Posted: 2/3/2011 9:24:02 PM EDT
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PCSing there this summer. What am I in for? Nice post? Shitty post? Surrounding areas? Stuff to do? Looks miserable.
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Spent some time there. 2002-2005. It's a little remote from big city stuff. Two hours to Kansas City.
There are two major options to live if you're not on post. Junction City on one side, Manhattan on the other. Try to get a place in Manhattan, KS (college town)... and distance away from the college will tell you how much traffic frustration you'll encounter on game days. Junction City mostly sucks ass, typical dirty Army town. Unless I wanted to go to a Chinese restaurant for lunch or visit one of my troops - I never went to JC. There are other smaller outlying towns that would be worth investigating. Most of the tactical units are "on the hill" on Fort Riley. They blocked off traffic before PT. If you were one minute late, you parked your car on the side of the road and walked. Nice craft shop with excellent staff and great equipment. The brigades weren't on the patch chart any more than any other units, it seemed. I've heard that the 1ID flag is back at Riley - but that happened after I left. I'm sure that's changed the post to some degree. If you're just gonna get an apartment, I can give you some contact info of nice 1/2 bedroom apts in Manhattan. Good management, easy to deal with. |
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PCSing there this summer. What am I in for? Nice post? Shitty post? Surrounding areas? Stuff to do? Looks miserable. Good luck. There's KSU/Aggieville in Manhattan....some bars have $2.50/pitchers on weekends. Lots of good hunting up in the northern Flint Hills. JC is a dirty, nasty, shithole. Ft. Riley isn't bad but it's in the middle of KS but only 2 hours from KC and tons of shit to do so it's not that bad. |
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Might want to suck start the nearest firearm and save yourself the pain and suffering.
In all seriousness...The winters are pretty fucking cold, they are buried under a few feet of snow right now. The summers are kinda hot but still pretty nice. You got a college town(manhattan) 30 minutes away that has a decent relationship with the post. Not to bad to goto over the weekends. Manhattan cops will ride your ass no matter who is at fault. Manhattans not bad, Junction city is a POS, the rest of the area varies from trailer trash to just good ole country folks. If your outdoorsy then there is plenty to do during the summer. Hunting and fishing is also popular. 1st Infantry Division however...  Id rather sever my own testicles with a rusty spoon than suffer that place again.
Hope you can sing too 
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Quoted: Might want to suck start the nearest firearm and save yourself the pain and suffering. In all seriousness...The winters are pretty fucking cold, they are buried under a few feet of snow right now. The summers are kinda hot but still pretty nice. You got a college town(manhattan) 30 minutes away that has a decent relationship with the post. Not to bad to goto over the weekends. Manhattan cops will ride your ass no matter who is at fault. Manhattans not bad, Junction city is a POS, the rest of the area varies from trailer trash to just good ole country folks. If your outdoorsy then there is plenty to do during the summer. Hunting and fishing is also popular. 1st Infantry Division however... Id rather sever my own testicles with a rusty spoon than suffer that place again.Hope you can sing too Awesome. Why won't the Army ever give me my ASK requests/volunteer assignments?!  Even Branch is letting me down. |
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Hope you can sing too http://www.1id.army.mil/bigredone/divisionsong.aspx 
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As other's have said, you have Manhattan just to the east, and it's a college town.
To the west is Junction City, which if you look up "Rip off the G.I.'s any way we can" sort of town, you'll probably find a street-map. I can't recall anything in JC that you can't find elsewhere. Stay out, you won't be missing anything. Depending on what type of unit you'll be assigned to will determine whether you're up on Custer Hill, or down on main post. Funniest memory was occasionally one of the buffalo would get out of their enclosure there on post (I guess they still have their small resident herd), and the MPs and animal control were losing their minds trying to get it back inside. Got to see what happens when a bull decided that a nearby Toyota was challenging him! 
(Toyota didn't fare too well!) 
