Out of Germany, Japan, and Alaska, at which location would you want to be stationed?

2020-05-03T18:15:53-04:00

In my window and looking over my options for my next assignment

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 3 at 2020 6:26 PM

2020-05-03T18:26:12-04:00

Germany.
Opens up all Europe for traveling.

Response by SPC Bill Ratajczak made May 3 at 2020 6:46 PM

2020-05-03T18:46:03-04:00

I went to Germany and loved it, but I wanted Japan as a first choice. AK was to cold, I went though there on a MAC flight.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 3 at 2020 7:07 PM

2020-05-03T19:07:43-04:00

Okinawa, definitely. Best location I've ever been to. Great tropical weather, easy to travel, nicest people in the entire world.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 3 at 2020 7:31 PM

2020-05-03T19:31:21-04:00

Also, I should point out that you can choose to request two spots at once and that you almost certainly will not get Japan. There is one ADA battalion, one SF battalion and one division level headquarters unit. That leaves about a handful of 25B2 spots, and each one of those who are filling them are there for three years. But Germany has a lot of units where a 25B2 can go.

Response by SFC Jeremy Boyd made May 3 at 2020 7:42 PM

2020-05-03T19:42:01-04:00

I've always wanted to visit Japan, but I wanted Germany to be my first duty station, and luckily it was my first duty station and my third. I highly recommend it!

Response by SGT Matthew S. made May 3 at 2020 8:44 PM

2020-05-03T20:44:47-04:00

I was in Germany; you could spend a lifetime in that country alone and still not see everything. Wanted Alaska but never made it there.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 3 at 2020 8:57 PM

2020-05-03T20:57:48-04:00

Japan

Response by CDR Terry Boles made May 3 at 2020 9:20 PM

2020-05-03T21:20:54-04:00

All three are great duty locations. I loved Alaska for the sheer outdoors, awesome drive up and back on the Alaskan Highway. If you like to hunt and fish, ski, camp, hike!!!

Germany is great central location to travel the countries on the continent. Travel is very easy. Lots to enjoy in Germany and elsewhere. Lots of fun times all throughout Europe, miss it.

Japan was probably my most favorite duty assignment, Yokota AB. Very friendly people, excellent location to travel and see Japan as well as take hops elsewhere.

You have 3 awesome locations to consider, and none are a poor choice. Enjoy your next assignment.

Response by 1SG Mitchell Smith made May 3 at 2020 9:29 PM

2020-05-03T21:29:57-04:00

Alaska, colder than a oooooo weeeeee, Germany, if Frankfurt, or maybe Wiesbaden - very small Kaserne throughout Germany be careful if chosen. As stated, Japan, yet a long flight would be my choice. Good luck.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made May 3 at 2020 10:29 PM

2020-05-03T22:29:01-04:00

You're young, so do them all and decide for yourself. I enjoyed anything Europe, Japan, and Alaska. Not so much Africa or South America. Loved Antarctica actually and got New Zealand as a bonus. Australia is great so long as it wasn't Perth or Rockhampton. Bottom line, many things to make the most of at any of those locations.

Response by 1SG Thomas Jasak made May 3 at 2020 10:40 PM

2020-05-03T22:40:03-04:00

I would definitely go for Germany. Was the best place I have ever been stationed in my 22 years and had a great time. But have to caveat this by saying never been to Alaska or Japan so can't compare it to Germany.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2020 12:16 AM

2020-05-04T00:16:19-04:00

Germany, but now you get paid more if you go to Alaska

Response by SSG Steven Chirco made May 4 at 2020 1:51 AM

2020-05-04T01:51:25-04:00

Alaska if you enjoy outdoors.

Response by AN Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2020 2:51 AM

2020-05-04T02:51:34-04:00

Germany

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2020 3:52 AM

2020-05-04T03:52:16-04:00

Depending on your unit's OPTEMPO, Germany has a lot of promising opportunities. It's centrally located, making short trips throughout Europe easy, and with planning, longer trips to Britain and Eastern Europe very doable.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made May 4 at 2020 11:10 AM

2020-05-04T11:10:25-04:00

Germany for variety of cultural experiences you can drive or take a train too, Alaska for hunting and out doors, and Japan for the Far East experience. I feel more at home in Germany and I believe that is because of my family however some of the third world country experiences in the Far East are incredible. My wife is from Manila and always enjoy my time there.

