If you dont like Korean food then you can eat on Post. Then you will calculate the cost of living in Monterey and thank the military that you will only live there for a short period of time. Your email address will not be published. It is where I figured out the Commissary, had our first experience with Military schools, found PWOC, made friends, figured out how to get through a deployment. Although it will take a majority of you BAH, it is a lot more house than you will be able to afford in the civilian world. EXCUSES! For more information, please see our I also took a shit load of four days when available to other countries, so make sure you get your passport, even if your CAC works. If your Career Counselor didnt explain further, which Im sure they did because on one of your forms you literally write out what you are receiving upon reenlistment and initial to show you understand exactly what youre getting into, I hope this helped. I'll just simply call it "Home." About the Author When the auto-complete results are available, use the up and down arrows to review and Enter to select. There is good and bad wherever you go so dont be discouraged. It is 100% pre shrunk shirt and is available in S, M, L, XL, 2X, and 3X sizes. He went to Sure Start for school year 10/11 and the teachers he had there are awesome. More than 3,500 soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and DOD employers attend the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey. I CHOOSE to realize how fortunate I am to be living in Europe! I got to experience two different hospitals. The only saving grace is that Las Vegas is less than 3 hours away. Actually it was our dream location. Notable graduates include Admiral Michael Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and General Michael W. Hagee, 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps. Ben eventually came home and we spent a month in California with our families. Yeah, sure, this does sound like a miserable Army Post, doesnt it??? But honestly, it has been the small community at the Hohenfels Army Garrison that I actually really do love. Their version of the middle finger is to ball their hand up in a fist and point their thumb at you. Thats because I CHOOSE to see the positives. What you have received with your re-enlistment (congratulations, by the way) does not constitute any sort of breach of contract or unfulfilled promise. In fact, a friend of mine had an old man tell her that although he had seen it on tv he didnt believe people really had round eyes. We have lived in Korea for a year now. If you are on the east coast, you might have the opportunity to even see a space launch. You can reach her at DearMindyMSM@gmail.com, Filed Under: Duty Stations, Military Life, Pcs, PCSing Tagged With: duty stations, military. The same can be said for daycare. At the end there is a crucifixion group with a single cross and Mary and John besides. They will be evacuated at a lower priority than you and your stuff so once you leave them in the pet area you wont know about them again for a while. One thing to keep in mind is that many countries require for Americans to have Visas purchased and approved before traveling. We headed back to Germany the first week of January and I really didnt want to go. Pinterest. The fear of what the world is becoming keeps many people from packing their bags. Some military spouses miss the heat and humidity. Author has 2.8K answers and 2.4M answer views 3 y You can be stationed pretty much anywhere with that mos. This was right around the time that I started making some friends. I think its just one of those things that make it really neat and interesting. The difficult part will be the expense you will incur. Please visit myDuty station guest post page for posts on other locations or more information about how you can write a guest post about where youhave been stationed. LeAnna, her husband Andy, and kiddo, "Lil B" love to live a minimal lifestyle, not only for the "thrill" of pinching pennies but in order to save for traveling the world. She is the Brand Ambassador for Military Spouse Magazine and works with military spouses all over the globe find resources they need through her Dear Mindy column. It would help with the costs. I didnt know what to expect. All child care is really great and I can vouch for that because Ive used plenty of the child care resources with my daughter. There are fun parks and museums for older kids. Living in these small Bavarian towns sprinkled around Post is like stepping back 50 years in the US. The United Service Organization provides Soldiers and families with so much. Fort Hood MWR Jul 6, 2017 - So you just got your orders for USAG Hohenfels. You can learn how to travel for next to nothing as well at EconomicalExcursionists.com or get your daily dose of travel tips, advice and motivation by Liking them on Facebook or following the EconomicalExcursionists on twitter @EconExcursion. What kinds of schools are available for kids? Stationed in Germany Quick Facts Time Zone Germany is on the UTC+1, also known as Central European, time zone. Furthermore, you should have read Table E-4 in detail when you signed your new contract. I did an opfor rotation many, many years ago. You can then use this card at any Esso station, Having a CMR (Community Mail Room) that gives you a US address, even while in Germany is a God-send!!! As a duty station, the jobs all moved to Rhine Ordnance Barracks. Anyway, Schweinfurt is now closed. A fellow spouse put living in this idyllic setting so eloquently that Icouldnthave said it more beautifully, I feel so safe in this little Bavarian Bubble and yet the world has never been more accessible. Which brings me to. It is a co-base that provides high quality services and support