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 http://www.1id.army.mil/bigredone/divisionsong.aspx 
FUCK YOU!!!! DONT EVER SEND ME THAT FILTH!!!!!!!
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I was in Aviation, so I was down at the airfield, but it all sucked pretty bad. I was assigned there in the mid-70's following Vietnam and I was a career aviator until my hitch at Riley and that did me in. I don't know what your MOS is, but the Big Red One is Mechanized Infantry and spends a large portion of it's time in the field training. I had a neighbor at the apartment complex where I lived that had been married 9-months since arriving at Riley and only had been able to spend two weekends with his wife during his time there. They were both miserably unhappy.
Like most have said, stay out of Junction City and try to live off post in Manhattan. Kansas State University is there and it's a pretty good school. It's about 20-30 minutes commute away from post. There's several big lakes around Riley, so fishing/boating is big. Hunting is also pretty good around there. I was born & raised in Kansas City and being two hours, or so, from home was pretty good, but sometimes it seemed I was on the other side of the earth. One of the old sayings around there is that when Col. Custer rode out of Riley to his fate at the Little Big Horn he said, "don't change anything 'til I get back"..........and they haven't.
Good luck to you, I hope your experience at Riley will be better than most. |
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I live in Manhattan. Like others have said, it is the place to go, not JC. KC and Wichita are two hours away. Lincoln is about the same. The two biggest lakes in the state are outside JC and Manhattan. There are two new gun ranges in JC and Ogden. People off road at Randolph. Hunting is good all over. We have no helmet laws and there are roads all over if you ride. Sales tax is high in JC and Manhattan, buy you big stuff in the city. The little towns can be much cheaper, especially if you want a little house. It is cold here right now but so are other places.
Life is what you make it. What do you like to do? I work on post as a civilian. Housing is privatized and they are building new houses all the time if that helps. |
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I was in Aviation, so I was down at the airfield, but it all sucked pretty bad. I was assigned there in the mid-70's following Vietnam and I was a career aviator until my hitch at Riley and that did me in. I don't know what your MOS is, but the Big Red One is Mechanized Infantry and spends a large portion of it's time in the field training. I had a neighbor at the apartment complex where I lived that had been married 9-months since arriving at Riley and only had been able to spend two weekends with his wife during his time there. They were both miserably unhappy. Like most have said, stay out of Junction City and try to live off post in Manhattan. Kansas State University is there and it's a pretty good school. It's about 20-30 minutes commute away from post. There's several big lakes around Riley, so fishing/boating is big. Hunting is also pretty good around there. I was born & raised in Kansas City and being two hours, or so, from home was pretty good, but sometimes it seemed I was on the other side of the earth. One of the old sayings around there is that when Col. Custer rode out of Riley to his fate at the Little Big Horn he said, "don't change anything 'til I get back"..........and they haven't.
Good luck to you, I hope your experience at Riley will be better than most. The other joke is, when GEN Custer was getting briefed by his Indian Scout, Mitch Bouyer, Mitch said to Custer, "General Custer, I have good news and bad news." Custer replied, "Whats the bad news?" Bouyer said, "General Custer, I've just recon'ed the biggest pony herd I've ever seen, and probably the biggest pony herd in North America. There are more hostiles over that hill than we have bullets. We're likely all going to die." This bad news sinks in for second, with Custer's staff downtrodden. Custer than says, "Shit, Mitch, whats the good news?" Bouyer saids, "At least we're not riding back to Riley." |
| Be careful in aggieville (the bar district in manhattan) the frat guys and the military don't really get along all the time. Other than that its not a bad place, supposed to be some good hunting, there is an off-road park if you have the proper vehicle, two lakes as was mentioned ( the one in JC is much nicer than tuttle). As for weather, its anyone's guess as to what it will be next week but right now its about 15 and in the summer it will be around 100 with full on humidity. |
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I was in Aviation, so I was down at the airfield, but it all sucked pretty bad. I was assigned there in the mid-70's following Vietnam and I was a career aviator until my hitch at Riley and that did me in. I don't know what your MOS is, but the Big Red One is Mechanized Infantry and spends a large portion of it's time in the field training. I had a neighbor at the apartment complex where I lived that had been married 9-months since arriving at Riley and only had been able to spend two weekends with his wife during his time there. They were both miserably unhappy. Like most have said, stay out of Junction City and try to live off post in Manhattan. Kansas State University is there and it's a pretty good school. It's about 20-30 minutes commute away from post. There's several big lakes around Riley, so fishing/boating is big. Hunting is also pretty good around there. I was born & raised in Kansas City and being two hours, or so, from home was pretty good, but sometimes it seemed I was on the other side of the earth. One of the old sayings around there is that when Col. Custer rode out of Riley to his fate at the Little Big Horn he said, "don't change anything 'til I get back"..........and they haven't.