Response by SGT Herbert Bollum made May 4 at 2020 12:35 PM

2020-05-04T12:35:02-04:00

I loved Germany, but then I am of German heritage and understand some of the language.
I was also stationed in Korea and took courses in reading, writing, and speaking Korean very enjoyable tour that way as I spent as little time with GIs as I could.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2020 12:52 PM

2020-05-04T12:52:21-04:00

Those all sound better than choices i was given.

Response by SrA John Monette made May 4 at 2020 1:45 PM

2020-05-04T13:45:32-04:00

did Germany (1988-1990) would do it again. Between Japan and Alaska, I'd take Alaska.

Response by GySgt Kenneth Pepper made May 4 at 2020 2:27 PM

2020-05-04T14:27:15-04:00

If you like snorkeling or scuba diving Okinawa is the best. I spent a year there and went snorkeling almost every day and diving on weekends. Some of the best times of my life.
Plus you can take MAC flights all over the place.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2020 4:10 PM

2020-05-04T16:10:56-04:00

Germany. Be sure to live small and keep those utility expenses down. The excess utility allowance + COLA allowed us to travel to 21 total countries during our 3 year tour (with zero debt), which included a four-day weekend every month mandated by USAREUR policy. I’d get on my knees and beg if it would get me back again...

Response by LCpl Mark Riley made May 4 at 2020 7:50 PM

2020-05-04T19:50:17-04:00

29 palms is the best if you believe that I have some dry swamp land in Florida for sale

Response by SGT Chris Stephens made May 4 at 2020 10:26 PM

2020-05-04T22:26:07-04:00

It all depends on what your hobbies/interests are. If you're an outdoorsman, Alaska is the way to go. If you love travelling and food, Germany is the way to go because Europe is there for the taking. If culture and food is your thing, then Japan.

Response by SSG Karl Fowler made May 5 at 2020 8:43 AM

2020-05-05T08:43:22-04:00

Hands down GERMANY very good assignment

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made May 5 at 2020 1:14 PM

2020-05-05T13:14:46-04:00

SSG Private RallyPoint Member Been to All 3. Germany would be the Top of My List.

Response by MSG Stan Hutchison made May 5 at 2020 1:43 PM

2020-05-05T13:43:18-04:00

3 years in Germany
4 years in Alaska
2 weeks in Japan - tdy.

Loved them all.

Much depends on what you want to do. Travel; Germany or Japan. Great outdoors action: Alaska

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2020 1:48 PM

2020-05-05T13:48:41-04:00

If you're single, Germany because beer. Then Japan because sushi and weather, exposure to new culture.

If you're married, Germany because beer. Then Alaska because the outdoors is special.

If you're married with little kids, avoid Alaska, it will be difficult... so Germany because beer.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made May 7 at 2020 5:12 PM

2020-05-07T17:12:34-04:00

All three will provide the adventure and challenges of an "overseas" assignment. It's hard to go wrong with those choices. I was stationed in Alaska and spent a good amount of TDY time in Europe and Japan.

I recommend Alaska! If you can get stationed at Ft Richardson, it's a nearly ideal location. Ft Greely and Ft Wainwright aren't as nice. Climate in the Anchorage (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson) area is about like the northern states in the Lower 48. Wainwright and Greely are much colder in the winter. Overall the summers in Anchorage are pleasant with high temperatures seldom over 80 degrees. Winters are cold, but seldom below -10 degrees. Everywhere in the State summer days are very long and winter nights are equally long. Summer entertainment includes fishing, hunting, hiking, and most any outdoors activity except swimming (people who water ski in the summer do it in a wet suit). Winter is great for skiing, ice skating, snow boarding, snow machine riding. Winter festivals include Fur Rondy in Anchorage and the Iditarod sled dog race.
Let me be very clear: if you happen to hate cold weather and hate camping out in cold weather even worse, then don't go to Alaska. Soldiers in Alaska do field ops. You can expect a white Halloween, white Christmas, and a white Easter.

