[kama'aina mama]

The old one got dusty. Let's have a fresh start. This thread is for support and ranting. For generally discussing the weirdness that is military life and for sharing coping techniques. Anyone connected with the military is welcome. Servicemembers, spouses, parents, children... any loved ones and supporters.

Please read the next post and let me know if you know someone who needs it.

 

[kama'aina mama]

If you know someone serving in Iraq and they are being awarded 15 days R&R but can't afford airfare to use it I know of a group that has raised a little money and wants to buy tickets for these men and women. I am not sure their criterion for awarding tickets but am inquiring. PM me if you have a friend or loved one you think needs this assistance. NOTE: This is not charity. This is money donated by a lot of regular people who want to support the troops in a real, meaningful way.

Other useful info if you know anyone who is coming home but is buying their own tickets. From one of the people co-ordinating this effort, with permission:

Quote:

If anyone has friends/family over there, please share this with them! Here is a breakdown of what's going on: The military is letting troops come home for 15 days leave on a rotational basis. If I understand correctly, the dates are being set by a "lottery". The government provides transportation to Frankfurt if they are stationed in Europe or Baltimore if they are stationed stateside. (Military might provide flights to other locations in the future.) Once they arrive in Frankfurt or Baltimore, their 15 days start. They have to pay for their own plane ticket home from there, and when they check in back at the airport, their 15 days stop. (That way if the military transport experiences trouble, they aren't losing any R&R days.) Early rumors came in about troops having to buy last minute tickets home and were pay over $1000+ a ticket. So far, only 2 airlines have begun to offer "no advance purchase" tickets for these troops. Delta is offering "zone fares" ranging from $158 to $498..plus taxes. No change penalties, refundable, BUT! the military member has to purchase it themselves at the counter and present their ID. Great if they have the money, bad if they don't. Continental is offering "lowest fare in that market" with no advance purchase, no change penalties, and refundable. They can either buy the ticket at the counter with their leave orders OR it can be bought for them by anyone over the phone at 800-523-3273 and they have to show their orders when they check in for the flight to qualify or they'll be charged the higher fare. I'm still checking with the other airlines to see if they join in with similar fares, but so far, those are the only two.

I will update this if and when I learn more.

 

[Elphaba]

I need information on what it's like at various posts. We're supposed to be going to Ft. Bragg in 6 months, but dh is going to try to swap with someone.
The possible places he can get are:
Ft. Irwin
Ft. Lewis
Ft. Hood
Ft. Riley
and a VERY slim chance of Ft. Carson

Now, I'm from Texas and I know Killeen is a hellhole and I don't particularly want to live there, but perhaps it has changed in the past few years so if anyone is currently there I'd like to hear your opinions of the area.

I've never been to the other places I listed, so any input is appreciated. You can PM me if you'd prefer that.

 

[kama'aina mama]

I have an update on qualifications.

quote:
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they need to be E1-E4 or in serious need (verified by a supervisor or such)
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Also, the list of airlines helping servicemembers out with last minute low fares has grown.
Continental
American
Delta
Southwest

If you want help with a specific ticket, when you are ready to go you can email Kat at at [email protected] or call 801-390-0092. Tell her kama sent ya!

 

[UlrikeDG]

Elphaba, Ft. Riley is supposed to be heaven for natural parenting.

I wish I could talk DH into going there next.

 

[huskrkid]

It rains A LOT in Ft. Lewis. It's beautiful & green there, but it rains A LOT. Did I say it rains A LOT? It's been (OMG) 8 years since I left there, but it was a nice post then & I know they've gotten a new px & commisary & such since then. But it rains A LOT!!! Thankfully I was deployed to Panama most of the winters I was there.

kama'aina mama

...I know you will find lots of people who need the ride home. What a great thing you are doing!

 

[queencarr]

Elphaba,

I don't know anything about thoses bases, sorry. But Family support sometimes has info packets with the tourism info stuff about cities that bases are in. Might at least give you an idea of what's in each place.