Good luck to you, I hope your experience at Riley will be better than most. The other joke is, when GEN Custer was getting briefed by his Indian Scout, Mitch Bouyer, Mitch said to Custer, "General Custer, I have good news and bad news." Custer replied, "Whats the bad news?" Bouyer said, "General Custer, I've just recon'ed the biggest pony herd I've ever seen, and probably the biggest pony herd in North America. There are more hostiles over that hill than we have bullets. We're likely all going to die." This bad news sinks in for second, with Custer's staff downtrodden. Custer than says, "Shit, Mitch, whats the good news?" Bouyer saids, "At least we're not riding back to Riley." Only a small point, but Custer's "General " rank was brevetted and he was reverted back to the rank of Lt. Colonel after the Civil War. From his biography: "Custer decided to accept the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 7th cavalry, his apÂpointment dating from 28 July, 1866. He joined his regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas, in November, 1866, and served on the plains until 1871." Sorry for the thread drift OP. |
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I was in Aviation, so I was down at the airfield, but it all sucked pretty bad. I was assigned there in the mid-70's following Vietnam and I was a career aviator until my hitch at Riley and that did me in. I don't know what your MOS is, but the Big Red One is Mechanized Infantry and spends a large portion of it's time in the field training. I had a neighbor at the apartment complex where I lived that had been married 9-months since arriving at Riley and only had been able to spend two weekends with his wife during his time there. They were both miserably unhappy. Like most have said, stay out of Junction City and try to live off post in Manhattan. Kansas State University is there and it's a pretty good school. It's about 20-30 minutes commute away from post. There's several big lakes around Riley, so fishing/boating is big. Hunting is also pretty good around there. I was born & raised in Kansas City and being two hours, or so, from home was pretty good, but sometimes it seemed I was on the other side of the earth. One of the old sayings around there is that when Col. Custer rode out of Riley to his fate at the Little Big Horn he said, "don't change anything 'til I get back"..........and they haven't.
Good luck to you, I hope your experience at Riley will be better than most. The other joke is, when GEN Custer was getting briefed by his Indian Scout, Mitch Bouyer, Mitch said to Custer, "General Custer, I have good news and bad news." Custer replied, "Whats the bad news?" Bouyer said, "General Custer, I've just recon'ed the biggest pony herd I've ever seen, and probably the biggest pony herd in North America. There are more hostiles over that hill than we have bullets. We're likely all going to die." This bad news sinks in for second, with Custer's staff downtrodden. Custer than says, "Shit, Mitch, whats the good news?" Bouyer saids, "At least we're not riding back to Riley." Only a small point, but Custer's "General " rank was brevetted and he was reverted back to the rank of Colonel after the Civil War. From his biography: "Custer decided to accept the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 7th cavalry, his apÂpointment dating from 28 July, 1866. He joined his regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas, in November, 1866, and served on the plains until 1871." Sorry for the thread drift OP. It was my impression that many still refered to Custer as "General" as a honorific. I could be wrong. Custer is possibly my least favorite Army general of the period. |
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I don't know anything about Ft. Riley, but I go to school at KSU and have lived in Manhattan for the last three and a half years.
