I recently read a article about the top Air Force bases in the nation. As a military brat I was excited/curious to see a base that I currently use as home. What I was surprise to see was why the Air Force considered it the best in the nation.. I actually laughed out loud when I read it, to be honest.
Here is the article the Dayton Daily News posted:
Wright-Patt named best Air Force base in nation
Aerial view of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Area B. (Staff photo by Ty Greenlees)
By Amelia Robinson
Staff Writer
Here’s something to make the airmen at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base cheer.
The Dayton-area military installation tied Scott Air Force Base in Illinois as Air Force Times’ best Air Force base in the country.
The Military Times Group and Gannett Government Media publication considered school quality, local economy, crime rates to traffic, climate, on-base amenities and other factors for its evaluation of 68 stateside bases and their surrounding communities.
Here is part of what Air Force Times’ wrote about Wright-Patt:
“The average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Dayton is $641, according to RentJungle.com. An airman basic without dependents would receive $864 in BAH each month, and a colonel with dependents would receive $1,950 a month.
“Airmen who are interested in their service’s history can visit the National Museum of the United States Air Force for free. The museum in June broke ground on an expansion that will eventually house the former Air Force One aircraft aboard which President Johnson was sworn in after President Kennedy’s assassination, as well as a Titan IV space booster rocket, the Lockheed C-130E Hercules, and other aircraft.
Thousands of runners — both military and civilian — run the annual Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson each September. The start and finish lines of that race are located at the museum.”
What do you think? Is Wright-Patt the nation’s best Air Force base?
Contact this blogger at arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com or Twitter.com/DDNSmartMouth
Top 5 stateside Air Force Bases, according to Air Force Times
1) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (tie)
1) Scott Air Force Base, Illinois (tie)
3) Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
4) Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
5) Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
*The link above takes you to the website*
I would disagree, this is my 5th base I've lived at and I have visited multiple bases growing up! Family wise, this base is not the best.. It doesn't really create a community compared to other bases and does not offer as many amenities/activities or they are not as great as other bases that my family have been stationed at. The Air Force is all about creating a family environment and atmosphere so when arriving at this base I was shocked to find that was not the case.
Though, I agree, the military base itself is fabulous. I feel like it has a huge and equal number of civilian and military personnel that work there. I also think that they have wonderful jobs, opportunities, and a great acceptance of retired military civilians. As a military brat though, I feel the points this article made as the reasons this base is so great are very deceiving.
For starters, the museum is great, but not that great. It's a place you could spend hours at, or just 30mins. It is free, which is great and they are always updating it, but it's one of those places if you've gone once, you're good. No one really goes to hangout there if they live in that area. Also, in this article they only pointed out the economics, weather, and crime. Those do NOT ALWAYS make a great base. They did mention the on-base amenities. I have lived there 7 1/2 years and this is the first base that we chose to do everything OFF base. The amenities aren't great. The end. There is off base living, that anyone practically can live on (non-military civilians) that has a pool, an easy walk to a elementary school, and a daycare. Nothing impressive. As a military brat who normally has no trouble making friends on bases, found this move to be the hardest. I personally loved moving, but hated this duty station.
*Though I hated this duty station, I have tons of Military Brat Friends who love it! Not every base is for everyone!!*
Here are the following bases I have had the honor of living at:
- Patrick AFB, Coco Beach, FL. 1994-1996
- Vandenberg AFB, Lompoc, Ca. 1996-2000
- Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL. 2000-2006
- Naples Support Site, Naples, Italy (Dad was stationed at NATO) 2006-2008
- Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio 2008-PRESENT
Again, my experience may be way different with this base then others! I hope this post informs military spouses/brats of what I thought of this base and my opinion! (:
- What do you think about this article naming WPAFB #1?
- Do you agree with my opinion or not? If not, then why?
I would LOOOVVVEEEE to hear from yall!
