No matter what branch, a favorite conversation to pass time during active duty service is to compare bases, the old and the new, the good and the bad. Being that I’m in the Air Force ROTC program here at Penn State it is highly likely that I’ll be sent to different bases during my time serving in the future. With that being said there are a few bases I would like to visit or be stationed at while serving active duty.
Accumulating top rated bases from Military Times and Air Force Times, these are the bases I would ultimately love to be stationed at or travel to someday.
- Scott Air Force, Illinois
“Depending on what lifestyle you prefer, you have the full spectrum,” Kremer said. “You can live to the east of the base, in the middle of corn fields. A number of people who work on base live in downtown St. Louis, particularly young couples without kids, [and] can go see the Cardinals, the Rams, Fox Theater [a performing arts center], all St. Louis has to offer. And then there’s the typical outstanding suburban life in the Fairview Heights area.”(Source)
- Joint Base San Antonio, Texas
The cost of living in this area can’t be beaten. Given that there are two bases near each other in this part of Texas the military atmosphere is the biggest draw for airmen and their families!
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Ohio? Yes! This base is in the perfect location, with just one tank of gas you can make it to Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville — the list goes on and on!
- Kadena Air Force Base, Japan
This base has a bit of a sentimental value to it. Before my mom had my brother and I she was stationed here and my dad even flew to see her from California. Cute, I know! She always raves about her years spent here, the culture, the people, and the beauty of this place! I would love to get to walk in my mother’s footsteps and experience first hand what she experienced 20 years ago!
- Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Not only could I cross of seeing the Northern Lights with this base but I would honestly love to live in Alaska! You couldn’t get a unique experience like this living anywhere else!
While the military lifestyle is not for everyone, many people have someone in their families history who has served in one branch or another. Moving home to home can be a hard life to live but with a positive outlook, it can be a rewarding one. Seeing the world, living amongst comrades who share the same ambitions and goals as you and who love this country as much or even more than you do couldn’t be more rewarding and heartening. Hopefully you too will get to visit one of these bases or one of the thousands of others and experience for yourself what everyday life is like for those that serve this great country!
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