It's decent. That's about all I've got. There's nothing here to get too excited about. I can't wait to get out of KS altogether when I graduate. ETA - You're coming from Alaska? Yeah, you may as well end it now because this place is gonna suck. |
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Cold and windy in the winter. Name one spot on the Continental United States - excluding the Left Coast - that isn't cold and windy right now. OK, Naples, Florida. We're going to be sunny and 83 degrees today!  Sorry again OP!
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I don't know anything about Ft. Riley, but I go to school at KSU and have lived in Manhattan for the last three and a half years. It's decent. That's about all I've got. There's nothing here to get too excited about. I can't wait to get out of KS altogether when I graduate. ETA - You're coming from Alaska? Yeah, you may as well end it now because this place is gonna suck. Wow...if it sucks worse than Alaska... Seriously though, why does it seem that ALL of the closest cities to Army posts suck? Fayetteville, just outside of Bragg sucked...Clarksville, just outside of Ft. Campbell is not too bad, but most of 41-A sucks. I have heard the horror stories about Riley...that is one place that I never, ever, want to be stationed at. ETA- I would rather go back to Ft. Bragg than go to Riley, and if you have run across any of my other posts about Bragg, you know how I feel about THAT place!
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Cold and windy in the winter. Name one spot on the Continental United States - excluding the Left Coast - that isn't cold and windy right now. Central KS is a type of cold and windy all its own. Some places will have no trees for miles and the wind is horrific. Don't know how to describe it, but it just seems colder and more horrible here than many other places I have been. I do field work in the midwest and winter in central KS is not something very enjoyable. |
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Some of you people sound like little girls. It isn't that cold here. Maybe if you grew up in the south, and if you did you will like it here in summer as the humidity isn't bad.
You have to get off the beaten path. The boring areas are the interstates. No shit, wonder why. I think KSU and Manhattan have a good relationship with the post. When you go out and get drunk, act like an asshole and think you are some gang of ultimate fighters in a bar, then you probably will get into trouble. Are you that type of GI? Or are you the type that brings your fat army wife and dirty kids to the Manhattan Wal Mart to shop on pay days? Or maybe you are a normal person who won't buy into stereotypes. I've met many a soldier that liked the area and stayed when they got out. Good luck. |
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I've lived in Manhattan for awhile and currently live in Junction Shitty. I'm not a soldier but I've lived in the area my whole life and can give some suggestions of things to do.
Manhattan- Bars and decent places to eat. I fucking hate aggieville with a passion (frat boys & metrosexuals ruin everything) but I do hit the bars from time to time and always buy GI's a drink or two (dozen).
Junction City- The rent here is a ripoff, property taxes are high, sales tax sucks, everyone drives like a retard. If you like to listen to fart cans and subwoofers constantly you might like it here. If you like creepy strip clubs you will love it here. Ages ago the only good thing JC offered to the base was hookers and booze. Milford Lake- If you like to boat or fish you will like it, biggest lake in the state. Ogden- This place gives me the creeps. Do NOT speed there. The shooting range is pretty nice though and a good selection of full auto rentals. 
If you like to hunt there's lots of good places. Be careful of the car dealerships here, I'm not saying all will try to screw you over but most will. If you would like more info just shoot me a PM! 
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I was in Aviation, so I was down at the airfield, but it all sucked pretty bad. I was assigned there in the mid-70's following Vietnam and I was a career aviator until my hitch at Riley and that did me in. I don't know what your MOS is, but the Big Red One is Mechanized Infantry and spends a large portion of it's time in the field training. I had a neighbor at the apartment complex where I lived that had been married 9-months since arriving at Riley and only had been able to spend two weekends with his wife during his time there. They were both miserably unhappy. Like most have said, stay out of Junction City and try to live off post in Manhattan. Kansas State University is there and it's a pretty good school. It's about 20-30 minutes commute away from post. There's several big lakes around Riley, so fishing/boating is big. Hunting is also pretty good around there. I was born & raised in Kansas City and being two hours, or so, from home was pretty good, but sometimes it seemed I was on the other side of the earth. One of the old sayings around there is that when Col. Custer rode out of Riley to his fate at the Little Big Horn he said, "don't change anything 'til I get back"..........and they haven't.
