The military in San Antonio? (Schertz, Kirby: fit in, employment, transfer)

[twinboysmomma]

Ok, first of all, I mean no insult or disrespect to the military or military families. I just have a question: does the 5 military bases in SA make for a different "feel" for the city/suburbs?

I was talking to a friend who recently relocated to SA a year ago with her Dh and three kids, and she told me that its "different" there because there are so many military familes.

She said it kind of makes it more of a transient area....instead of people moving into a neighborhood a settling down for 5-10 years, people with the military usually have to move after 3 years or so and she said it seems like all the families she knows are military. She knows 24 families in her social circle who are moving out just this summer!

She said military families have their own way of doing things and sometimes its hard to understand or fit in I guess. I have heard from the others that the military is like one big family, and that people in the military tend to stick together, which I think is a good thing, but also means that if most of your neighbors are military and you're not, you can end up feeling a little left out.

Anyway, thoughts anyone??

[samom02]

It just depends on how you view the situation. We have lived here for 8 years and have made many friends here, military and non-mil. It is true that many of the military families move away after a few years, but we have also made many friends through employment and such, and those are the ones that tend to stick around. Also, SA is known for having "generational families" where many San Antonians have been born and raised here and have no intention of leaving.

[210]

SA only has two military bases (Lackland, Randolph) and one post (Fort Sam) making it a total of three military installations.

[twinboysmomma]

Thanks for your thoughts. I swear I've heard and read there are 5 military bases, but I guess I'm wrong.

[sapphire]

You were right--Kelly and Brooks closed down.

[smuboy86]

It also depends on where you move, if you move to Schertz/cibolo universal city, converse, live oak you will find some army there from Ft. Sam, but alot of families from Randolph. Kirby has alot from Ft. Sam. It really depends on where you go. The farther away you get from a base, and the more expensive it gets the less likely you will find Military

[sereneintexas]

The military influence in SA is one of the fondest memories I have of growing up in SA. I never had any immediate family members in the military but we knew many people connected to it. One thing I really miss when I go downtown on the weekends is the sea of blue and kackie we saw as children. The GI's and airmen were everywhere, and was a comforting site. If they are there now, they don't wear their uniforms. Yes, they are transferred frequently, but I never found them to be anything but the best neighbors.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by twinboysmomma

Ok, first of all, I mean no insult or disrespect to the military or military families. I just have a question: does the 5 military bases in SA make for a different "feel" for the city/suburbs?

I was talking to a friend who recently relocated to SA a year ago with her Dh and three kids, and she told me that its "different" there because there are so many military familes.

She said it kind of makes it more of a transient area....instead of people moving into a neighborhood a settling down for 5-10 years, people with the military usually have to move after 3 years or so and she said it seems like all the families she knows are military. She knows 24 families in her social circle who are moving out just this summer!

She said military families have their own way of doing things and sometimes its hard to understand or fit in I guess. I have heard from the others that the military is like one big family, and that people in the military tend to stick together, which I think is a good thing, but also means that if most of your neighbors are military and you're not, you can end up feeling a little left out.

Anyway, thoughts anyone??

Although many military families do move away (there have been several in my neighborhood), there are also many military members who retire here in San Antonio and start a second career. They provide a valuable resource to businesses through many years of experience, knowledge, diverse jobs, and discipline. Some military retirees "hang around" at the bases, while many others tend to blend in with the "civilians." However, just like other professions (e.g., policeman, firefighters, etc.) there is still a connection with fellow members. I used to hear many times during my 26 AF years, that it is not a career, it is a way of life. And, this way of life carries into other careers.

[Paka]

I personally think it adds charm to SA vs other areas to have so many military/prior military families here.

As a retired military spouse, we are use to moving, so far more welcoming of new folks because of our experiences. The kiddos also seem to understand the new kids in school and what they have to do to adpt to the new environment more than kids that have been born and raised in one spot.
The fact that many folks are more transiant these days because of jobs, desires, needs makes the entire world a more "military move" type of place than in past generations. I have found that when we are the "new kid" on the block, it was the military families in our area that reached out first to introduce themselves, offer a hand and haul over a cake/cookies/meatloaf. Many folks that are "planted" all their life have very firm/close hold relationships built and in place that keep them so busy they bearly notice a new family moving in and trying to fit in.

A lot of folks seem to think that we are really different, but I really think we are more alike than not...maybe just have lived in a few countries vs few cities in our lives. I think the biggest difference with military is that we seem to be more self sufficient than some...having to learn to do things yourself when you are stationed half a world away from your family/friends makes that a requirement. Normally, if you can't figure something out in the military, you can resource someone that can thru friends/neighbors.

Welcome to San Antonio, you will LOVE it!

[noplacelikeWA]

Originally Posted by twinboysmomma

.....
She said military families have their own way of doing things and sometimes its hard to understand or fit in I guess. I have heard from the others that the military is like one big family, and that people in the military tend to stick together, which I think is a good thing, but also means that if most of your neighbors are military and you're not, you can end up feeling a little left out.

Anyway, thoughts anyone??

We live in the Villages of Westrceek and all of the neighbors we've met are military, most are active Airforce but 4 are retired and 1 still works as a civillian on base. We are not military but my DH does work at Kelly. We had a "get to know your neighbor" bbq two weeks ago and most of the conversation was military and left us feeling just as your friend described. We do our best to change the subject when we can just so we can contribute to the conversations but it does seem to drift back to military talk eventually. We had 3 neighbors move in the past year and only 1 of the non retired neighbors are here to stay, the rest will be moving on again. Of course the retired military usually don't have kids so we have less in common with them.

Of the people we've met at church most are also military and they too have the same conversations and either just got here or will be moving soon. Everyone has been friendly and nice but you just can't help but feel left out when you have no clue what they're talking about and when you find out they will be moving soon.

If you come from a non-military city you definately "feel" a difference in SA. It's not a bad thing just another different element to being in a new city.