Army Girl in a Navy World
We’re an Army family floundering around in a dry side vs. wet side world I call Navy Town. Now, while this also happens to be my hometown and where we’ve spent every single summer and winter for the past seven years, it was still a struggle getting my sea legs for our 18-month stay.
We’ve had lots of highs and lows along the way, but I’ve learned tips and tricks I can now share with you.
So, get ready to take notes because you never know if your service member will one day end up recruiting in a place where your known branch is a rarity.
First of all, Navy Town is set up entirely different from an Army post. In Colorado, there is Fort Carson, but here, there are bases, not posts, and they’re spread all over the city and each serve a different purpose. Imagine several mini Fort Carsons spread out all over the Springs.
For instance, there’s a few movie theaters to choose from and the drive to each is about the same. This is great when you prefer catching a flick with your children earlier in the day before nap-time vs. 1 p.m. at the other theater. And of course, it’s all free. All you need is your current military ID and you’re set. We’re a huge movie watching family, so this has saved us big bucks; I only wish I’d discovered this much sooner in our stay here.
You may have heard that our insurance now allows us unlimited visits to civilian urgent care centers. I can’t express how relieved I was to learn this, because the Navy hospital/emergency room is such a long drive from where we are. There are many different doctor’s offices to choose from that are located in outpatient clinics but only one emergency room. You can imagine the wait times.
Call and ask which location is closest to you and hope they have room to take you as a patient. There are forms you can fill out requesting certain offices, but these locations are a hot commodity—prepare to call often to see if there’s room. Good luck! We got three of our four children in to the local clinic, just a few minutes away. It’s been a Godsend, but two of us are still making a long drive as we couldn’t get two of us into the closest clinic.
Any USO fans here? Unfortunately, the quaint Army vibe on post does not exist here. What I have found, though, is a publication they put out monthly called WAVES. This publication makes the magnitude of Navy Town feel a bit more grounded and tangible.
Very recently I took my children to a Dr. Suess event right by the water, and it was absolutely breathtaking. That is one thing the Navy has over the Army that I’m totally soaking up—the combo of water and sun. I’d even dare to say that because of the lay of the land here, their events tend to be even more spectacular. The weather is always near perfect, the views are gorgeous, and the fun lasts for hours longer outdoors.
Today my children did flips on a trampoline, made bubbles with strawberry baskets, and got to pet farm animals. It was a blast! Getting your hands on this publication is as easy as watching a movie. Literally. The movie theaters post upcoming events from the WAVES publication as previews before each movie as well as providing hard copies in most Navy buildings.
It’s not just kids’ events either, but adult dance classes, car maintenance workshops, car shows, and everything in between. Most of it, free!
The military pulse doesn’t stop at the leisure and the medical. Be sure to ask your child’s school if they have a School Liaison Officer. My son had one at his first school here, and she was a key player in his transition. Especially since his teacher, principal, and others were very much civilian and could not understand most of his struggles. This is where his liaison came into play.
The time he spent with her was vital to his academic and social success both in the classroom and on the playground. If you come to find that your school doesn’t have such a program, call the district. We found that schools within the same district fell on polar opposites of each other; either they did not know the program even existed or the program was alive and thriving at their school.
On a personal note, get involved in your community as soon as possible and plant those roots. That advice is true even for a typical PCS from one Army post to another, but it has been even more helpful in our situation.
It comes down to simple math, really. The more people you get to know, the quicker you learn about the community you’re now in. This can work to your benefit. For us, we dove right into a local church, growth groups, women’s groups, etc. Out youngest son has strengthened some friendships at school solely because they went to church together.
It didn’t stop there for us. I highly recommend joining your local YMCA if you have one close enough. They have so many programs that overlap the military community, support parents in building stronger kids, and give children fantastic opportunities that you may not have had access to otherwise. For instance, our YMCA partners up with a local fire station in putting on Firefighter for a Day. Here, children get to do drills, gear up, and learn in the way kids learn best about fire safety. It beats your typical firehouse tour hands down.
And last, but certainly not least—housing.
When my husband first decided he wanted to join the military, we just assumed it’d be the Navy. After all, this was our home, most of our friends were Navy… this is just what felt most natural. During that time, we did quite a bit of research. Everything from online to talking to our good friends who were in or recently out of the Navy. One day we decided, “Hey! Let’s go check out what their housing is like!”
Fortunately, the Internet has come a long way and navigating this part is much easier now. Plus, you’ll have your orders with all the information you’ll need to get started. At that time though, we didn’t have either. After lots of driving and confusion, we eventually learned that much of the housing is off base and looks very much like regular homes or apartments, but slightly different. They tend to be more uniform, close in proximity, and in semi-off the side areas.
Personally, I much prefer living on post than off, so I’m grateful for the way the Army does it. My one recommendation: Get to know the city you’re in before you decide where you want to plant your home. Things to consider: rush hour, the flow/direction of the majority of traffic and its times, how close your potential home is to party areas, and so much more. Places by the water tend to be more expensive and that normally means better parks, schools, and overall quality of life.
So if you find yourself one day an Army girl in a Navy World, don’t sweat it. The scenery itself will more than compensate for being a fish out of water. My advice? Gear up! The water’s fine.