Good luck to you, I hope your experience at Riley will be better than most. The other joke is, when GEN Custer was getting briefed by his Indian Scout, Mitch Bouyer, Mitch said to Custer, "General Custer, I have good news and bad news." Custer replied, "Whats the bad news?" Bouyer said, "General Custer, I've just recon'ed the biggest pony herd I've ever seen, and probably the biggest pony herd in North America. There are more hostiles over that hill than we have bullets. We're likely all going to die." This bad news sinks in for second, with Custer's staff downtrodden. Custer than says, "Shit, Mitch, whats the good news?" Bouyer saids, "At least we're not riding back to Riley." Only a small point, but Custer's "General " rank was brevetted and he was reverted back to the rank of Colonel after the Civil War. From his biography: "Custer decided to accept the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 7th cavalry, his apÂpointment dating from 28 July, 1866. He joined his regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas, in November, 1866, and served on the plains until 1871." Sorry for the thread drift OP. It was my impression that many still refered to Custer as "General" as a honorific. I could be wrong. Custer is possibly my least favorite Army general of the period. That's my understanding as well. |
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I was in Aviation, so I was down at the airfield, but it all sucked pretty bad. I was assigned there in the mid-70's following Vietnam and I was a career aviator until my hitch at Riley and that did me in. I don't know what your MOS is, but the Big Red One is Mechanized Infantry and spends a large portion of it's time in the field training. I had a neighbor at the apartment complex where I lived that had been married 9-months since arriving at Riley and only had been able to spend two weekends with his wife during his time there. They were both miserably unhappy. Like most have said, stay out of Junction City and try to live off post in Manhattan. Kansas State University is there and it's a pretty good school. It's about 20-30 minutes commute away from post. There's several big lakes around Riley, so fishing/boating is big. Hunting is also pretty good around there. I was born & raised in Kansas City and being two hours, or so, from home was pretty good, but sometimes it seemed I was on the other side of the earth. One of the old sayings around there is that when Col. Custer rode out of Riley to his fate at the Little Big Horn he said, "don't change anything 'til I get back"..........and they haven't.
Good luck to you, I hope your experience at Riley will be better than most. The other joke is, when GEN Custer was getting briefed by his Indian Scout, Mitch Bouyer, Mitch said to Custer, "General Custer, I have good news and bad news." Custer replied, "What's the bad news?" Bouyer said, "General Custer, I've just recon'ed the biggest pony herd I've ever seen, and probably the biggest pony herd in North America. There are more hostiles over that hill than we have bullets. We're likely all going to die." This bad news sinks in for second, with Custer's staff downtrodden. Custer than says, "Shit, Mitch, what's the good news?" Bouyer said, "At least we're not riding back to Riley." Only a small point, but Custer's "General " rank was brevetted and he was reverted back to the rank of Colonel after the Civil War. From his biography: "Custer decided to accept the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 7th cavalry, his apÂpointment dating from 28 July, 1866. He joined his regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas, in November, 1866, and served on the plains until 1871." Sorry for the thread drift OP. It was my impression that many still referred to Custer as "General" as a honorific. I could be wrong. Custer is possibly my least favorite Army general of the period. That's my understanding as well. I know things have changed since then, but it's really hard for me to honor a guy whose super ego, failure to follow the military doctrine of the day and reckless behavior got himself, several members of his family and hundreds of the men serving under him killed while trying to perpetuate an act of genocide on the Native American people. Sorry OP, rant off |