Military Families are lucky in the respect that we PCS and are able to see other parts of the countries (or entirely new countries) that we might not have otherwise. Multiple PCS moves can mean that military families live temporarily at some great duty stations. You hear the reviews of different duty stations all of the time. “This station is great”, “this one is bad”, but it really, truly does come down to your experience. In an informal survey amongst my military community, I asked the question: “What makes a duty station awesome?” Some answers I expected, some went into a deeper level.
With the help of Chevrolet, our military family was able to find new roads at our current duty station. We actually already owned two Chevys but this 2015 Chevrolet Trax made exploring the city all the more fun. Chevrolet is a great military supporter with their generous discounts and their hiring program. With the Chevy Trax, our “stay-cation” helped open our eyes to our awesome city and what it has to offer. While I can understand how some may complain about duty stations, I would recommend to these people to plan a journey and make the time to truly explore.
There’s a new duty station bucket list that I wrote awhile back. What we discovered is that the journey is what makes the duty station really great. Here are some highlights from our trip and some signs that indicate you’re at an awesome duty station.
1) Interesting History
Most major military bases have an interesting history. If you look into their website, or even drive around, you can find some intriguing tidbits from the past.
2) Stunning Sights
Be it the ocean, lakes, mountains, deserts, forests, or gardens, it’s always nice to have see a beautiful background for pictures.
3) Support Network
This takes some time to build but when it does, it can be such a relief. When my husband deployed, I had friends that could help, as well as the ombudsman and the “deployment” mom who checked in on us. It was such a great feeling that we received “care packages” as well.
4) Inspiring Equipment
I’m always humbled by the “toys” of our military. Even when they’re just placed on display, it’s inspiring to see the weapons and equipment our military operates.
5) Great Culture
Every duty station, we’ve been at, I’ve made it a point to visit the local museum, gallery, swap meet or carnival. It’s lovely to see what the local talent is capable of.
6) Amazing Food
I admit it. I’m not the best cook. So I love going out to eat and finding new things to try out. The best restaurants I have been to area always the local mom-and pop places that make things from the heart.
7) Community
Community means how often to people come and work together. Whether it be your neighborhood, coworkers, or even the people in your apartment complex, a strong sense community encourages pride of ownership of your duty station. They’re PROUD to be there.
8) Participation
If there an event on base is packed, that’s a great sign that there’s a lot of people with “buy-in”. After all, the people account for the “greatness” of the duty station.
9) Attractions
When you move away from loved ones, loved one typically want to visit. If there’s great attractions, it’s great incentive for more visits as well as a great option for your military family to tour and visit.
10) Someone To Share It With
I don’t think this one needs explaining…
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chevrolet via MSB New Media. The opinions and text are all mine.
