Hating Your Installation? Hunt the Good Stuff!
Most of us have probably felt a hate for the current place we call home—at least a time or two. It could be the housing, the neighbors, the weather, the unit, the constant deployment or TDY cycles, or one of a hundred other things that make it bad. I’ve had that hate, but just like going through basic training, often times it takes moving on from that installation to realize it wasn’t really that bad or that there was actually some good things about that “home.”
The Deep South
For me, my least favorite location to be stationed was Fort Hood. It was my first actual duty station. The post was constantly congested, it took 45 minutes to get through the gate, and driving across post was a task. On the other hand, it was where I deployed the first time, which may not sound like a positive, but that deployment is where I really learned what I was made of, the deployment where I re-enlisted, the deployment where I would have the opportunity to fly as a door gunner and experience things I would never have imagined before. It was also in that deployment, where I saw what the true meaning of brothers- and sisters-in-arms truly means. While at Fort Hood, I also met my husband, and that’s where we were married.
Experiencing Europe
Germany was a beautiful country with lots of opportunities to travel, but it also brought with it non-stop TDYs for my family to provide medical coverage. To go to an American hospital was almost three hours. This was the first time I had been exposed to the MEDEVAC and the pride that comes with the mission, not only to cover training in Germany, but also in a deployed state. It was where I was pinned sergeant and down the road staff sergeant. It was where my MEB began and where I spent my last day in the Army before officially becoming a retiree. We also found out that we were expecting our first child there.
The Midwest
Fort Riley was our next stop, and today is actually my husband’s first day of PCS leave as we move on. It’s in the middle of Kansas, and the phrase “wait five minutes, it will change” really does apply here. Most “real” shopping is at least an hour away. But, there is also a beautiful lake, where we have enjoyed fishing. It’s where both of our boys were born, where we bought our first house, where my husband was pinned staff sergeant, and where he was selected for flight school.
Moving On
In a few weeks, we will find ourself at good old “Mother Rucker,” as my husband begins his path to becoming a pilot. We will be moving away from my family who was only a couple hours away in Kansas. It’s much more humid there, and we will be downsizing quite a bit from our house here to the house there. This is a new path, though. It will allow our boys to explore another part of the United States. We will be closer to my husband’s family, and the boys will have a chance to really get to know their cousins better. It’s a smaller installation, so the connection within the spouses is much different. We have a large number of friends from both Fort Hood and Germany there, giving us the chance to connect again.
My point is that we can look at each installation for what it isn’t for us, or we can look at what it has been for us, for our service member, and for our family.
How do you hunt the good stuff, wherever the military may send you? Share with us!
