Posted on Apr 20, 2020
Does anyone have any insight on Fort Sill and what it's like being stationed there?
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Anyone have any insight on Fort Sill and what it's like being stationed there? My husband and I are possibly headed there next by the end of the year. My husband and I are dual military but he is ETSing next month. Just wondering what day to day life is like and what work will look like as an 88M and where I might possibly end up unit wise. We are PCSing from NTC with 2 small kids.
88M: Motor Transport Operator
Fort Sill
PCS
Re-enlistment
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 23
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Heard that it was cold during the winter months, and you roast in the summer months.
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SFC Richard Williamson
They used to have a lot of really big guns there, and it's hot/humid in the summer. An occasional tornado. As for the good side, I've never heard, and that's with 20 yrs experience.
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PVT Steven Hoffman
Very cold, I was stationed there 1983-1986, 1st winter there came out of barracks to see knee deep snow everywhere. I'm originally from Monterey, CA.
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not bad. there are some pretty good places to eat in Lawton and there are things to do within easy driving distance. Never been stationed there but have spent a LOT of time there as a contractor doing radar testing. As far as day to day life of an 88M? prepare to be disappointed. My nephew was 88M stationed at Sill and was bored out of his skull. Lots of PMCS and routine stuff. Occasionally he would get tagged to drive a vehicle to haul a radar or other equipment out to the test ranges. And watch out for the snakes. Rattlers as big as your freaking leg. I opened up my radar one morning and found a 6 footer coiled up inside the laptop compartment.
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MAJ Terry LaFrance
SSG Jason Trammell - He's not wrong about the trans unit not having much to do. My first duty station was there in the TC.
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SSG Jason Trammell
MAJ Terry LaFrance I was referring to the snakes. I was with 15th TC. We stayed pretty busy when I was there. We used the PLS W/CHU (Container Handling Unit) so we were always moving stuff around and training.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
SSG Jason Trammell - .....
I Lived In Panama As A Civilian, Many Years Ago.. In Around 1967 Or So, A Friend Of My Wife's Stopped By Our Home In California. Her Husband Was In The Army And Sent To Fort Clayton For Awhile. She Brought Over A Letter He'd Written, Telling Her About All The Snakes Being All Over The Roads, The Mosquitoes & How Isolated He Was & How Much He Missed Her....
#!..... In 3 Years, I Never Even Seen ONE Snake. Not Even When We Went Into The Jungles.
#2.. There Are Only Mosquitoes In The Jungles Now, Because They Can't Even Fly In The Open Areas.... The Constant Tropical Breezes Prevent Their Flight.
#3.. Isolated, My Azz .(LOL).... Walk Out The Gates Of Ft. Clayton, & In a Few Block, You're Standing In Panama City, With Population Of, At Least 1/2 Million People,... More By Now.
After She Left, I Looked At My Wife & Said "If That Bastard Ever Lies To Her Again, I'll Be Talking To His Wife".. I Got His Mailing Address, & Wrote To Him...I Never Heard Back, But His Was Became Less Concerned Because He Told Her How Safe He Was & How Close The Beach Is, And About The Fun He Had With The Other GI'S...... Probably Didn't Mention All The Cat Houses & Bars,Though. Villa de Amor, & El Gruto Azul Were The 2 Most Well Know, And Not The Bars. (The Village of Love & The Blue Goose)
I Lived In Panama As A Civilian, Many Years Ago.. In Around 1967 Or So, A Friend Of My Wife's Stopped By Our Home In California. Her Husband Was In The Army And Sent To Fort Clayton For Awhile. She Brought Over A Letter He'd Written, Telling Her About All The Snakes Being All Over The Roads, The Mosquitoes & How Isolated He Was & How Much He Missed Her....
#!..... In 3 Years, I Never Even Seen ONE Snake. Not Even When We Went Into The Jungles.
#2.. There Are Only Mosquitoes In The Jungles Now, Because They Can't Even Fly In The Open Areas.... The Constant Tropical Breezes Prevent Their Flight.
#3.. Isolated, My Azz .(LOL).... Walk Out The Gates Of Ft. Clayton, & In a Few Block, You're Standing In Panama City, With Population Of, At Least 1/2 Million People,... More By Now.
After She Left, I Looked At My Wife & Said "If That Bastard Ever Lies To Her Again, I'll Be Talking To His Wife".. I Got His Mailing Address, & Wrote To Him...I Never Heard Back, But His Was Became Less Concerned Because He Told Her How Safe He Was & How Close The Beach Is, And About The Fun He Had With The Other GI'S...... Probably Didn't Mention All The Cat Houses & Bars,Though. Villa de Amor, & El Gruto Azul Were The 2 Most Well Know, And Not The Bars. (The Village of Love & The Blue Goose)
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I was at Ft. Sill for both Basic and PDS, but that was in 1983-1986, and being from California it sucked in my opinion. Nothing to do really, mostly stripper bars (as soon as you leave base going into Lawton), but things may have changed in the last 20+ years, so can't really tell you what it's like now.
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It is a place where good intentions and dreams go to die... but not a horrible post. Lawton is a cesspool... if you are going to live on post, they redid housing not many years ago and looks a lot better.
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My last tour before retiring, I lived on post when I was stationed Sill. Left there in 2015. My wife and I enjoyed Fort Sill and the Post community a great deal. The Lawton area, not much. If you enjoy hunting, fishing, camping and generally out door activities, you’ll generally like what south-central OK has to offer. OKC is about an 1.5 hr north with lots to do. The weather is the toughest part to deal with since it goes from extreme heat to cold, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, wind and cold.
Over a 30+ year career as an artillery officer, I bounced back to Ft Sill 3-4 times. Each time was different, but each time it was a positive experience.
Over a 30+ year career as an artillery officer, I bounced back to Ft Sill 3-4 times. Each time was different, but each time it was a positive experience.
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I was stationed at Fort Sill, 88 - 89 and my daughter was born there. As a SNCO, my family and I lived off post. It depends on which unit you are assigned to and if you like hearing artillery firing at night, shaking everything. The establishments on base were very good. However, there are places in downtown Lawton that you would want to avoid and your unit can tell you more about that. Depending on what you and your family like to do, there are many things to do outside of Fort Sill and Lawton. I enjoyed my time at Ft. Sill and stayed away from downtown Lawton.
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I missed that you're and 88M, 15th TC was my first duty assignment. We had to find work. All the units there have their own support assists. I was fortunate in that I had commanders that went job hunting and found us some really good missions supporting DLA. You MIGHT get lucky and get tasked to support a unit going to NTC or White Sands but that's rare. See my other comment for off post/weather.
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I was there in the 90s but I'm retired in OKC. As far as the weather, we have 4 seasons, sometimes all on the same day. The wind blows. Every. Day. It's a TRADOC post with III Corps Arty as tenants, along with some support units. Things have changed since the ADA school moved so I hear it's crowded and training space is a premium. Lawton is ok as towns go, OKC is 90 miles and that's where you may want to spend some weekends. I don't know what else to tell you besides get used to the FA mentality, if you've been around IN troops you get the idea, similar but more neurotic. :-)
Feel free to reach out for anything off post related, I haven't been on base in a few years. But i'm happy to help.
Feel free to reach out for anything off post related, I haven't been on base in a few years. But i'm happy to help.
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