Good luck--how nice to have choices! All of our moves have been no further than 2 years apart, with about 4w of notice! But we like where we are now, and with dh remote, there's a good chance no more moves from now til retirement in 4 1/2 years.

 

[huskrkid]

Alright mommas, I need your expertise...

Found out last week we will probably be headed to Germany (90% sure) next summer. Won't know exactly where until probably Dec. & won't have an RFO until Feb., but I really want to get a jump on things.

I've never moved overseas as a spouse & not with kids. Infact I've never been overseas with more than a rucksack & a duffle bag. I am stressing already & things aren't set in stone.

We were talking last night & I think this time dh may go first & get inprocessed & housing etc. I'm not thrilled with the thought of having 2 kids on a transatlantic flight alone, but it seems (at this point anyway) like the right thing to do.

I'm already going through my head what will go & what will go into storage. Hate to bring all the baby stuff, but I don't want to wait until we get back to have the next one. I'm old enough that an extra year or two makes a difference!! (Yikes!)

I sure would like some tips, especially if you've recently been to that area recently. I want to be as ready as I can for this one!

Thanks bunches!

 

[UlrikeDG]

Angela, I'm in Germany. Why do you think it will be easier for DH to go first? When we got here, we stayed in the guest house for a couple of weeks, which really wasn't bad. House keeping made the beds every day. We had laundry facilities were down the hall, so washing cloth diapers was fine (after the airline found the missing suitcase that had all my CDs in it!

). There was a playground right outside our building. The library was across the street. Shoppette & Bowling Alley were less than a block away. The commissary was too far to walk with 2 kids and no stroller (let alone groceries), but that was the only real problem.

We used army furniture when we moved into our quarters. Unlike most bases in the US, you can pretty much furnish your entire house with military furniture for your entire tour - beds, table & chairs, desk, couch, not sure what else.

Lots of moms were flying alone with kids when we came over, and that seems to happen a lot. Everyone is very friendly and tries to help each other out, but I'd still much rather fly with my DH. If you have any specific concerns, maybe I can help...? We're in Heidelberg, and DH is Army.

 

[Josephsmommy]

Ok ladies my dh will know this week if he is in the Air Force or not. So what I want to know is if you ladies like the military life? Where you are stationed and what the base housing is like. Also is you dh or yourself in the Air Force, Army, Navy, ect??? I just want to know what the Milatary life is like in a womans perspective(spelling wrong).

Thanks Alot for you help.

 

[huskrkid]

Ulrike,

Thanks for your info so far! Part of my reason for staying a little longer here is this is the first time we have been close to my family & it is for less than a year to begin with. And my best friend & sil will be having babies within days of each other just before we go. I'm not wanting to leave too badly. But, as we have talked to a few of dh's classmates, we have found out (as you said) that it may not be so bad to all go together. We are still weeding out horror stories from the good ones. KWIM?

We are army too & think we will be near Darmstadt. Like I said, we won't know for a bit yet. I will take you up on your offer of help!! Hope you don't mind being peppered with ???'s. LOL:LOL

I would die if my cd's were lost by the airline!! So glad they found yours. I have my own horror stories about lost luggage! Don't dare lose my baby's...the wrath of mom!! :LOL

Josephsmommy, everyone has their own take on military life. Sometimes it sucks & sometimes it's great. It is really what you make of it!! I'm prior service (army as well) and I have seen it from about every view of the fence, military member, enlisted, & now family member & an officer's wife (don't flame me!!!). It can be a hard life, but you have to find your own lifeline & surround yourself with people who love you & will care for you during the hard times. And enjoy your tremendous opportunites given at any time!

Moving is one of the worst times & it's very stressful. Don't let it get to you. (Yeah, read my other posts, I'm stressing already like a crazy woman & it's 8 months away!! LOL) Life gets so much better when things are settled!

Welcome to the group! Keep us posted!