Between Germany and Japan, I would select Germany. I was always more comfortable in a "Western" culture than in the orient. I think Germany is the European country most like the US. German people are mostly hard working, industrious, an fun loving. Much of the German climate is similar to Chicago. I'm not sure where you'd be stationed, so the part of Germany you're in makes quite a bit of difference in local culture and climate. It's a great home base from which you can see all of Europe. Compared to the US, European countries are small. You can drive between major population centers usually in less than a day. It's easy to make a day trip to dozens of very interesting historical and cultural locations in Germany. And there's no large commercial trucks on the highways on Saturday and Sunday by law. I'm not current on all of the Army missions in Europe these days, so I can't speak to field time, deployment, or facilities. I had friends who chose to take multiple overseas tours to Europe because they loved it very much. Most people I served with who had been stationed in Germany liked it. Definitely would be my second choice after Alaska.

Response by CW4 Keith Dolliver made May 9 at 2020 12:24 AM

2020-05-09T00:24:11-04:00

Do you know where the assignments are in those locations? Stuttgart or Weisbaden is very different from Grafenwoehr. Misawa is very different from Zama, which is very different from Okinawa. And JBER is very different from Ft. Wainwright.

Personally, my choice would be Japan just because the Army presence in Japan is so small that the opportunities don't come up much. If you pass up now, you will likely not get the opportunity again in your career, where as Germany and Alaska have many more billets so the opportunity to go again in the future is probably higher.

As an IT guy, my guess is you have the possibility of going to any base at those locations. For Japan the main base is Camp Zama which is about 40km southwest of Tokyo, so you are about a 1hr train ride from Tokyo and very much in the greater metro area. If you like city living this is a great location. If you like the mountains/nature you are 1-2 hour train ride/drive from the mountains and close to a bunch of great hikes and Mt. Fuji. The main Army location is here so my guess is that is where you would be, but there is also some Army personnel located on Okinawa, which is basically a tropical island. It never really gets cold there... maybe high 50s/low 60s for a couple months during the winter, but the rest of the year will be 80s-90s and you are close to the beach and much more outdoors. There are also a few very remote ADA locations scattered around that I suppose you could end up at as well. Japan is expensive, but it's still a great assignment. Also know that you can't ship your car to Japan, so you will most likely need to buy a "beater" for your tour here. Don't worry, they're actually very reasonably priced, $1-2k for a good car that will last you 3 years and then you sell it when you leave and will probably make most of your money back.

Germany there are so many bases so I'm not even going to hazard a guess where you might end up, but regardless, trains are ubiquitous and can get you everywhere. It's also much more of a driver friendly country than Japan... Japan you will be stuck in traffic and it's not really worth driving anywhere if you live in the Zama area. The autobahns are great and you can drive all over central Europe and it's nice because you get a gas card so you can buy up to 300 liters of fuel per month on the Germany economy at on-post prices (a HUGE savings). Between the trains, autobahns, and airports it's easy to travel all over Europe... this is without a doubt the best part of being in Germany. You also get a 4-day weekend every month, even on the months without a holiday so great travel opportunities to see the countries and experience different cultures.

I've never been to Alaska, so can't personally help you there, but JBER you're going to have city stuff with Anchorage, but also be close to still do any outdoor activities you want. Fairbanks is straight-up remote, and if you prefer a city setting, it probably won't be great for you. Fairbanks is also prone to drastic daylight hour swings depending on the season that you don't get as much of in Anchorage.

For either Japan or Germany you will almost certainly be living on post.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 19 at 2021 6:37 AM

2021-02-19T06:37:42-05:00

I would speak with current or recent SM’s. The world has changed too much from when us old timers ran the world. I always wanted to go back to Germany after the wall came down to see what life was like, but after the EU took over I have no interest to see anything in Europe.

Response by SGM Tr Williams made Feb 22 at 2021 7:37 PM

2021-02-22T19:37:42-05:00

Germany. I spent 7 years there and had a great time on an off duty. Korea I served twice, one as a 1SG and as a SGM. Neither one was that great!