F/A-18 Bases

[gregsivers]

easier said than done. it's a complicated situation. this isn't just about "me". when you get married, your wife marries into the navy and a lifestyle. This decision is more about family and making the best for them. i want us to be happy and living in a place that we will both love....

My roommate during HTs picked HSC Norfolk cause he thought it'd be the easiest place for his girlfriend, who he thought would eventually be his wife, to get a job and settle in. She broke up with him the weekend of the winging. Like everyone says, pick what you want to pick, not what you think she'd like, cause in the end its your career not hers. You'll be the one going to work everyday for the Navy.

 

[ThetaChi]

Guess what, it is a tough choice. Yes, the Navy ultimately decides what you are going to fly/where you are going to go, but the man still has to put what he wants on the card and hope that he gets it. As you can probably tell from this thread, everyone was happy with what they flew, no matter where they were. The great thing about military life is that no matter what sh!thole you get stuck in, there are a few dozen families JUST like yours with similar backgrounds, education, and interests that are stuck in the same sh!thole. If nothing else, you can all get together in someone's sh!tty back yard and drink cheap alcohol and complain and laugh about how sh!tty it is there. That's what we do here in Milton! The platform, mission, and location will make your first duty station liveable. The people at your squadron/first duty station will make it unforgettable. There probably isn't a bad duty station out there.

Excellent post.

 

[Ralph]

Whats Va Beach and Oceano like? Is the surfing that great? What about cost of living and crime?

 

[Brett327]

I'd rather fly Hornets out of LeMoore than Helo's out of San Diego. HA!

San Diego is cool and all... but blowing **** up and 500 knots at 200'... 'nuff said.

Don't drink all the primary jet hate kool-aide/propoganda.

Amen to that, brother.

Brett

 

[Brett327]

My roommate during HTs picked HSC Norfolk cause he thought it'd be the easiest place for his girlfriend, who he thought would eventually be his wife, to get a job and settle in. She broke up with him the weekend of the winging. Like everyone says, pick what you want to pick, not what you think she'd like, cause in the end its your career not hers. You'll be the one going to work everyday for the Navy.

I didn't want to go there, but this is an excellent lead in. Your current female's desires should count for about 2% of your final decision making WRT what platform you select. Many of the above posts have eluded to it, but this is YOUR career. YOU are going to be bringing in the majority of the cash, YOU are going to be the one doing most of the work, and YOU are going to be the one who has to live with what you select. No matter how great you and your chick get along now, there is a better than 50% chance that your relationship won't last. Odds are, that girl you love right now will be the object of your hate in the near future. Where will you be then, after having subverted your desire to fly platform X because she didn't like duty station Y. I've seen guys take sh!tty orders, or even get out based on the desires of their spouses, only to be divorced months later. All I'm saying here is that you have to isolate your personal life from your professional decisions, otherwise you stand to get burned. [/rant]

Also, don't be a puss and hide behind "family reasons" just because you don't think you can hack jets. Time to sack up, my friend.

Brett

 

[BugDriver]

Gman,

My perspective might be different from some of the guys on the board. I'm still married to my wife -- my first wife. But my advice would be the same: pick your platform, not your wife's BAH location.

I've dragged my wife through some pretty sh!tty duty stations through the years, and we've grown closer for the experience for two reasons you should consider: (1) she respects me for going after what I wanted, so she knows that we're not living in some sh!thole just because I couldn't decide; and (2) when we've been isolated from "civilization", we've spent more time with each other and gotten to know each other better -- even if we were just sharing our dreams of getting out of Dodge.

And now that we're in a place that we both love, and I'm flying the platform that I've always wanted to fly, and we're done with living in sh!tholes for a while, we're both very appreciative -- of each other *and* of the orders.

It doesn't bode well for you that you think your wife is going to be miserable simply because of a location. Life is what you make of it. If she's going to spend 3 years at each duty station waiting for PCS orders because "the next place" will make her happy, it's not just her who is going to be miserable.

 

[Gatordev]

having a top speed slower than a Ford Focus is tactical.

It isn't, by the way.

Ya whatever... all we EVER heard from IP's when I was in Primary was all the reasons Jets suck, and just how cool VERTREP is...

Mefesto, I know you and Fly always mention this, and I can't remember, what squadron were you in? Fly was -2, right?

 

[st1977]

I'm a Navy wife and my husband is stationed in Lemoore. The Lemoore/Hanford area is developing and it really isn't that bad... especially if you like fishing/hiking/camping. There are wives clubs in every duty station and your wife-to-be will make friends and be just fine. Really.

 

[greysword]

I'm faced with a tough dilemma. I really want to fly jets. But I know that my wife (soon-to-be) would be MISERABLE in Lemoore. It's a huge decision.

Gman,

I hope I am allowed to add something to this discussion from my enlisted perspective.

Your profile says you were a bubble head, which means you were probably a nuke and definately enlisted. You know, I was a nuke also, and I hated it. Hated every minute since MM "A" school in Orlando. I was a dumb-arse and allowed an outside force to tell me what I wanted (in this case it was the Navy recruiter).

