Did a 90 day TDY at Alph One, at that time, a primitive air base in Saudi Arabia. This was prior to Desert Storm One, nothing on base, anything with Air Conditioning barely worked, and lots of bottles of water. In fact I think I only pissed twice during the 90 days. The first time I felt real Air Conditioning (getting on a plane to get the hell out of there), I almost wept. The base grew and changed a lot during the lead up and follow on for DS1 and DS2.

The absolute worst experience was during a Bright Star exercise we did with Egypt in the desert (where I got a Desert Warfare modification to my rating and ended having to go to Alph One later on). Someone had the bright idea of doing a MOP exercise. Back then that was your Nuclear Biological Chemical warfare gear (referred to as NBC, of which I was an instructor), during the daytime. New levels of sweating your ass off. I remember the pain in the ass of constantly attaching your canteen to the drinking tube for your protective mask. Apparently, the commander of the exercise passed out in the AIR CONDITIONED Command Post. So they stopped the MOP drill BUT never told anyone outside the Command Post (CP). A Major came out about an hour later to investigate why all the troops were falling out with heat exhaustion outside the Command Post and realized the the CP never broadcasted the end of drill alert. I lost almost 17 lbs of water weight. My MOP rubber overboots were full of sweat water. We had to have a 2 day stand down due to everyone sick with heat exhaustion and heat stroke. I heard later (I can neither confirm nor deny that I was there) that the Commo guy who screwed up got his ass beat via blanket parties......several times.

quote:

Originally posted by uvahawk:
Maine

Short summer and fall. Winters in the early 1970s were extreme. Annual snowfall 13 feet on average.

summers very pleasant, lots of outdoor sports. and for the most part, very good people, including the locals.

Non-military, but having worked in Maine for a couple years, I agree with all of the above.

I absolutely love Maine... for about half the year in the late spring, summer, and early fall.

I was graduating AIT in Fort Devens, Mass as a 98J, orders were for two locations only, Sinop, Turkey and Schofield Barracks, HI. I had heard horror stories about Sinop and luckily I pulled Schofield Barracks.
I later heard from graduates that Sinop was a nightmare, so bullet dodged.

Grand Forks AFB, ND. On missile crew during the good ole days of SAC. As if ND wasn’t bad enough, you tested four times and had a simulator ride every month. Less than 100% on anything two months in a row for you or your deputy and you were standing tall explaining to the man what your major malfunction was and how you were going to unfuck yourself/crew.
That was when if you got caught cheating, doing drugs, etc., you’d find your ass in Kansas.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInAR:
FT Polk, LA

Dimly lit barracks with all the creature comforts of a prison cell. I honestly cannot recall the chow hall there, so it must have been so horrific I have banished it from my memory. First posting AFTER 4 years in northern Germany, meaning the humidity was an unwelcome surprise. No need for OPFOR during field problems as the local fauna was more than up to the task.

That is fucking hilarious! My father did basic at Polk in ‘66!

Ft Irwin NTC.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Iwakuni, Japan

It’s where fun goes to die.

I really enjoyed Iwakuni. The base itself seemed to have everything that was needed. Sharing the golf course with the Japanese could be frustrating at times. But of course I got to fly out of there to other locations and islands in the Pacific during my WestPac tour so I wasn't stuck on the ground the whole time I was there.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInAR:
FT Polk, LA

Dimly lit barracks with all the creature comforts of a prison cell. I honestly cannot recall the chow hall there, so it must have been so horrific I have banished it from my memory. First posting AFTER 4 years in northern Germany, meaning the humidity was an unwelcome surprise. No need for OPFOR during field problems as the local fauna was more than up to the task.

That is fucking hilarious! My father did basic at Polk in ‘66!

My grandfather did basic there when it was Camp Polk...right before shipping off to WWII.

quote:

Originally posted by 1flynDO:
Ft Irwin NTC.

Yep. What a God awful place that was.

quote:

Originally posted by Jumbo:
Griffiss AFB NY, long, dismal winters and the lowest base morale I ever experienced in 21 years of service.

I loved Griffiss. Being Army, though, perhaps made a difference. I had Ft. Drum up the road to compare it to.

quote:

Originally posted by mojojojo:

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Iwakuni, Japan

It’s where fun goes to die.