 

[LDSmomma6]

and I have lived in Killeen since 1985!! While it's not hopping like Austin or San Antonio, it's not all that bad.

I actually haven't lived there since 1994 when DH graduated from CTC and we moved to Bryan/College Station. But my parents still live in Killeen, and so do my 2 sisters (one sister actually lives on Pershing Park on Ft. Hood), and 2 brothers. Another brother lives in Temple but his law firm is in Killeen. He says he wouldn't have the business in Temple as he does in Killeen. I was just in Killeen this past weekend.

When was the last time you been to Killeen? They are redoing the mall, opened tons of great new restrurants, new theater (with stadium seating), tons of new stores, one of the biggest Super Walmart stores (woo hoo!), opening another Super Walmart in Harker Heights. There is another Super Walmart in Copperas Cove too. Cove has really been built up as well.

 

[Elphaba]

is your dh going enlisted or officer? active or reserves?
we've been both enlisted and officer. being enlisted sucked because of the unbelievably low pay and the fact that my dh's "superiors" were anything but.
what's good is that your health care is free. it can be a major pain in the ass, but it is free.
your dh will work long hours with no extra pay or even recognition. if your commander is a single man, look forward to meetings scheduled during your child's bedtime, as they often don't consider what life is like for families.
we haven't had the opportunity to live on post yet, as the wait has always been so long as to make it impossible. we would like to live on post, but i'm not willing to go through all the hassle of renting an apartment while we wait for housing, and then move a second time.
quality of life varies from service to service and from post to post. from the other women i have spoken with, the air force seems to treat their people the best and the army (that's us) the worst.
i think every post offers parenting classes and activities for kids, but they may not be appropriate for your family.
we've been in 6 years and have 2.5 years left on his contract, so we are in the process of deciding whether or not we will stay in. this next duty station will be the clincher. if it sucks, and he deploys constantly (he's spent about half of our marriage TDY and deployed) then we're getting out. if he has to work with the quality of people he has been working with, we're getting out.
you'll be eligible for discounts at a lot of places, so that's always nice. you can use your VA benefits to buy your house with no money down and the VA will pay your agent's fees. your dh can go to college for 25% or less of what the going rate is. sometimes we spouses get a break on tuition as well.
something you are going to have to get used to is not having control of your own life anymore. someone else is calling the shots now. your dh is the one who signs the contract, but YOU are signing up too. whatever happens to him because of his career choice is going to affect you as well. it's not like a regular job where you can kind of blow it off if your boss is a moron. in the military, having a moron making decisions can screw up your whole family's life.
i highly recommend that you seek out a wive's group immediately upon arrival at your new station. the servicemembers get basic training, but no one helps the spouses figure out what the hell is going on.

 

[LDSmomma6]

Oh, and in the 20 yrs that my dad was in, we only lived at 4 Army bases...Schofield Barracks (?), Hawaii; Ft. Rucker, Alabama; Ft. Wainwright, Alaska and Ft. Hood. I hated Alaska because I was a teenager and my mom was scared to death to drive in the snow so therefore we never went anywhere for more then 1/2 the year. And I don't know which base was worse (not that it was bad...just the weather) Rucker or Hood. LOL!! Don't remember anything about Hawaii.

 

[Elphaba]

LDSmomma6, no offense but none of those things you listed are at all appealing to me. wamart and movie theaters are not indicators of a good quality of life to me. the turn of phrase "built up" repluses me. i'm from georgetown and it disgusts me to see what has happened to a nice little town.
when i think about places i want to live, i look at the educational opportunities for my daughter and for myself. i look at the availabillity of organic foods and alternative medicine. i look at the weather and the air quality to see if we will even be able to go outside in the summer or if we will burn to death. i like to see a lot of independent businesses and not a bunch of chains, or at least an equal number of both. i want to know that there are clean safe parks to take my daughter to, neighborhoods where i can walk my dog without fear of being shot or run over by a drunk driver and a library with a decent number of books.

