Several bases I was stationed at are now closed. Heck, even the one I was born on is closed.

I guess my favorite (by a small margin) was Naval Station Pascagoula Mississippi. Maybe because it was closest to my hometown of any I was stationed at but mostly because underway meant superb weather and port visits across the Caribbean. Roosevelt Roads, GITMO, Aruba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Curacao, U.S. Virgin Islands, maybe some I'm not remembering ... enjoyed those port visits. Would also see North Atlantic countries in Europe as part of NATO ops from Naval Station Pascagoula.

Was stationed on east coast and west coast and back and forth, at stations now closed that I have fond memories of and saw other parts of the world from as well. Was hard to pick a favorite.

Ft. Ord,CA It was right on the Monterey Bay, so much to do and see. The women, I had way to much fun there

McCoy AFB in Orlando, Fl. This was before the mice over ran the town.

Few years back I got a nice tour of the Mare Island Naval base, Vallejo, CA. Very old and historically significant base. Would be interesting to have seen it in it's peak years.

Having been stationed at Mare Island both with a ship homeported there and at the shipyard as well as later there as a civilian, it with all it's nooks and cranies to explore was my favorite bar none.

Chennault Air Force Base

Alameda NAS. Dad worked as an aircraft mechanic there for 30 years. He was an airframe maintenance guy who oversaw Skyhawks, Corsair IIs, and especially the indelible ugly Iron Tadpole, the A6 Intruder.

On his retirement day, Dad took me to the base and had the shop guys show me up close how an Intruder landing gear operated and retracted. He would take me and my friends to a few open houses on base when they would bring in carriers and display planes. My old school buddy still remembers marveling at seeing a real F4U Corsair on display and walking the deck of the immense Enterprise carrier. It was cool to see the base pop up on Mythbusters and the Ashley Judd film High Crimes, as well as mentioned in Star Trek IV.

Was stationed at Mare Island 87-88 and 92-93 for schools. During the later time, schools command was drawing down. Ferry rides to San Francisco for a weekend were pretty cool ... just don't miss your bus going back LOL.

Fort Point. What a view.

Barbers Point NAS on Oahu was fun.

Not sure what is there now...

Always wanted to go to Ft. Ord - never been there.

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Roosevelt Roads

Did 3 dets / trips down there, beautiful location, cheap lodging / food / etc.

We did a 3 week Orange Air det down there and I flew 5 times (all day except one). It was glorious living, just before 9-11 - we called it "the salad days", back when turnarounds were 18 months and everyone got a great deal det somewhere, just for the fuck of it.

A/A Guns det to Key West was another boondoggle. 2 section goes a day between the hours of 1100-1400 and the whole squadron went. Even if you flew, you were on the water / Duval street / etc by 1530.

I'm a jinx. I was stationed at:

Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA), Clark Air Base, Philippines - Closed (thanks, Mount Pinatubo)

NSGA, Misawa Air Base, Japan - closed, tho I understand the Air Base is still open.

NSGA, Winter Harbor, Maine - Closed.

Mobile Technical Unit 10, Charleston Naval Base, SC - Closed.

NSGA, Keflavik, Iceland. Closed.

In fact, the entire Naval Security Group Command cased it's colors a few years back.

Of the list, my favorite was Misawa, hands down. I re-enlisted to go back there for a second tour.

Second favorite would be Winter Harbor. I live there (here) now.

Still have a wooden nickel from Papa Joe's just outside one of the gates at Roosevelt Roads LOL ... they're closed too now

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Papa Joe's

Haven't thought about that place in years. Didn't they have those big superwet burritos, or was that some other place down the road?

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Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

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Papa Joe's

Haven't thought about that place in years. Didn't they have those big superwet burritos, or was that some other place down the road?

Only went there a couple of times ... and not to eat. Had strippers in there one night. Swapped a ships lighter with a Canadian from one of their four submarines,the Ojibwe, which I still have. The Acey Duecy club on base wasn't for excitement, as all I ever saw was a bunch of dudes, but cool to hang casually after liberty call on a slow day.

K.I. Sawyer AFB Gwinn MI. Closed in 95. After closing, Marquette Co. took it over.
The cantonment area is essentially a ghost town. Buildings full of asbestos, vandalized and stripped. There was a nearly new medical facility that is destroyed by strippers. The housing area was taken over by slumlords and now is often referred to as "Little Detroit".
All in all, a huge loss for the community. Only the government can spend money like this and then piss it away.

NAS Roosevelt Roads. 1958 - 1960.

Subic Bay, P.I., and not because of Olongapo. It seemed as though that base had everything a simple country boy could want. Skeet fields, go cart track, world class gym facilities and an EM club that was as big as my high school.

Fort Des Moines, IA

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Originally posted by BigSwede:
Ft. Ord,CA It was right on the Monterey Bay, so much to do and see. The women, I had way to much fun there

Upon my return from Korea in October 1959, I wanted very much to be stationed at Ft Ord to relax and soak up some California sunshine.

However, the Army decided to send to to the Tobyhanna Signal Depot in the Pocono Mountains of NW Pennsylvania......where it was snowing.