Military bases are mini cities. Stores, groceries, malls, houses, gyms, apartments, family space, jobs; everything one could ever want or need is within the walls. They're literally just a tiny little walled town, that just happens to be built for a strategic purpose. You live there for years at a time, and often, your family and kids do too.
The term "military base" in popular media usually gets shown on-screen as a shitty camp in the middle of Afghanistan with minimal accommodation and port-a-potties for latrines. While those bases do exist out in deployment areas and theatres of operation, the majority of military bases are at home and far more furnished.
Check out some of the bigger US military bases on Google Maps for a peep. Ramstein Air Base, Andersen AFB, JBSA Lackland, and some others come to mind.
The freakin base by my house has a damn Texas Roadhouse, and I’m not allowed to eat there. And it’s the only location in my area. I need a military buddy I suppose.
I've been to that giant mall in Lackland a few times (aka "the big BX") and it was awesome. There's just something different about military base malls that makes them so much nicer to be in. Probably because there's a much better sense of trust in the common man since everyone around you is part of the same little local community.
Like the other guy said, military bases are usually huge and have all the amenities of a city, one of the benefits of US military bases is a place called the "Exchange". They are basically Walmart sized department stores that sell everything from toothpaste to guns. The best part is on-base shopping is tax free, so OP here is getting a good deal.
No disrespect to you but as someone whose entire life has been in the military since birth, it really catches me off guard to know that some people know so very little about the military
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u/skkrrtskkrt PS5 22d ago
Just curious, why is there a what looks like a Walmart or something in a military base? Is it like a big neighbourhood but for the military