The military community may have mastered the art of making the best with what we’ve been handed but there are some duty stations that you just don’t want to get. Everyone’s list is different. You may love the coast or prefer the mountains. Before you start calling to get your orders changed, consider these 10 duty stations that military families didn’t expect to love!
Yokosuka, Japan
I didn’t expect to LOVE Japan. We were stationed in Yokosuka Japan aboard the USS George Washington. Food, culture, travels to ports to meet the ship. We found the best little honey store in Kamakura. My family (3 daughters, hubby and I) LOVED everything about Japan –food, culture, travels to ports to meet the ship.
Sybil Jones, www.preschool2teen.com
USAG Hohenfels
A lot of people love or hate USAG Hohenfels. It is in Nowheresville, Germany and if you don’t leave post, it can be quite isolating. However, by stepping into the economy and being open minded to other cultures, you are literally just a few hours from France, Austria, the Czech Republic and more! It is a travelers dream come true!!
LeAnna Brown, The Economical Excursionists
Scott AFB
I thought this about the midwest: “Oh boy here we go.” But it turns out that St. Louis is only 20 minutes away and it is the most amazing town!! There is so much to do with or without kids and it’s a really fun sports town!
Alicia Lee, Two Kids And A Blog
Fort Riley, Kansas
We never expected that we would love Fort Riley in Manhattan, Kansas! We live five minutes from Kansas State University and love how the city supports the university. There is almost zero crime of any kind, and there are always fun festivals and activities to do during the holidays and on weekends all year long. We are very happy here!
Erica DeSpain, Whimsical September
Guam
From the beautiful beaches and incredible hikes to the fun nightlife and unbelievable travel opportunities, it really should not have been such a surprise that we loved our three years on Guam as much as we did. Being so far from home (and with an aggressive deployment schedule), the spouses on base quickly became my new family. I was only surprised at how sad I was when it was time to leave.
T.T. Robinson, TT Robinson Writes
Fort Bliss, Texas
We’ve been at Ft Bliss for over 7 years now, the longest I’ve lived anywhere. I kept waiting for next year’s orders for so long, to get me out of this dry dusty desert. I was so focused on next year I missed the blessings of today. Don’t be next-year people… bloom today! Throughout literature the desert and wilderness is where people find themselves. Whether it’s Tatooine or the Chihuahuan Desert, embrace it as a chance to become a better you.
MCAS Cherry Point, NC
My husband had been at Camp Lejeune (an hour away from Cherry Point) for about three years when he got new orders. He was PISSED. He loved being at Lejeune and when I moved down to be with him, I loved Lejeune too and was very upset that that’s not where we’d be living. Cherry Point is about an hour away and it’s a very small air station with not much around it. We were there for two years and now that we don’t live there anymore, we miss it so much. There are so many gorgeous beaches nearby and fun festivals throughout the summer and fall. You have Jacksonville and Greenville just an hour away if you want the mall and more things to do. If you want more of a club scene you can head to downtown Greenville or drive the two hours to Raleigh. New Bern is a cute little town that’s fun to explore and it’s only a 30 min drive. And of course with it being and air station, you have the air show every other year which is so much fun to attend. It’s really not bad at all. We hope to move back for good once he’s out of the Marine Corps
Fort Stewart, Ga
The first time we drove into Hinesville (the town around post) I cried. It was my first time living with my husband, and being a city girl, from Miami, I wasn’t sure if I could survive in a small Southern town. We ended up living about half an hour from post, which had us almost in Savannah, GA. There was so much culture and history to experience! We spent so much time exploring Savannah and the surrounding areas. It also helps that we had a great unit and I made some great friends as a result of deployment.
Alejandra, Munchkins and Military
Nellis AFB
Las Vegas, Nevada. I came kicking and screaming with four teenagers… but we left kicking and screaming too. We loved it! Close enough to the California beaches, Utah/Colorado skiing and always big events like concerts etc! It’s attitude!!
Kelli
Vandenburg AFB, CA
It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere in terms of towns nearby (it’s an hour to Santa Barbara- the nearest towns, Santa Maria and Lompoc are small and blah) BUT there are rocket launches, and miles of private beach, beautiful on base housing and an elementary school on base. My kids learned to love the beach and love everything space and rockets. They even dim the streetlights on base during a launch so you can see them better. It’s really a lovely place to live.
Heather, Only Passionate Curiosity Homeschool
We want to know:
Which duty station did you not expect to love?
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