It isn’t. But it’s an undeniable part of our retention struggles.
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Close to wings but thinking about switching communities
- Thread starter Aeroshell
- Start date
It isn’t. But it’s an undeniable part of our retention struggles.
Of course, but that's not the issue I was addressing.
Let me hazard a guess…42.
Oh, it's nowhere near that high.
Most folks I know who go to Japan love it. Many are ready to get back CONUS at the end, but it's a fun adventure. But lol at Air Force bases being great. You clearly haven't been to garden spots like Minot.
Well, we all have some silly opinions I guess.
I think he was being specific to fighters…
Depends on where in Japan. Atsugi or Okinawa, awesome. Misawa, not so much.
I think you got Misawa mixed up with Iwakuni.
Misawa winter deployments were awesome with the snow, skiing and hiking. Plus everything on base was super convenient. The island itself of Okinawa was nice though, and I never hear anything bad about Atsugi.
Japan is a great country and can be a fantastic tour. A lot of people don’t like Iwakuni because it’s kind of small-town Japan which is pretty different than Atsugi, which is basically a suburb of Tokyo. Personally I think that part of Japan is amazing but I like bikes and motorcycles.
I don't get the Iwakuni hate either. Unless folks are really into living in a city with 14 million people, Iwakuni is a much more laid back experience, and you can always hop on a train to get your urban/metropolitan fix.
VB is not SD, by any means, but as a guy who spent 2 yrs in SD and a total of 7 in VB, I'd say that if you aren't trying to compare the two, I'd have a hard time hating VB. It is pretty awesome, plenty to do no matter what your deal is.....single or with family. The summers are kinda hot, I'll give it that. My wife cried when I told her we were going there rather than Lemoore (which would have been waaaay closer to family), but now in the afterlife, she frequently mentions how much she misses it. And then I tell her it is way to F'ing hot and we aren't moving back
Just worked with a B-52 guy who is stationed at Minot and was TDY to my command. He was deeply envious of where I am stationed but admitted he loved Minot, was asking for follow on orders there, and so on.
When I asked him what he liked:
"Umm... the housing. It's not expensive. And hunting. I also do a lot of hiking... well... walking I guess since there are no hills. But it is outdoors."
Yeah, no thanks.
I'm not going to say this is universal, but there were a lot of dudes who maybe went kicking and screaming to Okinawa, but ended up liking it (probably moreso with dudes that were married, both with or without kids..just my perception)
Every pilot I know who went to Okinawa as their first duty station, regardless of where it was in their list of preferences, enjoyed it more than they thought they would. Oki gets a bad rap in the Marine Corps because of the historical tendency for junior Marines to get blamed for every liberty incident and get clamped down on, but the potential for adventure and real cultural enrichment is very much there.