PCSing to Germany in the summer of 2018. Any advice?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 08:43:00 -0400

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 10 at 2018 9:18 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 09:18:44 -0400

-Get your travel passport before you go if you don't have one already.
- Travel whenever you can, even if it's just to a new town by you for dinner
- Beer is much stronger there, be aware of how much you drink.
- start learning basic german, even if you butcher it they'll appreciate the effort.
- If you're married and will need a 2nd car, do not buy one of the ones that is being passed around the base, especially not a 90's BMW. They're expensive to fix, and generally have a lot of issues.
- Learn to do basic vehicle maintenance, oil changes, brakes, those sort of things. There are Auto skills centers on the base with all the tools you'll need, and the staff is generally pretty helpful if you're learning.

Those are just some, but majority are from personal experience. Enjoy you're time overseas, Germany is great

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 10 at 2018 10:19 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 10:19:54 -0400

Have fun but don’t get in trouble

Response by SFC Everett Oliver made Apr 10 at 2018 7:03 PM

SFC Everett Oliver — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 19:03:03 -0400

Get out of the confines of the Kasern or housing areas and see the culture. And that doesn't mean just the local clubs... Travel whenever possible and surprisingly the famous castles are ot theo only points of interest.... Go exploring.... We once found a ruin wit only one wall still standing but in what had to have been the court yard was the crypt of a knight dated 1021.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 7:17 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 07:17:58 -0400

Who are you being assigned to?

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 9:46 AM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 09:46:22 -0400

Ryanair for cheap travel across Europe.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 5:26 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 17:26:20 -0400

I saw you put Vilseck, I was there from for a little bit and I loved it. The town itself is small but it is close to bigger towns like Nuremberg, Amberg, Regansburg. It is only twoish hours from Munich and fourish hours (hit that Autobahn!) from Berlin (my favorite city in Europe). Like someone else said, get your passport - people will tell you that your Military ID works for traveling country to country; that is false. The best part of Germany is traveling so knock that out.

Rose Barracks (Vilseck) is the smaller portion of Grafenwoehr; the main PX is in Graf and most major facilities are too.

I agree with an above note - do not get a 90s BMW - they are cheap but a world of trouble. You have to pass a vehicle standards test and when they break, it’s a nightmare. You also have to take a German license test - I did fine but I studied pretty hardcore- I had buddies who failed four to five times so take it seriously.

German systems and businesses work dramatically different. Everything closes early, nothing is open on Sunday so you have to plan properly. On Rose Barracks, some of the facilities have random closed-opened days. The commissary was closed Wednesday and Sunday. Off post: getting internet or other services, be patient, Germans work on a slower, different timeline. I won’t say they are lazy but they are not as fast paced and customer service over there isn’t really a concern for them so don’t expect them to care when you are having a difficult time.

Like someone said, learn some German; most of them know English but a lot of them will refuse to talk to you if you don’t even make an effort to speak German. I took the train when I first got there and got lost, I asked for help getting back but people were rude and refused to help me - even the ones that worked there. In some towns, American soldiers have a bad reputation so tread lightly.

The country is gorgeous, so much history and culture. Just experience it, get out and see it. Most soldiers who hated it there never left the barracks or post. I would love to go back to Germany. Good luck!