I have only been stationed at 3 different duty stations. one of them in my opinion made that top 5 list. So keep in mind that these are in my opinion the 5 best places to get stationed in the Army. A lot of it is based on friends and co workers that have talked highly about these duty stations from when they were stationed there. So lets get to where I feel each installation ranks in my top 5 and why.
#5 – Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Since this base is in Hawaii you can imagine some reasons why it is on my list. the bottom of my list but ill get to that. Located inside the city of Honolulu makes it great for checking out some great sites and hitting the beach. The weather here is great. You will get rain from time to time but nothing that is going to cause you to have to break out the cold weather gear. That is also a reason why I have it at the bottom of my list. Most of the soldiers ive known to be stationed there have told me that because the weather is always great, you go to the field a lot for training. I’ve also been told that after a few months you have gone everywhere on the island and run out of new sights to see. So if you can get luck and go to a unit that dose not go to the field a lot and if you love going to the beach, this can be a great duty station.
#4 – Yongsan, South Korea
While i was stationed up on the DMZ in Korea, Yongsan was the place to go when I had free time. Yongsan was centrally located in South Korea making it very easy to travel around and check out the sights. Located just outside of the base was the city a Seoul. This is a very large city with a population of over 10 million people. It also has a large transit system that once you figure it out can get you all over that city and beyond. Most of the solders I knew that were stationed on Yongsan did not go to the field for training as often others that were stations at other locations in Korea. So that allows a soldier more time to be able to check out the sights in Korea. However the location of the base is scheduled to be moved out of Seoul in 2019.
#3 – Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Perhaps if you hate the cold you might not feel like this should be on the list as the summers range from approximately 55 to 78 °F during the day and about 5 to 30 °F during the day in the winter. For those that don’t have a problem with the cold then there is a lot to see here and enjoy. Its location inside Anchorage (the largest city in Alaska) gives you plenty of shopping, restaurants and other places for entertainment. If the outdoors is more of your style well then that is available too with a lot of wildlife to take in as well. Being dark a lot in the winter might be hard to get use to but i think id like the 19 hours of daylight you would get in the summer.
#2 – Fort Carson, Colorado
This was my last duty station while in the Army and because of its location I stayed after getting out of the Army. Some could even say this should be #1 on the list. Fort Carson on the south end of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs is the second largest city in Colorado so you have plenty of entertainment in town without the crazy traffic that you get in Denver (the largest city in Colorado). Denver is only a 45 min drive which allows you to easily check out a pro sporting event. If you are more of an outdoor person then its not too far to take off to the mountains for a hike, go hunting or fishing. Just about anything and everything you could be interested in is within a short driving distance.
#1 – Germany
Notice I did not mention a specific base in Germany. That is because I’ve heard nothing but good things about all the Army installations in Germany. Their are some people that I’ve talked to about being stationed in Germany that would love to just move there after the Army. A lot of people in Germany learn English in school so communicating with the locals can be really easy. There are a ton of sights to see, festivals to attend and food to enjoy. One of the really cool things about being stationed in Germany though is how easy it is to visit neighboring country’s. You can simply jump on a train and go spend the weekend in France or Switzerland or Belgium or any other country near by. The availability to visit so many different countries from one duty station is why its #1 on my list.
What would be #1 on your list of Army installations?
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