I really enjoyed Iwakuni. The base itself seemed to have everything that was needed. Sharing the golf course with the Japanese could be frustrating at times. But of course I got to fly out of there to other locations and islands in the Pacific during my WestPac tour so I wasn't stuck on the ground the whole time I was there.

Yeah it might have looked great from the O Club. I was there in the dead of winter. Each night at 9PM, they would come and shut off the steam to the barracks. This would mean no heat and no hot water until they turned it back on at 0600. The nights were miserable. You could feel cold air moving inside of the barracks, so we put up blankets to try to keep heat in. Of course, the Japanese maintenance people complained that it was a “Fire hazard” so we weren’t allowed to have extra blankets for fear we’d try to stay warm with them. One of the guys got a small electric heater from home. Again, Japanese maintenance people complained of a “fire hazard” and it was confiscated. Some nights I’m sure it got into the low 40s inside of the barracks. No one cared. I dreaded nights because of it.

The food at the chow hall was bland at best. Usually you aren’t allowed to get more than what they put on the tray.

Yeah, it was a pleasure cruise for sure. I don’t even remember anything else about it except for the hatred I have towards the Japanese maintenance people and the suffering trying to sleep while wearing every piece of clothing you own to try to stay warm.

Mine was being forward deployed on one of the first ships based in Rota while being opheld for 2.5 years after my 20. To be authorized to live off the ship you had to have a prd (projected rotation date) at least 2 years in the future. I was past my prd and on ophold until I could be relieved as the Sonar Chief to retire. I was filling 3 billets and needed a replacement that could do the same.

I had E4’s living in villas out in town and they were able to ship cars and personal property over. But I was stuck living out of a rack on the ship with no authorization to live in town or bring over any personal property. And due to the homeport swap and being divorced, I was not authorized to get bah to keep my apt in the states either. I did get a bicycle to get around the base.

At least I wasn’t alone, there were a couple other chiefs and officers in similar situations and stuck living aboard. It helped that the gunner let me borrow his jeep a few times to run to the exchange. And I spent a decent amount of time at the CPO club just to have somewhere off the ship to go.

In general I liked my time in. There were always things that sucked. But that situation was just not good for me and made it a struggle sometimes to not go on the ROAD program.

I enjoyed all my duty assignments while in the Air Force. Basic training at Lackland was probably the worst but that should be understandable. My tech school at Keesler AFB was only 6 - 8 weeks, I don't remember exactly. It was fine though. Then my first duty station was March AFB. Southern California in the '80's. Only about a couple of hours drive away from where I graduated from High School in 29 Palms. Just like going home. From there, I went to RAF Upper Heyford in the UK. It was great there too. Right next to Oxford. Could take trips all over Europe. The Berlin Wall came down while I was there. We bombed Libya. Good times. From England, I went to Homestead AFB in Florida. Start of the first Gulf War, was in a mobile unit that deployed before I got there. War was over almost before I finished in processing and they were coming back. I was there for a couple of years and everything was great. South Miami Beach. Can't beat it. Then everything got wiped out by Hurricane Andrew and I lost everything there. Moved to MacDill AFB after the Hurricane, took the RIF, and have been in Tampa ever since.

So I guess Homestead had to be the worst duty station but it was because of that one weather event.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by 1flynDO:
Ft Irwin NTC.

Yep. What a God awful place that was.

quote:

Originally posted by Jumbo:
Griffiss AFB NY, long, dismal winters and the lowest base morale I ever experienced in 21 years of service.

I loved Griffiss. Being Army, though, perhaps made a difference. I had Ft. Drum up the road to compare it to.

I did a six week tdy to Fort Drum and I get your point. Griffiss was definitely an improvement.

I never had a bad assignment. My first base was Eglin AFB, Florida, then Hickam AFB, in Hawaii. Then a short remote in King Salmon, Alaska, and finally Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.

Not really a duty station, but a couple Elf One deployments to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Used to think Pope/Bragg was the worst.

Looking back more than twenty years later, it wasn't.

