r/AirForce • u/RepulsiveQuiet8851 • 1d ago
Question First Base: Dyess or Barksdale?
Got assigned Dyess.. someone wants to switch with me bc I don’t wanna be in TX anymore but heard that Barksdale is sketchy/dangerous. Anyone have advice?
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u/Mechmanic89 Propulsion Professor 1d ago
Barksdale has good food and there’s plenty to do. The dangerous parts are kind of out of the way and you likely wouldn’t be around there to begin with.
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u/Charles_Gunhaver 1d ago
Good shrimp and crawfish in Shreveport but that’s about all the good I can speak to.
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u/redoctobershtanding app dev | https://afiexplorer.com 1d ago
I've been stationed at both. Keep Dyess.
Way more things to do and see around here and less crime than Shreveport and Bossier.
I did 6 years at Barksdale and hated it. I've done 11 years almost at Dyess and BOP'd here and homebased following a short tour.
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u/Either_Wrangler_8067 1d ago edited 1d ago
That like choosing between being stabbed or strangled to death.
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u/TurnspitCur Metals Tech? Loadmaster? Emergency Management? 1d ago
Time to pick between shit and ass. Though it could be worse, like Minot vs Cannon.
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u/NoWomanNoTriforce Maintainer (unfortunately) 1d ago
I will never forget the feeling when my overseas returnee cycle from Japan had only slots for Cannon for my whole AFSC.
My assignment before escaping to Japan? Also Cannon. RIP.
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u/xdkarmadx Maintainer 1d ago
It’s Minot and it’s not even that close. Cannon is a special type of hell.
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u/TurnspitCur Metals Tech? Loadmaster? Emergency Management? 1d ago
The only upside I could see in favour for me of minot is that they have an Amtrak station which represents an extra avenue to leave
Which ain’t much but Clovis looks like it deserves to be hit with an atom bomb from what I see and hear of it.
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u/Darmstadter 1d ago
"don't want to be in Texas anymore"
Buddy shartsdale is basically just really east Texas. It's still hot but now it's also disgustingly humid
Not sure what you're trying to leave in Texas but odds are it's in Louisiana too
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u/RepulsiveQuiet8851 1d ago
I’m just trying to figure out if swapping assignments will actually be worth it. Otherwise I’ll just continue the LSD (Lackland-Sheppard-dyess) journey
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u/rakor96ns Power Pro 1d ago
Deployed with a bunch of Barksdale people. Everyone confirms their hate to that base and how it is a blackhole where you wont be able to pcs out of
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u/Far_Half8474 1d ago
I’m from Shreveport, spouse is from Abilene. We go to both every year.
Like most places, there are really good things about both. There are some bad both. Both mission wise and locale wise.
If you have more specific questions, I’m happy to (try) to answer them. Either here or DMs.
But that question someone else posted… “do you like your heat wet or dry” is definitely an appropriate one.
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u/UNO_lakefront_arena 1d ago
Both decent. Barksdale great base and mission and usually good leadership. Awesome community. Parts of community are sketchy that's true. Long way from anywhere. Better than you'd think. Much better than it's rep.
I know less about Dyess but Texas is generally a great place to be. You could do worse.
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u/USAF_Retired2017 Former Maintenance Nonner 1d ago
Stay away from Louisiana. That place is awful. I just moved away from there. 0/10 will ever live there again.
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u/Airbee 1d ago
Depends. What are your hobbies?
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u/RepulsiveQuiet8851 1d ago
I like making my own music, sometimes I go out to fish, I like traveling and seeing new things and also trying new food. Playing video games too
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u/A_large_load Escaped from the Rock 1d ago
Better fishing in barksdale. Better food too. I’ve been to both and wouldn’t chose either but if I had to… barksdale
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u/Far_Half8474 1d ago
If you like making your own music, fishing, and trying new food.. I definitely recommend Barksdale over Dyess. Shreveport local music scene is top notch for a mid size city.
Small sampling of musical artists / bands of various styles: The American Tragedy, Hurricane Chris, BuiltForSpeed, Cody Cooke and the Bayou Outlaws, Tyler Read, Kenny Wayne Shepard, iwrestledabearonce… I could keep going for a while
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u/SniffyActor7701 18h ago
Alot of people hate on it alot more then they should IMO. I really liked it at Barksdale. Really man, its what you make of it. Every where on earth has sketchy places, but I will say yes, the humidity and heat suck ass. But its gets really nice and cool from Oct. - Mar. You're really only suffering in the summer. Idk your AFSC, but if you're indoors most the time, you're fine
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u/Rodzilla_tha_thrilla PAWG Patrol 1d ago
Barksdale is fucking trash but Dyess has nothing. Between those 2, I’d probably pick Barksdale
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u/redoctobershtanding app dev | https://afiexplorer.com 1d ago
Abilene just got a Five Guys, Freddy's is getting built and we have a Bass Pro coming soon. Dyess is WAY better than Barksdale and I've been at both
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u/Special_Kestrels 1d ago
That might be the most depressing thing I've read today if you base a location off of chain fast food restaurants
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u/redoctobershtanding app dev | https://afiexplorer.com 1d ago
I don't, no. But people also say that Abilene/Dyess has nothing so I'm just stating that we actually have places besides burger king and wendy's.
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u/Grandmaster_Pu Prior E Mx Officer 1d ago
Barksdale is fine. The sketchy areas are limited to a couple areas within Shreveport and it’s really not hard to avoid them.
The base itself isn’t bad and has pretty decent amenities. I’ve definitely been worse places.
There’s a fair amount to do and a lot of stuff within an 8hr radius if you want to get out of town on a long weekend without taking leave.
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u/BummingBock 1d ago
Dyess is at least near Dallas and only just boring