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I remember back in the 80's when i was in Ronald Reagans 600 ship Navy that we were treated poorly by the residents at my 2 duty stations at Norfolk, VA (Norfolk Naval Shipyards) and Jacksonville, Fla (Mayport Naval Station). But whenever i went on leave to visit my family in San Antonio,TX and El Paso,TX i was treated like a rock star.
Has the Naval Homeports changed here in the 2000's towards the naval sailors or is there still bad attitudes.
Wait now....it's 2008 and Norfolk is a military town as well as the rest of the HR areas. We welcome our troops home all the time and I myself, was stationed in Norfolk. We are treated as residents who deploy on missions for our country. Troops are thanked for their service and the area retailers do give military discounts from time to time, especially when kids are getting ready for school. Now if you come off as anyone owing you anything for being in the military, then I would suppose that attitude would not be appreciated. The military's reputation has changed alot over the years, more incentives and such. Younger, more technical military vice when we were in, in the earlier years thru the 80's. They are getting paid more, more bonuses, baq & vha, so they do blend in with the general population.
Wait now....it's 2008 and Norfolk is a military town as well as the rest of the HR areas. We welcome our troops home all the time and I myself, was stationed in Norfolk. We are treated as residents who deploy on missions for our country. Troops are thanked for their service and the area retailers do give military discounts from time to time, especially when kids are getting ready for school. Now if you come off as anyone owing you anything for being in the military, then I would suppose that attitude would not be appreciated. The military's reputation has changed alot over the years, more incentives and such. Younger, more technical military vice when we were in, in the earlier years thru the 80's. They are getting paid more, more bonuses, baq & vha, so they do blend in with the general population.
When I was at my A school in Norfolk, way back in 1970, the sailors were treated like dirt, can't say about the Marines, but I wouldn't doubt it flowed their way, too. One pay period, the DO decided to pay everyone with $2 bills. The same day he sent teams out in the community, asking the local businesses how man $2 bills they had in their registers toward the end of the payday. Amazingly, and amusingly, the "attitudes" of the locals began to change. If NOB or NAS were to ever close down or move, woe be to the civvies in that area. Course, we all know that would never happen, huh?
Oh, nearly forgot something. I do remember seeing one or two signs around the Norfolk area, "Dogs and Sailors, Keep Off the Grass!" The signs went away quickly, too.
I guess it all depends on where your at. If your on military highway they love you, so they can rip you off as soon as they get a chance on E1 and up financing. Other other HR communities that I have lived in, I haven't had any problems with people not liking us because we are military. Now at get parties and so on with locals, you are referred to as "boat boy", but I just laugh it off.
My post 9/11 deployment and the days shortly after I was treated like a rock star and I was stationed in Mayport FL at the time. It was great, a lot of free stuff, and just a lot more respect for the dangers we faced. fast foward to 2003. I was in Japan and my post war IRAQ deployment, nobody gave a rats ass about it. Just a few families showed up on the pier. So I gues it all depends on where your at, and whats going on in the world.
From what I observed, we were generally hated by one and all, in the region immediately around the bases.
Only during Desert Storm 1 did the general public stateside change their attitudes. They all began lying, saying that they had always supported the troops. the same folks in the same towns that had spit on us a decade before.
Then they came up with that yellow ribbon junk, waving that symbol calling us cowards.
Alot has changed in the area you are speaking of BH.81. There are no car lots outside the bases or military highway anymore. Hampton Blvd is full of commercial stores, no stripper bars, no dealerships or bars in general. The area is respectable. The bases have free concerts from the celebrities that donate their time to support the troops. It's become conservative and quite modern for the average sailor to enjoy things closer to base that don't require them to go out and buy a car from the first place they see. The dealerships, the reputable big guys, have incentives.
Japan...that's a whole different story in itself. They do not like americans, but they take our money. Just last year, my guys came back saying that there are stores that have "no americans" in their windows.
I was stationed at NNSY, NOB, and NAS Oceana in the 80's and the military were well accepted because the community knew they didn't exist without us. There will always be haters, but for the most part, people like money..
San Antonio, where I live now, is probably a little more military loving because the military seriously pumps some money into this town and they know it. The income level in the city is also fairly low, so a mid-level NCO is usually on the upper end of the median income.
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