[thumper723]

I am currently stationed at NS Mayport FL, at a helicopter squadron. My tour is almost up, and I have been offered the following:

Station SAR, at NAS Fallon, NV. Flying Hueys, doing search and rescue, and other helicopter support activities.

Station Pilot, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Fly C-12's (Beech King Air) and fly people around. I could "Geo-Bachelor" or move my wife down, but I would have to get rid of all our pets, which I do not want to do.

How is Fallon, and the surrounding area. Will my wife be going nuts from lack of things to do. (she is NOT the outdoors type, aside from the beach. Think Valley Girl)

How are the gun laws, and CCW. Will I be not able to pack if I move there, change residency, and end up in limbo for a few months?

Any weird cost of living issues?

How are the taxes (sales, income, car registration, property, excise, etc)

How is the climate?

Where to shoot?

Can I buy a decent house with land, and pay mortgage/taxes/utilites with a $1500/mo housing allowance, and not live in the ghetto/barrio, which I live real close to now?

Anything that I should know about that I have not asked?

Other relevant info:

Wife has Juvenille Arthritis. Temp changes and humidity = BAD
Wife likes boating/beach. Are the reservoirs compareable to Lake Mead?
Wife HATES BUGS/snakes/lizards. Are they that prolific, or not too bad.

Feel free to add as you see fit.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

 

[Paul F.]

Marine, it is a hell-hole. No other words for it. Fallon is way small and close to nothing. It is hot in the summer (110+ is not unusual) and winter is really cold, with winds off the Sierras.

Never stationed there, but was a frequent visitor for a number of years. I have cousins who lives there. After all, I am

Paul Fallon

p.s. I foresee normalization with Cuba the day after Castro dies. He's the last die-hard and members of the Party are already making overtures. :wink:

Still, this is one bad choice after another for a married man. Single? I'd pick NV in a heartbeat. After all, you can shoot just about anywhere.

 

[uglydog]

I have to agree with Paul, I have been to Fallon once for work (not military related) and have passed through the vicinity a couple of other times. Nightlife wasn't much and I'm used to the outback of Minnesota which is really saying something. I don't know what there is to do in the daytime as I was busy but considering the heat (I was there in June) it can't be much. Single that I was at the time, I still would not willingly live there. Visit, maybe but not to stay.
I would pick Cuba myself for another reason; when relations are finally opened with them a person with connections and possibly a foot on the ground should be able to make a killing exporting old Chevys, Fords, etc. back to the States. Documentaries of Cuba are full of pre-Castro model American autos and there is a willing market for them here. If a real classic car enthusist reaches the U.S. Presidency, normalized relations may begin even earlier than Paul's prediction.

 

[b540glenn]

Are they allowing families at Gitmo these days? With the detainees there, they may not. There were a couple times when my brother was stationed there that they moved the civilians to other bases.

From pictures and stories provided by my brother, Cuba has:
Plenty of access to the water sports (fishing, boating, scuba ...)
Plenty of heat
Plenty of snakes, spiders and rodents

Best of luck to ya,

 

[artz]

I lived at Naval weapons test center China Lake, CA. before my departure to Georgia.
I personally loved it. Shoot about anywhere. Outdoor sports heaven. Fallon will be like China Lake. Your wife will not like it...gauranteed

 

[Paul F.]

Thumper, there is an alternative. If you are "in" with either your XO or CO, have them call your Assignment Officer (or whatever they call themselves these days) at HQMC. :wink:

I did that, once, and avoided Twenty Nine Palms and ended up at the old, Fleet Intelligence Center Atlantic, in Norfolk.

 

[thumper723]

Well, 6 months later I finally have orders.

Going to HT-8 at NAS Whiting Field to be a flight instructor. Navy woudl not let me go to Fallon due to my wife's medical issues.

 

[Paul F.]

THAT ought to be a very cool assignment! Congrats!!!

 

[thumper723]

Thanks Paul!

I need to start working out more. Need to be able to wrestle the controls from ENS/2LTs that are learning to hover if needed...

And I need to run more, they just lowered the weight limit to 225 for the TH-57B and -57C.

The mighty ROTO-Weenie!