for multinational forces, but mostly for the American troops. It would have been longer but we decided to buy our own tickets and head over once the Command Sponsorship was done. We got back to our apartment which was a third floor stairwell apartment. Ill just simply call it Home.. Our Team Fort Lee. So, who in their right mind would want to be stationed in a place like that!? Being here is an adventure, from the gloriously blue waters to the fun animals you will find. Working with multinational allies gaining pretty solid experience with countries one wouldn't usually work with. Compliance, Terms of Use | Advertise | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Compliance. How long are you in the field for rotations? A not cool thing about Minot it seems to have an endless winter being so far north in North Dakota. We brought a lot more than we needed and if we had moved in to the apartment that we originally thought we were going to then we wouldnt have had enough room (we only brought about 1/3 of our HHG from our 2000 sq ft home in Texas). Because there arent a ton of us here, that means we need to band together. You can send your small children down to the, on their own for pastries without fear of abductors. If you need childcare some of them provide it. Working off post will require you to get special work permissions added to your Visa and if it is a job that a Korean can do, again, they probably will deny you the permission. Please visit my Duty station guest post page for posts on other locations or more information about how you can write a guest post about where you have been stationed. Because USAG Hohenfels is actually so FULL of amazing people, full of beauty, full of adventure and travel and full of opportunities that can only come with living abroad and a unique community such as ours. Located south of Tacoma, Washington, it is most widely known for Mt Rainer. Another location that has many beaches to choose from and several good hiking spots too! We have a theater a libary ( that is . While optempo might be high with sea duty and European rotations, with all the various installations located there you could maneuver into a local PCS to extend your time. Your car will be rationed to 400 liters per month but I have yet to meet anyone who exceeds their limit, even with plenty of travel. Stationed In Germany: What you need to know before your PCS, harder than a the kids in Heavy Weights going to fat camp, It really doesnt matter what side of the fence you are in, because whether you have already created a whole, 2) Look through the local Buy and Sell pages on Facebook, like the. What size are the houses on base/post and off post? I made the mistake of thinking that the army had to honor re-enlistment contracts, but whatever. Well youll never have to go off post for a gym and if you like to Run 5ks or 10ks they have a 5k every month and every so often host a 10k as well. It is weird to think that little city will not have an US Army presence anymore. I'm assuming it will be often but I could be wrong. Post with the Most: Fort Hood, TX | Army Wife Network, Facebook Resources: Occasionally you will go out to grafenwhoer for a 1 week at a time for ranges. ), where its 30 minutes to the nearest big city and where you are thousands of miles away from family, friends and the nearest comforts of wandering aimlessly in a Target. But you know what all of these are? I guarantee you're going to miss a lot of things about your old unit when you get to wherever you are at. This means that there is a 6 hour difference (ahead) for EST, 7 hour difference for CST and 8 hours for PT. Most Koreans, that do have pets, have small dogs since most Koreans live in apartments. She blogs at Anchors Away. It is what it is. My next guest poster is Megan who blogs atMegan Dub-Yuh. How expensive is it to take vacations (not CONUS) to other countries? All stations are on the left handed side of the way. Some will even complain about the optempo of the installation that limits family time. United States Army Garrison Hohenfels Training Area is located in Germany, less than 60 miles from the Czech Republic border. Once you are towards the end of AIT then they will tell you where you will be getting stationed. All I can really do is make the most of it. So I got orders for Germany, but was told that I wasnt going to know where exactly in Germany Ill be stationed until after AIT possibly (dont know why they do this). We lived on Askren Manor which was the main housing area there. Nearly every Army base has an airfield with some sort of aircraft. A fellow spouse put living in this idyllic setting so eloquently that Icouldnthave said it more beautifully, I feel so safe in this little Bavarian Bubble and yet the world has never been more accessible. Which brings me to. (I am very grateful for that rod and 6 screws in his leg.). More stress I wouldnt want to deal with in the event of an evacuation. Privacy Policy. Fort Hood Army Wives It's very isolated, shitty cell coverage (at least TKS or whatever German carrier it was) but main post isn't bad and it's Europe so it's close to Munich, Nuremberg, Prague, etc. Thanks so much for the post Megan! Monterey, located nearly 120 miles south of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast, is a location where you want spend every day exploring locally owned shops, sipping wine at the tasting rooms in Carmel, tasting farm-to-table restaurants, or kayaking in the bay. LeAnna Brown currently doesnt know what she wants to be when she grows up, so to delay major life decisions, her and her husband, Andy, have decided to move to Europe and travel the world via Travel Hacking. Also, Fort Hood has so many resources for Religions, Finance, Parenting (there are classes and groups), any kind of assistance you can think of. The commissary, exchange and gas station are located at the Ord Military Community. ago You say not graf or hoehnfels but not vilseck? The local farmers market Egg Man loves teaching me a new Bayerisch word every week as I purchase his farm-fresh eggs. