Is It Wise To Live Near Army Base If SHTF?

[neil-v1]

Hello all

I have been looking to move my family. I have been set on the Blairsville, Young Harris and Hiawassee, Georgia area but my question would really be for anywhere. How wise is it to live near an Army (or any other) service base if the sh*t was really to hit the fan?? It is something I never really thought of until today. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[rhrobert]

Just think how fast the government will be there to help you
Seriously though, I'd be concerned about them commandeering your equipment, supplies, or anything else they want/need for the "good of the people"

[Turtle]

Depends largely upon what sort of base it is, what sort of work they do there.

Personally, I live centrally located between Fort Meade (where the government is moving all of their intelligence agencies, including NSA and CIA), Aberdeen Proving Grounds (where the Army tests most of it's weapons), Fort Detrick, Walter Reed Medical Center (where the Army does a lot of medical testing), Andrews Air Force Base, U.S. Naval Academy (about five minutes from my house), Curtis Bay Coast Guard Base, Naval Air Station Patuxent . . . I am pretty much surrounded by military installations. I've known since I was pretty young that this area is a HUGE target for anyone who wants to cripple the U.S. So, this is just another reason that I would like to move away from this immediate area in the very near future.

Any base that has a specialized purpose would probably be a target for a foreign attacker, so that would include places like Wright-Patterson AFB, Fort Benning, Cape May, Camp Lejeune, Colorado Springs, etcetera.

If it were just a plain, basic base (especially a Guard armory), it would probably provide a level of security and a calming influence during crazy times. Now, with that said, you would have to be able to trust the military. If you were an anti-government type (not saying that the original poster is of that ilk), one would probably want to stay away from a military presence all together.

[allen_idaho]

I would try to stay away from military bases long before the SHTF. They are the most crime-ridden areas in the United States and abroad.

I know that it gives the illusion of safety and security, but you have to remember that the bulk of the military is made up of young, poorly educated kids who couldn't get a job doing anything else.

Many of them were criminals before joining and didn't stop now that they are in the military.

Many of them use or sell drugs.

Many of them will likely commit rape, murder, or theft.

A good percentage of them have undiagnosed mental disorders.

When the SHTF, there is a good possibility that the military will fall apart just like everything else. Maybe not at first. But eventually. And the bad part is that these are the ones with access to the heavy firepower.

[Jason]

Hey Turtle, when I was a kid my Scout troop used to camp at Wright-Pat every year, right on the base. We'd lay on the grass beside the runway at night and watch the planes do night maneuvers. Other than being the supposed destination of the Roswell wreckage what do they do there that is that specialized?

[UncleJoe]

I live within 20 miles of 2 military depots and an army war college. If it turns out to be a problem, I guess I'm in trouble.

[Expeditioner]

Originally Posted by neil-v1

Hello all

I have been looking to move my family. I have been set on the Blairsville, Young Harris and Hiawassee, Georgia area but my question would really be for anywhere. How wise is it to live near an Army (or any other) service base if the sh*t was really to hit the fan?? It is something I never really thought of until today. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I would not want to live near any military installation for te same reasons other have already cited. Blairsville, Young Harris and Hiawassee are nice areas. I was raised in Ellijay.

[Concerned_ Citizen]

Originally Posted by allen_idaho

I would try to stay away from military bases long before the SHTF. They are the most crime-ridden areas in the United States and abroad.

I know that it gives the illusion of safety and security, but you have to remember that the bulk of the military is made up of young, poorly educated kids who couldn't get a job doing anything else.

Many of them were criminals before joining and didn't stop now that they are in the military.

Many of them use or sell drugs.

Many of them will likely commit rape, murder, or theft.

A good percentage of them have undiagnosed mental disorders.

When the SHTF, there is a good possibility that the military will fall apart just like everything else. Maybe not at first. But eventually. And the bad part is that these are the ones with access to the heavy firepower.

I would have to slightly disagree with some of these very broad generalizations.....although i 100% agree with the statements made, drug dealers, rape, thieves etc, from my own personal experience this is the minority and not majority.....i would venture to say that at least 90% of the people of that caliber do not make it past their first 4 or 6 year mark....if not sooner.

the military has their fair share of bad apples for sure, no more then compared to the rest of our society as a whole.

with that being said.......i would feel safer living farther away and not closer to any govt installation if the shit ever started flying.......

[SurvivalNut]

Some of the negative comments here, I think, are born of innocence and arm chair QBing not ignorance.

I have a different opinion. I am an Army Retiree and live 40 minutes from a major AF base.

Short of a total nuclear strike, I feel the following applies:

In a SHTF scenario, the troops are going to be deployed to support national/regional/local issues. A skeleton force will remain.

Dependents (wives and kids) will either be moved on base, shipped home or will have filtered home already. The military trains and practices that contingency. The individual soldier deploys on the assumption their families are cared for.

Military communities have a high proportion of Military Retirees who will have access to base commissaries and medical facilities up to the last minute.

Local and regional governments will relocate to those bases.

Military Retirees have one of the most solid pensions and benefits packages that will be one of the last to fall apart. They also know guns and probably are well armed and are LAW ABIDING. They tend to own homes and are permanent residents.

When the kids are off defending our country, no one is going to screw with skipper or his community, he’s got teeth AND experience. (well, I still have my teeth).

In a lot of the eFiction downloaded on this site, Gunny, the Colonel, Lieutenant or old Sarge are the story’s local “Rock”.

Military communities also have a higher percentage of military folk serving in local government, hence an experienced head in a crisis.

I tend to like just where I am.

Saddle up to a Veteran. Make friends. We tend to take care of our troops.


(no, I don't do drugs, ain't an alcoholic and the judge didn't make me volunteer. I am not a nutcase. Just ask my Psych. Meet a 21 year old kid deploying overseas for a 3rd time and volunteering for it. That's patriotism friend! Life free in the open is better than hiding in fear).

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by Jason

Hey Turtle, when I was a kid my Scout troop used to camp at Wright-Pat every year, right on the base. We'd lay on the grass beside the runway at night and watch the planes do night maneuvers. Other than being the supposed destination of the Roswell wreckage what do they do there that is that specialized?

Wright-Pat has HUGE stockpiles of parts and entire planes laying around. They are sort of a holding zone until a lot of recently rotated planes are sent to the boneyards, so they have a rather large number of viable second-string aircraft. Not to mention that it is simply a very large AFB. I would imagine that it would be a tasty target for anyone wanting to cripple our ability to strike back.