 

[UlrikeDG]

Angela, my DH is an officer, too. Is that a bad thing?

One thing to be aware of, captain down get stairwell apartments. You have to be a major or higher to get a duplex on base. Living off base is usually an option, but we got newly remodeled quarters (stairwell - DH is a 1st Lt.) with W/D in the apartment! The newly remodelled stuff also has 110 outlets (one in each room, plus a couple in the kitchen) as well as 220.

 

[LDSmomma6]

True, and I guess that is why we moved away from there. But, it's no worse then Georgetown!! Summers are just as hot! And the schools are just as crowded as the next.

Austin area probably does have more of the organic/natural food selections then Killeen. I know when my grandmother was still alive, she was allergic to wheat, and whenever I came for a visit I had to go to my organic/natural food place first to get her rice bread since there was none to be found in the Killeen area.

We are moving to a smaller town next summer (less them 6,000 pop.),and you think Killeen is a hellhole?? Try this place!! This has got to be the worse place imaginable, and the only reason I am moving there is because I was given a big house and almost 400 acres of land. I can't pass that up, but I would rather live in Killeen then this place.

Good luck with the selection!! I always wanted to move to Ft. Irwin as a teenager...something about California I liked (I was born there, and visited there often with family). It is in California, right?? Maybe it was Ft. Ord (isn't that there too?). LOL!!!

 

[jeca]

Quote:

Originally posted by Elphaba I need information on what it's like at various posts. We're supposed to be going to Ft. Bragg in 6 months, but dh is going to try to swap with someone. The possible places he can get are: Ft. Irwin Ft. Lewis Ft. Hood Ft. Riley and a VERY slim chance of Ft. Carson Now, I'm from Texas and I know Killeen is a hellhole and I don't particularly want to live there, but perhaps it has changed in the past few years so if anyone is currently there I'd like to hear your opinions of the area.

I can fill you in on quite a few. I just came from Ft. Iwin, which is about 32 miles from teh nearest town of Barstow. It's a very small desert community. it gets very hot and dry and overall, I liked it. If you don't mind driving then their are LOTS of things to do in a 2 hour raduis. The base itself is small like i said but Everyone I know that has been stationed there got a degreein 2-3 years, it's really really great school wise. But it is small so that is a draw back.The town itself barstow is not that great of place either but there is lots to do on post fo rthe kids.

Fort Riley, Kansas was our first duty station. It is also very small with Junction City(nicknamed Junkyard city)closest town right outside the gate. Employment opps and school are small there. But you can take some colege classes there on base for free. Overall not that great of a place to go IMO, we were glad to get out of there. I do not think it's a haven for natural parenting, there is hardly anything around to do with teh kids and if you don't go to the movies everyweekend then tehre's just not much there. I left in 2000 so maybe things have changed.

Fort Carson, Colorado. Come there! We are currently stationed at Fort Carson and most people like it there. Colorado springs is a good sized metro town, lots of jobs and schools. Down side, Cost of living is just STUPID! and BAH doesn't compensate you enough. Housing is like an 18 month wait last I checked but they were biulding a bunch so it should be better. health foods stores, LLL, homeschooloing groups, and just AP things period but like i said it is a larger town then the other two so that helps.

You can PM me for more details if you like. I didn't read all the posts yet I just stopped at yours so I may be repeating things.

 

[Josephsmommy]

Good news ladies. My husband just found out today that he is in the Air Force.

Now all we have to wait for is a job and a ship date.

 

[huskrkid]

Ulrike, being an officer's wife is not a bad thing...but i've gotten flamed for it on other boards, and only for that reason, but that's why I love this board.

Pi$$es me off because I was enlisted. I get flamed for that too. Whatever... Anyway, I've decided to put the PCS jitters to rest until we know for sure where we are going.

On another note...anyone got the soldier's prayer? I hope I can remember to copy it in church on Sunday. (Let's hope we make it there this week!) I want to put it into a prayer bracelet for mil.