![]() Along with special military brands (Freedom’s Choice canned goods!), the stores are often stocked with local produce and other major brands. Commissaries are tax-free grocery stores on air bases for military members and their families. “Taps” plays over the loudspeaker, and many families use it as part of the bedtime routine or as a cut-off time for projects. Times vary by base, but generally around 10 p.m. There’s a built-in lullaby every weekday.Visitors are sometimes allowed on air bases, but they’ll need to be sponsored by a military member after completing a background check at the visitor’s center. Visitors have to get a background check.Bikes and other toys are often left on street corners overnight and are rarely stolen. Walkers, strollers, toys, and clothes are often left on curbs with a “FREE” sign on them, meaning most baby items get used by multiple military families over the course of their lives. Hand-me-downs aren’t just for siblings.Kids still address adults as “sir” and “ma’am,” and are often the first ones to welcome newcomers to the neighborhood. Cars stop driving and anyone outside faces the sound of the music (or a flag) while standing at attention and saluting or placing their right hand over their heart during the song. It signals the end of a duty day and a direct halt to any outside activity. ![]() The National Anthem plays every weekday.I once took a spin class from a former Pararescue Jumper that I still get sore just thinking about. All military members are required to pass regular fitness tests, so running tracks and gyms are rarely empty and the classes are designed to kick your butt. The local gym is free, and the classes are killer.There’s an unspoken acceptance that “we’re all in this together,” and the likelihood of a neighbor stopping in to borrow an egg or cup of sugar is high… very high. Regulations on what’s allowed to be moved depend upon the new destination and a rank-based weight limit, so yard sales are almost weekly, and it’s not uncommon to come home to a box of free cleaning supplies, half opened liquor bottles, paint, and perishables on your doorstep when the neighbors move out. The average assignment ranges from one to three years on an Air Force base, so neighbors are constantly moving in and out. But the real test of living on an air base is teaching kids to sleep through those low-level flybys. I’ve conducted phone interviews as T-38s zoomed past my house, shaking the walls and drowning out the other end of the line. The Big Voice is the loudspeaker on an air base that warns of an incoming attack, thunderstorm, or routine drill, often leaving families to wonder, “Was that alarm a test, or do I need to grab my gas mask?” Life comes to a halt when we hear the Big Voice.Reveille blares over a loudspeaker every weekday at 6 a.m. Couple that with the fact that every household on the base has sworn a common oath, and you’ve got one pretty safe living environment. Air Force bases are guarded by armed Airmen who check everyone’s IDs before entering the base.
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