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". and our Sure, I never leave the apartment without an umbrella, but when you look past the clouds and when the sun does pop its head out, there is often nothing more stunningly beautiful than Bavaria. Every now and again youll catch Sesame Street performing because of our wonderful USO on post. The tap water is safe to drink but it isnt recommended. I'm trying to find out about the unit and the surrounding area. USAG Hohenfels Army Base Truppenubungsplatz, Germany Truppenubungsplatz, US Military Bases in Germany USAG Hohenfels is one of the dozens of US military bases located and run in Germany under the German laws. There will always be one good person who will give you the ins and outs. But in the end, Key West has memories that I wouldnt trade for the world. Most of these assignments do not yield your normal military installation and community, and everything is on the economy. Instructions Unclear. Yes, it is very hard. Filed Under: Deployment, Duty Stations, Military Life, PCSing, Stationed in Germany, Stationed Overseas, Travel Tagged With: stationed in germany, stationed overseas. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Is the water potable, or should you drink bottled water? Outside rotation though, everything is all fucked: paperwork, planning etc etc. People also lived off post in government leased housing or in private housing. Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story. I didnt even know I could have walked to the Commissary. I had never been to Europe before, I hadnt even been out of the US unless you could mission trips to Mexico. I know what Germany is like because 2CR was my first duty station. They sent us our No fee passports about 6 weeks later. Today. Cookie Notice We were tired and so ready to be back with Ben. After almost 40 countries down in four years and only a few thousand dollars spent a year on travel, they have learned to penny pinch their way to a bare minimalist lifestyle to help them see and appreciate the world. I am so glad you are here. . There are outlets in Georgetown which is right before Austin. At the gates when they say Welcome To The Great Place, it is true at least I think so. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. All, As military personnel on orders, one of the best amenities we get is US gas prices!! While they may seem cool and different, and might make for good family time, it can be a struggle if you are not ready to live the civilian life. Key West, FL. Hi, everyone! Besides Las Vegas, residents have Los Angeles as a reasonable drive away too. 237K subscribers in the army community. What small town doesnt have its nosy neighbors? I had no idea about support groups for Autism, Cancer, Diabetes, and so on until I arrived here. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. You don't usually sleep in the field overnight for weeks at a time. However, many despise the climate as usually being wet, cold, and gloomy. Ben met me at the airport and we took the train to Schweinfurt, our first duty station. So, in your case, you re-enlisted for Germany, not 2CR or their specific location. What if you dont like Korean food? The shoppette closes at 19:00 Sunday to Thursday and on Friday and Saturday it's open till i believe 23:00. Duty Station Thread - Germany, SHAPE (Baumholder, Wiesbaden, Rammstein, Hohenfels, Grafenwhoer, Vilseck, Belgium) This is not limited to the bases mentioned, and is intended to be all-inclusive. She survives on bacon and coffee and hates washing dishes. Considering over 40 countries and 90+ cities have been explored, we'd say they are doing something right! Oops, I mean, Hohenfels; the Army Post in Nowheresville, Germany where the Commissary is often out of stock of the item you need most (like Pumpkin puree during Thanksgiving! Fort Irwin is located in the desert of California near the Death Valley National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. Enjoy it. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Terms of Use It is where I learned about German culture, Euro and how my US life is just one way to live in this great big world of ours. How hard is it to bring animals over? My name is Julie and I have been a military spouse for 16 years! I can say many things about Key West, since I was born and raised there. It can be very frustrating at times but when all is said and done my husband comes home at night and almost works regular hours (with the exception of a few TDYs). Dentists? Im hoping that some of this information can assist you as you make your journey here or if you are already here. The optempo is not too bad, family time can be enjoyed, a beach is a short drive away, and there is always Disney! This photo was taken at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. In our time in Monterey, weve taken family photos among the redwoods, near Cannery Row and at the beach. Hohenfels the communtiy area is small we have a small PX have a BurgerKing Anthony's pizza and subway. A typical German is actually required to take a class that costs thousands of dollars, is hundreds (yes, as in 300+) hours of classwork and driving practice and pass a difficult test in order to receive a drivers license. how to overcome those problems, take a positive outlook instead of a woah is me attitude, gain the confidence needed to explore a new location and learn to make every minute count of their short PCS abroad! Fury Water Adventures has everything