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Hawaii
PCS
Responses: 4
Suspended Profile
SFC Barnhart,
Do you know where in the 25th you are headed? That way I can tell you more about specific units.
Cost of living is high here and there, but it is not as bad as people blow it up to be if you shop/spend smart. You can end up making out well with BAH and COLA if you spend wisely.
Take your time when it comes to finding a good place whether it is on or off post. The housing, even on post, varies. They are building new places and the houses on Wheeler are very nice. You can do well with the TLA that you get like I said if you manage it wisely.
Off post, Mililani is your small and quiet community a few minutes away from post...no beaches, just residential and relatively clean. North Shore-most of the north shore Waialua, Haliewa, ect...are very country with everything closing early, lots of farm land, ect... Waialua is pretty close to post...
South Shore-about 25-30 min drives, Ewa Beach and Kapolei are popular...very large military concentration in these areas...pretty close to the beach in some areas
Honolulu- typically a hot spot for young officers to live and some NCOs, 45 min drive, slow while in the city, but going against traffic once on the freeway
Windward side- Kaneohe and Kailua...my favorite part of the island...goes against traffic to Schofield, but pretty far away 40-50 min, but in my opinion, worth it
You do not get TLA until you sign in off of leave, so best bet is to get into Honolulu Airport on a Monday afternoon or Tuesday afternoon if Monday is a holiday since in processing must start at the beginning of the week. If you sign in at the replacement desk at the airport on a Monday afternoon, they cannot start in processing you until the next week, however, you will be covered by TLA that week. This gives you time to explore, relax, and even look for housing. Call ahead to the Inn at Schofield before you PCS, if they do not have availability, you may have to stay in Waikiki. Replacement Company has a van that will shuttle you to in processing when you start it if your car is not there yet.
There is plenty of stuff to do on the island...often times it is the same kind of thing just in different variations...like many nice trails to hike on...different beaches, ect...
Learn how to surf, hit the north or south shores...pontoon boat out of MCBH in Kaneohe is fun...lots of hikes...Koko Head, Diamond Head, Lanikai Pill Box, ect...
Do you know where in the 25th you are headed? That way I can tell you more about specific units.
Cost of living is high here and there, but it is not as bad as people blow it up to be if you shop/spend smart. You can end up making out well with BAH and COLA if you spend wisely.
Take your time when it comes to finding a good place whether it is on or off post. The housing, even on post, varies. They are building new places and the houses on Wheeler are very nice. You can do well with the TLA that you get like I said if you manage it wisely.
Off post, Mililani is your small and quiet community a few minutes away from post...no beaches, just residential and relatively clean. North Shore-most of the north shore Waialua, Haliewa, ect...are very country with everything closing early, lots of farm land, ect... Waialua is pretty close to post...
South Shore-about 25-30 min drives, Ewa Beach and Kapolei are popular...very large military concentration in these areas...pretty close to the beach in some areas
Honolulu- typically a hot spot for young officers to live and some NCOs, 45 min drive, slow while in the city, but going against traffic once on the freeway
Windward side- Kaneohe and Kailua...my favorite part of the island...goes against traffic to Schofield, but pretty far away 40-50 min, but in my opinion, worth it
You do not get TLA until you sign in off of leave, so best bet is to get into Honolulu Airport on a Monday afternoon or Tuesday afternoon if Monday is a holiday since in processing must start at the beginning of the week. If you sign in at the replacement desk at the airport on a Monday afternoon, they cannot start in processing you until the next week, however, you will be covered by TLA that week. This gives you time to explore, relax, and even look for housing. Call ahead to the Inn at Schofield before you PCS, if they do not have availability, you may have to stay in Waikiki. Replacement Company has a van that will shuttle you to in processing when you start it if your car is not there yet.
There is plenty of stuff to do on the island...often times it is the same kind of thing just in different variations...like many nice trails to hike on...different beaches, ect...
Learn how to surf, hit the north or south shores...pontoon boat out of MCBH in Kaneohe is fun...lots of hikes...Koko Head, Diamond Head, Lanikai Pill Box, ect...
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I envy you SFC. My former reserve unit was 301st MI based out of Ft. Shafter. I only got to go once for a couple weeks, but it was great.
The highlights were the Punchbowl Memorial on Memorial Day (we helped the Boy Scouts plant flags and flowers on every grave there), the USS Arizona memorial and the museum, swimming at North Shore (go to the Killer Taco and get the Barnyard; it's owned by the parents of a really great soldier I worked with), and just sampling a lot of the different Asian cultures and food that comes as a result. EDIT: Oooh, surfing. Definitely worth a try.
My only recommendation is to be careful of where you go on the main island. I've heard a few times that some of the native Hawaiians are starting to single out and attack anyone who isn't an islander.
The highlights were the Punchbowl Memorial on Memorial Day (we helped the Boy Scouts plant flags and flowers on every grave there), the USS Arizona memorial and the museum, swimming at North Shore (go to the Killer Taco and get the Barnyard; it's owned by the parents of a really great soldier I worked with), and just sampling a lot of the different Asian cultures and food that comes as a result. EDIT: Oooh, surfing. Definitely worth a try.
My only recommendation is to be careful of where you go on the main island. I've heard a few times that some of the native Hawaiians are starting to single out and attack anyone who isn't an islander.
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I am not sure where I am going yet at 25th. I made contact with all the G1/S1s and no one seems to be tracking anything at all. I am on leave now and about to sign-in in less then a week so I guess I will jus find out that way. Weird not getting a sponsor at all or even a email. Thanks for all the info you placed on your post it really helped with us looking for a place to live.