Does the military ruin an area?

[Brackdogg]

I agree that there is high prevalence of pawn shops and strip clubs near some military bases. I was stationed in Ft Worth, TX. It definitely does revolve around the "single" nature of a lot of the younger ranks, along with the transient nature of being in the military. If there was not a demand for these type of establishments, they would not pop up in these areas..

[SpanielGirl]

Wow-some people seem to be pretty angry. I am neither a military brat nor married to the military-but let me tell you what I saw on the Navy base in San Diego.
Military people-especially men-seem to be singled out as cash pay off, benefit rich, never ending pay out wonders. I had a friend, in the late "90's who was married to a sailor.We would occasionally stop for a (one) drink at the base "bar" and wait for her husband to get off of work. I had the fun of flirting and she would critique my picks. When Chris showed up, he would have a beer and we would leave.
Most nights, the Filipino women were "working the area." They were dressed like movie stars, they acted like royalty, and they were seeking marriage in the worst way. There was NOTHING that these gorgeous women would not have done to secure her man-and those full military benefits. The MP's, the military brass, our local congress people ignored it all. These women were literally lining the entrance from the front door on. It was like entering a ***** house in reverse.
I cannot see how a military base can affect that much of a community,unless the community CHOSES to involve themselves. San Diego Gas & Electric, the city of San Diego, and various businesses build their futures on incoming Military Money. Yet, many had no respect for the hand that was feeding them.
All in all, I cannot imagine any city in 2010. turning down the steady source of income, and off shoots, any military base would provide.

[bs13690]

I guess it really depends on the area. For instance, there were a couple military bases near Irvine, CA and it didn't "bring the area down".

[poppiepc]

Originally Posted by centre

I have a bachelor's degree and make MUCH more than $12 an hour (thank you for asking), but do you seriously think you could live comfortably on $8.64 an hour? Please...... Go to a city where there is not a big military influence, and the wages are gonna be higher. Period.

The 8.64 was for a life guard position, and unless its very different there than here, those are part time seasonal jobs for college kids. So mostly you wouldn't have to "live off" of that. In the late 80's my dad retired from the Air Force, and took us back to his home town of Kankakee, Il. It was only his retirement pay and family that kept us going for the first year. Everywhere he applied for a job said he had "too much experience" than they wanted. He finally took a job for $4.65 and hour moving appliances. Try feeding a family of 5 on that! I worked for minimum wage about a dollar less and helped out with groceries, but that was a hard 2 yrs until dad found a job with a local bottling company. My own dh got out after 20 yrs in the Navy (2000) and started a job for $10 an hour because of the same thing. We don't all take low paying jobs because heck our half pay will get us through! If you look at what we make compared to civilian jobs its pitiful!
I understand your frustration, and am glad you are not having to live hand to mouth. But take it from someone who was darn glad of the government cheese, living below the poverty level stinks regardless of civie or g.i.

[JackRabbitSlim]

I've been in the Military for 20 years and I never live near a military town. At Ft Bragg they don't call it Fayettnam for no reason.

[deserthackberry]

It seems to depend. I grew up in Phoenix near Luke AFB and lived for many years in Tucson near Davis-Monthan AFB, and never saw misbehavior on the part of the military. In fact, aside from the jets flying overhead, you didn't know they were there.

On the other hand, I lived in Colorado Springs, where the Air Force Academy, an AFB, and an army base were located, and the testosterone-laden skinheads were intolerable.

I now live near Ft Hood in Texas -- the largest army base in the US -- surrounded by total trash, both military and home-grown. At least in Colorado Springs there were more normal people.

Phoenix and Tucson were small towns when the bases were established, but grew into cities for reasons that had nothing to do with the military. My guess is that servicemen and their families behave worse in small towns than in cities. In cities, they all -- wives and their many children included -- have more to do, and the military isn't held in any particular regard, so they don't throw their weight around, harass their neighbors, and vandalize both public and private property. They might also have less cash to throw around, since cities usually have a higher cost of living.

Also, my guess is that the servicemen at Luke and Davis-Monthan were better-educated than the Ft Hood crowd, and more mature than Academy recruits.

And if my use of the term "servicemen" seems sexist, it is in no way meant as an insult to servicewomen, only that servicewomen don't seem to display the kind of behavior that servicemen are known for.

[Army_Guy]

There is nothing in this world that could "ruin" Leesville, LA. Fort Polk is the economy there. Leesville is so horrible that it made me miss Afghanistan!