I failed my Power School test the first time, failed the prototype test twice, and failed the bi-annual requal on the ship. Not on purpose, but because it wasn't for me and my apptitude level was way down on the math/physics/chemistry. Finally, they figured it out and booted me from the program. Once in the conventional Navy, I excelled. I got my ESWS within three months, promoted to MM2 on the first try, received 4.0s and an Early promote on my evals. I was happy to be doing repairs instead of worrying how it would effect the dam reactor!

I got to college and was enrolled as an electrical engineering major. I took my calculas I, physics I, and calc II and got crappy grades, but I did awesome in History and Geography. The old Navy rule for myself was to never get into a job I hate again, so I switched majors and did well.

Basically, you know as well as anyone that the Navy can put you in a crappy situation, regardless of your job. You could get helos out of some godforsaken place, and you aren't even flying jets out of the same base.

Your wife probably knows the score and how to play the Navy game by now, as well. I would like to submit that she would survive, and maybe even thrive if you got stationed in Lemoore for a while. Of course, your duty station may change anyway, as they are talking about putting the Vinson and the airwing in Hawaii ( http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18153 ) . You never know with the Navy where you will be stationed regardless of your platform.

Instead, please consider doing what you can to get the job you love the most, so you don't end up regreting your decision in a few years.

Last, I found the following quote on here:

"Follow your bliss. First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do." -Epictetus

Sounds applicable to this discussion.

Please, sir, take this info as you will. Thank you for allowing me to provide input.

P.S. You may be scaring Jen, too, on how bad Lemoore is! :tongue2_1

P.S.S. Remember, once you retire, your wife will have plenty of opportunity to get you back with those long Honey-Do lists, since you'll be at home all day anyway. :icon_ooh: :smile_gre

 

[Brett327]

P.S.S. Remember, once you retire, your wife will have plenty of opportunity to get you back with those long Honey-Do lists, since you'll be at home all day anyway. :icon_ooh: :smile_gre

Or alimony checks, as the case may be.

Brett

 

[chrispaul]

I heartily agree with the consensus on this thread - "pick your platform, not your duty station." Your platform defines a path (in more ways than one) that the rest of your Navy career will take, no matter if that career is 20 years or only long enough to fulfill your obligation to the Navy. Whereas your duty station impacts your life for a relatively few short years.

Put it another way, which college decision will have more impact in your life - your major or the city that your school was located?

If your relationship with your wife was meant to be a lasting one, 10 years from now she won't care that she had to suck it up in Lemoore for a while, it'll be ancient history by then.

 

[A4sForever]

History and what I learned from it:

I went A-6's, indirectly, because of the wife. The A-4's were shrinking and no A-7 seats were available and I didn't really want 'em, anyway. My new choices were F-4's and Miramar or A-6's and Whidbey: I was inclined toward the F-4, but the wife wanted NUW = Seattle, family on both sides, you know; home and all. She could care less about the A-6 or the F-4 ... I'm not even sure she knew I was an Aviator.

27 years later, we got divorced. Finally. Thank God.

The guy who "took" my F-4 seat and went from Lemoore to Miramar was dead 8 months after he strapped on the Phantom.

The moral of the story: go where YOU want to go. Fly what YOU want to fly. It's YOUR career. If you are the "breadwinner" ..... that's why they're called "DEPENDENTS" and we have "ACCOMPANIED" tours. If he/she is the right one --- where you are and what you fly will always be of secondary importance in the marriage. Being together is what counts.

But what you fly might determine the direction your life takes, good or bad.

 

[GMan1976]

Or alimony checks, as the case may be.

Brett

jesus, brett... after reading your last 2 posts, it seems you're a bit jaded. looks like the ol' lady and you didn't work out so well. I'm sorry to hear that.

But, that being said, both myself and my fiancee come from families that have remained together (no divorces on either side) and we both value our relationship more than the status quo thought process around today of "well if it doens't work out, we'll just get a divorce". That's BS. Marriages are tough, you have to work for them.

So, while you say that her view is minute compared to mine on where we get stationed, I disagree. But hey, that's just me talkin'....

 

[GMan1976]

it really isn't that bad... especially if you like fishing/hiking/camping.

Fishing: :yuck_125:

Hiking: :yuck_125:

Camping: :yuck_125:

Sorry Didn't mean to "yuck" your "yum". I just don't think Lemoore cuts it for us... It IS nice that there's an active wives club though.

 

[Brett327]

jesus, brett...

That would be a common misconception about me. I am (and always have been) unmarried by choice and design. You don't have to have been burned emotionally or raped in divorce court to point out the challenges a relationship can bring to bear on your career and general well-being. My perspective and counsel comes from having watched the misery of those around me who have paid the price of surrendering control of their lives to a woman who may not have your best interests in mind, especially a few years down the road when she gets sick of deployments, moving around, etc. I know my particular lifestyle may not be for everybody, but there has been some great advice in this thread - read and heed.

Brett