by T. Jay Kane

Created on: February 19, 2009

Civilian life near a military base can be a rewarding and educational experience. Military installations, especially in small towns, often fuel the economy of local businesses which can be assured that as long as a military installation exists within their town, they will always have a very dynamic but stable customer basis to target their services to.

Civilians living near a military base also enjoy the rewards of getting to learn about other lifestyles and cultures. The military has historically been an organization which led integration efforts. One such example of this is race integration, which took effect in the military in 1948...just over two decades before the rest of the nation caught on. Having such a diverse member populace, military installations provide civilian members of a town the chance to learn about the lives and practices of people from all over the country as well as all over the world. The overseas and deployment experiences which military members bring to civilian towns allows civilians who normally would never have travelled outside of state lines the chance to experience other cultures of the world through the stories of military members.

While the "always on the move" life style of the military can be beneficial to towns, especially to local businesses, the ramifications on personal lives can sometimes be grueling. It is human nature to seek out other human contact through the forming of friendships and acquaintances, but when a civilian befriends a military member, both must keep in mind that the needs of the military may put thousands of miles between them. This type of disruption can be especially difficult for children to grasp and understand. There is also the possibility that true love may exist between a military member and a civilian, in which case, if marriage is pursued, a civilian could all of a sudden be thrown into the "always on the move" lifestyle of the military, and the family of the civilian member now has to deal with the great distance which the military can put between them.

Many military bases will sponsor local events for the members of the communities outside of the installation walls, as a way to show the public just what is going on inside the base and help them to understand the role that the installation has in the over all defense of our country. These types of events are good for civilians because it involves them in the mission of the U.S. military. When these events are sponsored, it shows members of the community that the military and the civilian populace work together in their towns to accomplish a global mission instead of being two separate entities within the same town keeping secrets from each other. Granted, not all secrets can be divulged, but when a civilian sees that a military base is just like any other small town and there are no little green men running around, it can put them at ease as to what is going on in their own back yard. Communities without military bases do not have this luxury which can cause some civilians to view the military through a veil of uncertainty or suspicion.

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