My First Duty Station?

There are several Company, BN, BDE, and DIV opportunities at Schofield; of course, the Arty units are not as many, but you've got a couple of FA units there as well. It was my first duty assignment in 1986, and my last duty assignment prior to retiring in 2016. A lot had changed in the meanwhile, and much of it for the better. There was a lot of renovation going on in the Quads when I left island late 2015. The enlisted barracks was off the chart compared to '86, so... yeah... Schofield is a good place to land! You're inland in the saddle between two mountain ridges, so you're not too hot (like those living in Eva Beach). Gas prices and grocery prices can be an eye-opener depending on where you're coming from. If you can, stay on post _at SCHOFIELD_ for housing. It's decent over all (they've done a lot of upgrading, building, and renovation there too), and to be brutally honest in-bound traffic, especially the main gates for PT can be brutal. Don't get caught with your pants down!

On the whole, you're not far (18-ish miles) from downtown Hono, and about the same from Haleiwa and North Shore. HOWEVER... Morning traffic into Honolulu (specifically where H-2 hits H-1 and the rest of the way in) and afternoon traffic in the other direction is absolutely freakin' brutal... as bad, if not worse than LA, DC, Chicago, and NYC. Seriously... If you have to go in the morning from Schofield to Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) for any reason, it _WILL_ take you 1 hour to travel that 18 miles.

Other than that.... fantastic duty assignment. Just.... DO NOT BE A BARRACKS RAT! There's a lot to enjoy and experience, just check things out... but do so with a Battle Buddy in Hono and enjoy. The rest of the warnings will sound just like weekend safety briefs, of which you'll hear them enough, so I won't hit you up with it now. *laugh*

Aloha!

Also, is Hawaï considered as an Overseas location? Do we get extra pay ?