Posted on Sep 10, 2020
If you had the choice would you like to be stationed at JBLM or Hawaii?
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PCS
Schofield Barracks
Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 42
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Stationed at Schofield Bks. For 4 years. It’s a great post...for about 6 months. The island gets small real quick and travel is a pain. Super expensive and, at times, unwelcoming. A fun place to visit, but I would hasten against choosing it for a post. Just my .02
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
I had no problem with three years in Hawaii with the active duty USAF and did have a lot of local friends. I did live off base and enjoyed it, in my off duty time I also took college classes 4 days a week. I was also active in Civil Air Patrol in Hawaii. I enjoyed the beaches and all the places to go as well as back then went to stock car races at the old Hawaii raceway park. (now gone) I played a lot of golf, went bowling, swimming and was never bored. Yes, I always found time to do all those things. I also knew where to go and not pay tourist prices. Hawaii was My first choice for overseas assignment and I got it.
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SPC (Join to see)
Hawaii is definitely a great place to visit but with COVID thing it has made me not want to be on the island anymore
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SGT Cody Skinner
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter - I have been learning the longer I have been out , Air Force and Army experiences at the same Duty Station don't necessarily mean they had the same experience.
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
SGT Cody Skinner - That is true and if I had to do it all over again I'd still go Air Force. I've never had a negative experience in any state with the local populations anyway in my Air Force service.
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SGT Cody Skinner
Fun Fact: The most rain in the United States and the world falls at Mt. Waialeale on Kauai in Hawaii. It rained an average of 460 inches (11,684 millimetres) a year from 1931 to 1960 on the tropical island mountain. That's over 38 feet (11 metres) of rain.
Several other spots on the Hawaiian Islands top 200 inches (5,080 mm) of rain a year on average, much more than places in any other state besides Alaska.
Mountain View on the east side of Hawaii's Big Island is the rainiest with 240 inches or 20 feet (6.1 metres) annually. At the community on the slope above Hilo it rains 296 days a year – which works out to getting rain on four out of five days.
Several other spots on the Hawaiian Islands top 200 inches (5,080 mm) of rain a year on average, much more than places in any other state besides Alaska.
Mountain View on the east side of Hawaii's Big Island is the rainiest with 240 inches or 20 feet (6.1 metres) annually. At the community on the slope above Hilo it rains 296 days a year – which works out to getting rain on four out of five days.
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WO1 (Join to see)
SGT Cody Skinner Fun Fact JBLM has around 3 months of steady sunshine. All of which you will spend in the field/Yakistan :)
The more you know
The more you know
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WO1 (Join to see)
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff The rain isn’t an issue in the summertime. Hence why I spoke sun for 3 months straight. However, gloomy and rainy the other 270+ day’s of the year is quite depressing and dark.
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While an Island may not be for everyone for a lifetime it is certainly for most for a tour. Hawaii is amazing and a No Brainer.
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I’ve been TDY to Schofield and had island fever after a week. It is a smaller island, weather is great, but once you’ve seen it you’ve seen it. I would absolutely recommend vacationing there but I couldn’t live there.
JBLM does have a long rainy season but only because it is part of winter. Not much snow. Lots of outdoor recreational activities (hiking, snowboarding/skiing, fishing, hunting). I’ve been here going on 9 years.
Every base will have its pros and cons and everyone has different preferences/priorities in deciding what is best for them/their family.
JBLM does have a long rainy season but only because it is part of winter. Not much snow. Lots of outdoor recreational activities (hiking, snowboarding/skiing, fishing, hunting). I’ve been here going on 9 years.
Every base will have its pros and cons and everyone has different preferences/priorities in deciding what is best for them/their family.
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PVT (Join to see)
You do realize that 3 out of the 4 things you listed, there’s tons of chances to do that in Hawaii right? Tons of hikes, fishing, and even hunting in Hawaii.
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I’m stationed in JBLM and I’d be in Hawaii in a heart beat. If you were offered Hawaii and you haven’t taken it yet, it might not be there tomorrow
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WO1 (Join to see) I have driven by JBLM and been to Hawaii twice to have the plane refueled. With that said, close by JBLM is the Museum of Flight, one of the best aerospace museums in the country and Mt. Rainer National Park, one of the best National Parks in the country. Good luck on your decision.
https://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/
https://www.bing.com/travelguide?q=Mount+Rainier+National+Park&l2sid=9a8a1f72-a577-9f45-e275-1d969576f069&form=PLACAB
https://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/
https://www.bing.com/travelguide?q=Mount+Rainier+National+Park&l2sid=9a8a1f72-a577-9f45-e275-1d969576f069&form=PLACAB
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Sgt (Join to see)
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - 51 minutes driving time according to map quest. I have been to the museum twice and will go next year along with going to Mt. Rainer National Park.
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SSG (Join to see)
WO1 (Join to see) - It sounds like paradise, but this place is not the best in terms of family. Cost of living is too high, locals aren't too nice to military here.
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WO1 (Join to see)
Thanks for the advice. I’m wanting to go OCONUS just trying to figure out the best location for family.SSG (Join to see)
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SSG (Join to see)
WO1 (Join to see) - Try Germany, much more travel opportunities, Europe is very nice
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Hawaii gets really small, really fast and it's not like you can jump in the car and go see something new because after about 3 months, you've seen it all, and in six, if you're motivated, you've done it, too.
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WO1 (Join to see) It is all personal and relative to you or you and family..be it spouse and kids or other fam.
HI is a great place to visit, but quickly loses my interest as it did for my family. Washington was a much better opportunity for us when I was teaching ROTC in Oregon.
We ride bikes, on and off road, camp, race off road trucks and bikes, shoot....opportunities in the Pacific North West (wet) are much greater for those things than HI, so I turned down HI.
Diving is the only thing I enjoy doing that would have been an outstanding upside to being stationed in HI, but that one thing just did not overshadow the down sides for us.
HI is a great place to visit, but quickly loses my interest as it did for my family. Washington was a much better opportunity for us when I was teaching ROTC in Oregon.
We ride bikes, on and off road, camp, race off road trucks and bikes, shoot....opportunities in the Pacific North West (wet) are much greater for those things than HI, so I turned down HI.
Diving is the only thing I enjoy doing that would have been an outstanding upside to being stationed in HI, but that one thing just did not overshadow the down sides for us.
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