here ... and lived it. It's definitely had it's goods and it's bads ... I've met loads of wonderful people. One of the bad bits is leaving the wonderful people behind you. The last assignment was the best so far ... I got so involved with the community and the base that the time we had there just flew by. I loved the volunteer work I did there and my personal photography/web design business took off with a hiss and a roar.
We've been at this new base for 7 weeks and I haven't met a single person! Can't see that changing much as since we're only here for a year we're kind of the 'forgotten ones'.
Anyway - I wanted to thank you all for your work as either active duty or for being a supportive spouse of military! I have utmost respect for all of you, and proud to be amongst your ranks!
Thanks for starting the thread - and maybe with this bumping up we might even get some more takers!

[catinkeri]

PS. My husband has never been deployed, so I can only imagine what spouses go through during their time away and my heart goes out to them. My DH will probably be doing a 365 in the next few years. I have gotten used to separation though - we've been married 11 years this month and we've been separated for nearly five of those years! Go figure ...

[Laurie in PA]

I was a miitary brat & an Army wife
My Stepfather was in the Air Foce & we lived at Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls Mt (Hi Sandi)
and McGuire AFB, NJ

My husband was in the Navy, then Army Reserves; and then the AGR program. His first AGR post was
only 30 miles from home, so we didn't have to move, then Greensburg Pa - still only 70 miles. Then he
got transferred to Ft Totten, Queens just when the BRAC commission announced they were closing down
the housing and all support facilities. We had the option of living in Navy housing on Long Island or Ft
Hamilton, Brooklyn. We took Long Island and were there two years. DH didn't stay in to get his 20 years
active - his hearing loss made it hard for him to do his job, but he turned 60 this year so he gets his
reserve retirement now.

[Sara Arell]

Hi Sarah -

I am Sara
26.5 active duty Air Force wife, now retired and dh is a police officer
Stationed at Keesler AFB, Shaw AFB, Izmir, Turkey, and been to Germany and France - dh was in Saudi Arabia without me.
4 children - 3 boys and 1 girl - all military brats but the youngest boy
Daughter in Air Force
Son served 4 years in Army and is now with Ingersoll Rand in Huntersvlle, NC
3rd son in college here and has family with 3 children

And.....I so miss being in the military - I was the publicist for the MWR Division at Shaw AFB and was in charge of all of the print media an advertising in the base newspaper among many other jobs I had while my dh was active duty. I loved being a miitary wife and miss not only the friends we had but the pomp an circumstance, the dining-ins and outs, the cookouts, just everything the military life had to offer us - it was an awesome 26 years and I would do it again in a minute.

Welcome to SG and I hope to see some of your layouts in the Gallery soon.
Sara Arell

[bthornton17]

Haven't been around awhile - seem to be constantly busy. But thought it was neat to see where everyone has been. It is also reassuring to see I am not the only that has moved as much as we have. Seems lately all the military wives I meet have only lived in one of two places. I truely can't imagine. ANyway here is our info:

17 years AD Navy - 15 married , 19 together (met while he was doing the academy thing)
lived - NAS Atsugi, Japan; Pax River, MD; Atlanta, GA; Norfolk, VA; Geilenkirchen, Germany (up north near the Dutch, Belgium, German border) and now Johnstown, PA

We have moved twice at every place except Germany and now. I have been in PA for 1 year and have 1 year left. Dh is doing is CO tour.

Not sure where we are headed next - that is the current great debate. But I have no complaints and no regrets.

Talk to you all later!