The Welcome of Military Communities
Nov 10 2008
We have made a diversion from our route to Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota to head down to Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Our good friends from Bann, Germany, the Walters, are stationed there as Terry attends the Army’s Command and General Staff School. The trip was diverted because of Halloween. We wanted to be somewhere fun, with friends of our children, and in a real neighborhood (as opposed to an RV Park. Trick or treating from RV to RV didn’t sound like fun for the kids.). We were in Rapid City, S.D., and decided to turn right and head down to Kansas.
The change in course ended up being a good decision in many ways. First, it was really good to see our friends again (my wife delivered their oldest and youngest children, so there is something special about seeing them — and the good supply of wine and beer they had). Second, our kids and their kids had great fun together, and ours were able to play and talk with someone other than a sibling.
The other area that stood out though was being back in a military neighborhood (our friends live off base but in a neighborhood that is primarily military) and the welcome we were greeted with. Soon after we parked our RV in front of our friend’s house, people were introducing themselves and talking with us about our trip, the RV, Germany, et cetera. Granted, it’s hard not to notice a 41-foot RV towing a Volvo and taking up half the street’s width, but there was a welcome and familiarity that reminded me why being near a military base is one of the things we’d like to find in a place to call home. There are so many commonalities, from mutual acquaintances to places visited, it’s easy to feel right at home in this type of neighborhood.
Plus, a military career can lead to a broad array of experiences, (e.g., having been downrange, stationed overseas, et cetera.). So, I’ve always enjoyed the ready beer and conversations about current affairs, sports, travel, RV travel that stem from people’s different experiences, insights, and thoughts based on their stations and travel. I married into the military late (my wife had served 9 years already), so I was uninformed about the military as a career and life. As I followed my wife to different assignments, I came to realize military people have a diverse view of various subjects.
Anyway, as we continue our adventure across America, we hope to see more military communities as we hook up (not in the RV sense) with more of our military friends, because one of the best parts of the military is making lifelong friends who we can get together with on a moment’s notice and share memories of places seen and been.
Hi guys. We did the 2-year tour of America in a motorhome after I retired (36 years USN submarine service). After looking darn near everywhere we settled on Custer, SD. Lots of outdoors, mile high altitude, called the “Banana Belt” because the Southern Hills are so much warmer than the Northern Hills. Ellsworth AFB, Custer State Park, Black Hills National Forest. No state income tax, low property taxes. Downside for you….lowest teacher salaries in America. BUT crime free, lots of open space available.
“Been to a city”
Good Luck!
@R. Kline: Thanks for the lead. We really liked SD as we drove through the Badlands. In Sioux Falls we also noticed the price of houses was very low. These things and your points make SD a place to think about. We’ll be back in SD in the spring, so we’ll look up Custer. Thanks!