from WaveRunners, Parasailing to snorkeling the only living coral reef in the United States, Sunrise from my back yard is something that shouldnt be missed. I remember sitting there watching all the business people on their cell phones thinking, this is a lot like America. Many stationed here have used the opportunity to find cheap flights to explore Australia, Korea, Thailand, and other Asian locations. But then one morning I woke up to the news that some of the brigade was moving to Grafenwoehr, two hours away. BUT you are bound to find some Korean food that you like. In the two years that we were there he changed a lot. Re-upped for 2CR, had orders to go there until this week when they changed them to Hohenfels. Wasn't stationed there but lived there for about a month during a rotation. I love the relaxed atmosphere of the community, the availability of fresh produce yearround and the Mediterranean climate. When I was there I remember hearing it would eventually happen but not for years and years. Some of these Visas are expensive (China is about $200 a person). But honestly, it has been the small community at the Hohenfels Army Garrison that I actually really do love. I suppose it could be pretty miserable here if you choose to dwell on the negatives. There are so many resources I know about and am still learning about many more. If you do drive in Korea you should definitely invest in an English-speaking GPS, it is well worth the money. I used to have relatives in Nuremberg, but they all got hanged on some bogus charges or something. There is all of your normal food court fare. She is scheduled to move in December, but she doesnt know where the Navy is sending her family. but the German community, for the most part, is amazingly welcoming despite our loud, obnoxious talking in public, our giant SUVs and, what seems to be our inability to learn THEIR language. Bro graf is good as fuck, Bavaria is probably one of the best places to be 1 Anyway, I'm trying to figure out what its like to be stationed at Hohenfels as an 11B in 1/4 IN. The majority of military families live in military housing. After all, the soldiers often work what seems like 24/7, there are the horrible rotation andexerciseschedules, it has a small town community atmosphere where it feels like everyone is in everyones business and there are grey, dreary, rainy days that can last for months making you believe that the sun has permanently abandoned you. In fact, forget all the nicknames. You will quickly find yourself immersed into local culture and cuisine. I dont think its a hard concept to consider that the travel opportunities living in Europe are something most people only get to dream of. Korea has a ridiculously high unemployment rate and to get a job on post is amazing for them. Similar to other locations mentioned you are surrounded by water, and there is lots to see and do! I was kinda in a slump. I haven't been to Hohenfels often, but I've been there enough to know there's nothing warm about it. " The Hohenfels ruins " Aug 2020 On top of the hill (where the road ends) are the ruins of Hohenfels that used to be an old police station during the time of the German Colonial Empire. Any random ARNG/USAR or other bases, or other small posts, are welcome to be discussed. It has been a new challenge almost daily to live in country whose culture is so different from our own. We have lived in Germany & Tennessee during our time as a military family. In 1955, the German Bundeswehr was founded, and in 1956 the first German unit was stationed in Camp Poellnricht (i.e. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The only downside mentioned has been the possibility of hurricanes. Advertise If you are Command Sponsored (and I would recommend you only come here with your husband if you are Command Sponsored) there are the DoDDs schools on post. We dont need them like we did in the past. I especially would like to know how often I will be in the field. Here is a picture of the duplexes you will most likely be living in, unless you are off post or officer. It is also where I learned to be a Mom. If you use the middle finger they wont know you are insulting them. Living in these small Bavarian towns sprinkled around Post is like stepping back 50 years in the US. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. I get it, we have horribly bad work schedules here. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Theclosing ceremony was last week. I assume you'll be OPFOR or a TAC. I think maybe one of the frustrating things about being at this post here is the City of Killeen. She has worked for newspapers and magazines around the world. There are an unlimited amount of resources at this base for Military families. You will not be choosing your duty station. They have more than a handful of gyms on post. It is where I learned to be an Army wife. Cobblestoned streets lining the alleys of pastel painted houses so quaint and unique? 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. In the winter, you can spot whales in the ocean while photographing Bixby Bridge, one of the most photographic bridges along the Pacific Coast. I hope that you can find support for your own deployments, PCS moves, or anything else military life brings you , Copyright 2022 Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life on the Foodie Pro Theme. Designated duty station is at present Hohenfels. Is it worth shipping your car over or should you buy one there? Surrounded by dudes who dont give a fuck and such. Yes, it is worth shipping your car over here. Cars are very expensive unless you can get one of the many OLD beaters on post, which if you need a second car you will have to do that. How is the TriCare system there? Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Not getting out, not traveling while stationed abroad, as scary as it might seem at first, would be doing yourself, your family (and yourphoto book)a HUGE disservice! You will find every branch of the military here and a diverse group of locals. What are no-nos in Korean culture that are fine in American? For every person that complains about the Busy-Bodies, there are just as many, if not more, that say that they have made some of the best friends of their lives at this duty station. Here is one view from the trail near Pacific Grove. {If you would like to read any of them check out posts under the label Korea. I was coming in during the peak time for PCS and so we didnt know if we would be living on post (where they have very strict animal noise regulations), in an apartment off post or what. Yet, many people choose to stay near the comforts of Post instead of taking advantage of all the amazing things this foreign world has to offer. At this university, military officers from the United States and 48 other countries earn masters degrees and doctoral degrees. Finding Balance in the Social-Media-Spiraling Society, Day 8: Military Spouse Holly Jolly Holiday Giveaway, Day 7: Military Spouse Holly Jolly Holiday Giveaway, Day 6: Military Spouse Holly Jolly Holiday Giveaway, How I Networked My Way to New York Fashion Week, Despite Constant PCS Moves. The providers do crafts as well as other fun things too. Dolphin Research Center has so much amazing fun and you can even meet the descendants of the REAL FLIPPER, You can even have one of them pain you a masterpiece. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Not this spouse. Oh you poor bastard, joking aside I only did a rotation there as an argument a while ago, and it wasn't bad the BN commander seemed like an all right commander and you will definitely will be in the field more than most units but it does seems a whole lot less dumb then some other units. But if you think about it the country has a population of about 49 million people in the size of the state of Kentucky. Kaiserslautern encompasses Miesau, Landstuhl, Kleber, Panzer, Ramstein, and Sembach for the purpose of non-pinpoint orders/assignments. We thought my husband would have tons of free time when we moved here. After almost 40 countries down in four years and only a few thousand dollars spent a year on travel, they have learned to penny pinch their way to a bare minimalist lifestyle to help them see and appreciate the world. Ask anyone who has PCSd a couple of times, and they will give you their favorite and least favorite duty stations where theyve been stationed. It is 100% pre shrunk shirt and is available in S, M, L, XL, 2X, and 3X sizes. For example, when it is Noon in DC: it is 1800 in Germany. Our commissary is quite small, most normal bases would call it a mini mart compared to theirs. Located on the other side of the Mojave National Preserve in California sits this Marine Corps base which is home of the Air Ground Combat Center. First, Key West Chickens DO cross the road, Why? You will be able to take your time exploring and learn all the good local spots, too! This site is owned and operated by Bright Mountain Media, Inc., a publicly owned company trading with the symbol: BMTM. Just because they are everywhere. Traveling within Korea is infinite and also very cheap especially if you can stay on one of the many military installations throughout the peninsula or off the beaten tourist path. But in the end I have decided to poll my followers on Twitter and see what they wanted to know about being stationed here. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Fort Myer. We almost -never- wore BDUs. 2. The weather is foggy, damp and chilly. I told Ben I really want to go. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. You can send your small children down to the Backerei on their own for pastries without fear of abductors. So, if you are into warm weather, sunshine, and free time, there is nothing here for you. What's the difference between OPFOR and TAC? We were able to. Attitude is everything man, the army is all about resiliency. If you like locally-owned cafes where they only accept cash, you will love Monterey. Consolation prize is you have easy access to real life during rotations. Are you ready to move halfway around the world? The deployment was long, 15 months. VIEW ALL INSTALLATIONS SUPPORT PLAN MY MOVE MILITARY ONESOURCE. I would love to have you . Montereys cost of living is 68 percent higher than the U.S. average. Otherwise you will have to enroll your child in a Korean or International School which could cost you a lot of money. There is relatively low crime here. Please stop asking. The cost of living is extremely high. Help. Here's what you need to know about your next duty station. Hours of Operation Betreibszeiten; Mon-Fri: 0730-1200 & 1230-1600 Last Customer in at 1530 Closed on US & German Holidays Curious if any other Undertakers made Called out for stolen valor at gas station. that can only come with living abroad and a unique community such as ours. We got our household goods. I think back to those years and Schweinfurt is a huge part of it. And its clear to see how and why. Because USAG Hohenfels is actually so FULL of amazing. When you first arrive, if you need a rental until your car arrives, you will be required to have a USAREUR (US Army Europe) license. Even though Adam was here already they wouldnt let him get housing for the both of us until I was physically in the country. In fact, they are one of the few installations that actually MAKES money. Dfac was awesome. Home of NAS Key West, Coast Guard Sector and JIATF South. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin.
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