I am about to PCS to Fort Bliss, and the UIC I have been given is WAEL01. How is the base, the barracks, and the unit?

You have to work at being bored here and this place probably beats Hawaii for me. You have camping in the mountains 1.5hrs north at 9,000ft, you have unlimited shooting on BLM lands just inside NM, the off-roading is crazy, and Colorado is less than 8hrs north. It does get cold enough in El Paso to get snow (about every 2-3 years we get a real snow fall) and there is snow constantly in Cloudcroft and Ruisdoso. The heat is dry unlike FT Jackson and 105 here feels like 85 or 90 there. Most people fight to not come here but once here, it is a great place. Schools for kids suck.

In all the time I've been in the Army, when I arrived at FT Bliss, and saw their PX...I called my brother in the Air Force to tell him how nice it is. I was only there for two weeks on my way to Kuwait so I don't have any more info for you.

The base is huge, the facilities are nice. The training in plentiful. The city is large with a small town feel. It is in the high dessert, so there is that. It is what you make it.

don't know if you are already here but the barrack is pretty nice on East bliss. There's 2 bed rooms, a fullsize kitchen, bathroom. and ofcourse we have boingo wifi. Plenty of stuffs to do even in the base. Multiple soccer fields, Baseball field. Gyms all close by the barracks in East Bliss.

I was there from 2010-2013. I hated it for the first three months (mainly due to my orders being messed up) after i fell into the 32d AAMDC and made friends i learned about the things to do there and the most fun was going to red sands where you can go off roading or just go shooting. The PX I have heard has expanded from when i was there but the thing i miss the most is the food. you must go to Carlos and Mickeys its a mexican restaurant that is known for the margaritas and good food I have yet to find a good substitute for it, also go to Rudys for BBQ. mostly just look at the places that the MWR office has and you will never be board.

Appears you are going to 1 ABCT in Bliss. From the guys I know they say 1st BDE is not that bad. Part of your stay will be how you approach the unit and the area. Barracks are pretty decent considering some I have seen/lived in. As others have said, El Paso has a lot to offer as do the surrounding areas. The base has a decent PX/Mall area (Freedom Crossing) and typically there are lots of concerts on base as well as in the city. As another member stated, there is a "unique" culture present at Bliss opposed to other posts and leaders who dare go against the grain are quickly pushed to an S-shop. All this may change as in the summer nearly every unit is going through a CoC or CoR, so practices may be changing. 1st BDE is in an interesting spot because they are transitioning from Strykers to Bradleys. Because of the virus training has been halted so prepare for a significant ramp up once training resumes in the next month or two. Best of luck.

"I'm sorry" is the most common thing I'm told when I mention that I am stationed at Fort Bliss. With that being said; the city, ammenities and communities of El Paso are actually really nice. The problem is that the instillation is very "unique" in its organization. SOP's are lacking or out of date; most leadership that tries to fix problems here are either pushed aside or hush up about the issues within 6 months.

It's been 30 years since I was at Bliss but I bet not much has changed. The base is large with all the amenities you'd want, Commissary, Bowling Alleys, NCO and O clubs...Fortunately you are in a larger city so plenty to do in town too. When I was there, we'd go to Juarez all the time but I bet that's not common anymore. Go 4 wheeling in the Franklin Mountains, plenty of places to go shooting and camping, take a trip out to New Mexico, see a UTEP football game...It's hot, thats for sure and in the winter, you can expect wet bulb during the day and parkas at night.