I really only had 2 permanent duty locations (lots of temporary and deployments/short tours), Alaska and North Carolina. I'd choose Alaska 99.9% of the time, but I grabbed me a Carolina girl and a bunch of lifelong friends while I was there. No ragrets.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:

Erlangen West Germany was the worst.

I'm curious as to why you would consider a Germany assignment as "the worst"?

Uncle Sam sent me to Kitzingen, Germany with the US Army from 1991-1995 and I had an absolute BLAST. Got to see and experience Europe while getting paid, got to drink the best beer in world at age 19-20 while my buddies back home still couldn't even buy American piss water. Ate some of the best food and pastry I've ever eaten to this day.

It's all what you make of it, I served with guys who would bitch and moan there was "nothing to do!" and only stayed in the barracks and drank and played cards. I told them they were absolutely NUTS for not taking advantage of being paid to be in Europe where there was SO MUCH to do and see on your off time.

I wonder if it was an era thing? My Dad was stationed in Erding and Aschaffenburg from 1964-1966 and he seemed to have hated it too. Told me "you'll be sorry!" when I told him I applied to be stationed in Germany and proved him wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
My tech school at Keesler AFB was only 6 - 8 weeks, I don't remember exactly. It was fine though.

Got sent to Keesler in 2006 for 8 weeks too for Tech School as a prior service Army guy who had joined the Air National Guard and had a fun time there too. As prior service and being an E-5 all they required was you show up to class on time and would usually make you the class leader AKA babysitter. I did online classes there too while enrolled in community college at home and got to experience the Air Force way of life on active duty....hint: it was WAY better than the Army LOL

During Advanced Training I was married living offpost as a private E1, E2, and E3 with no car living in a shed/cabin at Ft Devens, Ma. I did a lot of walking.

Assigned to Army Torii Station Okinawa for 2.5 years with my wife and child. E4 to E5 lived off post in a nice place, car, motorcycle like a regular job. Life was good, Food was better.

I miss that life but I was not destined to be a lifer -

Portland, Oregon AFEES (Armed Forces Entrance and Examination Station) 1969. Hippies, bomb threats, Congressman threats, Attacks on civilian staff usually loud, obnoxious profane (on a bunch of 50 year old females trying to make a living), Bags of excrement thrown on the front cement stairs and lit on fire, physical altercations with staff, including me) and peaceful protestors, and on and on.

One part that was funny in a weird kind of way was when about once a month a pair of U.S. Marshals would bring somebody in in chains and them in their black suits, Blackjacks, full size Colts and 280 pound selves would unhook him and turn him loose on me.

One day my tiny office was full and the peaceful protestor got seated in my bosses office-when we had guests we always left our intercom on, any way the PP said, in a relaxed steet-wise kind of way "What would you do if I threw this coffee pot at you?" That would be the official office coffee so was considered protected government property by the way. The XO, my boss a 50 year old Navy lieutenant that generally speaking scared the shit out of me, took a pause, and I'm all ears, and said, "I dunno. Do it and let's both find out." No children were harmed.

...And the next day and the day ofter that...now here comes another verse that's worse than the other verse, so waltz me around by my Willy!

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:

Erlangen West Germany was the worst.

I'm curious as to why you would consider a Germany assignment as "the worst"?

Uncle Sam sent me to Kitzingen, Germany with the US Army from 1991-1995 and I had an absolute BLAST. Got to see and experience Europe while getting paid, got to drink the best beer in world at age 19-20 while my buddies back home still couldn't even buy American piss water. Ate some of the best food and pastry I've ever eaten to this day.

It's all what you make of it, I served with guys who would bitch and moan there was "nothing to do!" and only stayed in the barracks and drank and played cards. I told them they were absolutely NUTS for not taking advantage of being paid to be in Europe where there was SO MUCH to do and see on your off time.

I wonder if it was an era thing? My Dad was stationed in Erding and Aschaffenburg from 1964-1966 and he seemed to have hated it too. Told me "you'll be sorry!" when I told him I applied to be stationed in Germany and proved him wrong.

I asked him the same question on a previous page, it had to be the unit. My Dad was there in the 50'-70's, Loved it. I was there as a brat in the 60-70's loved it. I was active duty there 70-90's loved it. Even though one of my tours was in the North, different but still loved it.