Suggestions for a Wish List...

[NavyWife31]

My Husband should be done with "A School" in Dam Neck VA May 27th, and within this Next week he will be making out a Dream Sheet, we need suggestions of good bases, that are family oriented with nice housing.  We have 2 small kids. Our son is 3 years old and our daughter is 8 months old. We are currently living near NAS Lemoore, and would like to get away from here, lol. So far we have come up with these 3 places, but they aren't set in stone yet. 1. San Diego, CA 2.Seattle WA  3. Hawaii .  We have never seen any of these bases and have no idea what we are getting ourselves into. So if anyone can give us suggestions, I would Greatly appreciate it!!! Thanks so much and I hope to get lots of suggestions...

[NavyWife31]

we thought about putting Hawaii down as #1, however these are my concerns. If we don't get housing on base it's extremely expensive to live there so hopefully our BHA will be enough to cover it, and buying food ect, also pricey since it's a tourist destination. Also my kids are "VERY WHITE" LOL, my lil girl is a red head, so im thinking she will have to be in sun screen 24/7 or be wearing clothes that cover her body.  My poor baby, lol... but Hawaii still sounds very nice, so we are still considering putting it down as #3 on our wish list.

 

[Anti M]

Hawaii is manageable because in addition to the BAH, you get COLA (cost of living allowance).  You get that for any high cost living area, which includes San Diego.  Then you shop at the commissary for your basics and meat; and learn where the local farmers markets are for produce.  ALL of HHawaii is not a tourist destination, it just costs a lot to get things shipped there. No dollar menus at the fast food places, more like $1.29 and up menus.

I'm very pale and did fine there in the 60s.  Yes, lots of sunscreen and hats.  

San Diego is a good bet, although it is expensive too.  Lots of commuting in SD.  You don't find a nice place to live near the base, even housing isn't close by.

Both areas have their problem neighborhoods, but most bases do.  

[Anti M]

One more thing, a tourist destination can be terrific for kids.  MWR provides discounted tickets to attractions such as Sea World, zoos,  etc..... you can vacation from home that way.  Sand Diego is perfect for that.  Hawaii is screamingly multi-cultural, which is fantastic.  I soaked it up like mad.

[NavyWife31]

My Husband went into the Navy as an E-3, and he says that the possibilities are good that he will be making E-4 when he is done with school, which should be this summer sometime...

[ebigirl]

I was born and raised in Seattle, so I would od course choose Seattle. Actually, there are different bases in Western Washington. It depends on what your husband's "rate" is as to where you would actually wind up. There is NAS Whidbey on Whidbey Island. Yes, it's on an island so you would need to take a ferry to go anywhere other than the island. I'm pretty sure there is a lot of base housing at Whidbey. Everett is home base for some ships and carriers. I have no idea what housing is/isn't available, and to be honest Everett is not the greatest/safest area around here. Then there is Bangor Submarine Base just outside of Gig Harbor and Key Pennisula. This is a rural area, perfect for raising kids. Again. I don't know about housing. Last but not least is Bremerton, west of Seattle. This is another port for ships and carriers. The city has grown a lot with the Navy base, a good place to check out.

Just keep in mind that all of these bases are outside of Seattle itself, which is a good thing. Housing, traffic and cost of living are very high within the city itself. I hope this helps!

[NavyWife31]

His rate is IS(Intel Specialist), so I am thinking that it's most likely on one of the bigger bases in Wa., I am sure they have some IS on the Air Base but not many.  But thank you for that info. very helpful.

 

[Sara]

Navy Wife,my husband is an IS and will graduate C school May 20th. If you have any questions about the rate let me know!  He will probably be an E-4 when he gets rated, IS is very quick to advance in rate.  I'll be sure to ask my husband about how soon your husband could be frocked because it's my understanding that they are not required to take the advancement exam. Don't quote me on that, let me check with him first!

[NavyWife31]

Nice to meet you Sara, we have a lot in common. I think you are right about the advancement for IS, because my husband was saying that he would make E-4 very soon, most likely when he is done with school.  He didn't mention any exam to rank up, although I am sure he will have to take an exam to rank after E-4. But I would love any info you might have on that, just to make sure!! what job did your husband get if you don't mind me asking? if you don't want to say publicly you can send me a private message,my husband said that there were a few to choose from, he said that there was. Ground, Strike, Opt-intel, and imagery.  A few others that are classified that we can't talk about, but the one's I mentioned are the ones that are not classified. My husband put on his wish list that he would like Opt-intel but we wont find out if he got the one requested for a few more weeks. Did you husband get his orders? if so what orders did he get? talk to you soon and thanks for the info.

[Anti M]

Everyone takes an exam to be an E-4 EXCEPT those who have it guaranteed in their contract upon completion of school.   Basically, they put it on and pick up the benefits during the next Navy-wide advancement cycle after their graduation.  They should know if it was in their contract or not.