Handling with Grace?: Military Monday: Koko- Ft Wainwright, AK

The Military Monday duty station feature on this blog is designed for us military families to meet our fellow military spouses and also to learn about duty stations across the world. We all get to (or have to depending on your outlook and particular set of circumstances), move every couple years to different duty stations that are scattered throughout the country and the world. This feature will allow us the opportunity to explore these different areas of the world before we get there.

If you are interested in being highlighted for this feature, please send me an email. (If you emailed me and never received the follow up email, email me again or check your spam folder as I have heard it gets lost there).

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Name and blog site: Koko Stanley, www.kokolikes.com

Branch of service: Army

Where currently stationed: Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska

How long have you been there?: I’ve been there for 6 months and Quincy has been there for 2 years (with a year-long deployment in there)

Previous duty stations: This is my first! Quincy was at Fort Benning for a little while doing training.

Favorite restaurant in the area: Since Fairbanks is a small town, we are limited in our restaurants. The Silver Gulch is a local brewery and their beer selection is great. It’s a little outside the city (around 15 minutes), so you have to make a trip of it. Downtown, Lavelle’sBistro is the nicest restaurant in town. It’s a wine bar and has a great menu. This is the place to go for a special occasion (birthday, anniversary). There is also a newly opened Great Harvest Bread Company, which is a great sandwich shop. And we have three great sushi restaurants, Asiana is our favorite.

3 favorite things to do in your current city: During the summer, we love to go out hiking on local trails, like Angel Rocks. The views from the top are gorgeous and there is greenery for days! We haven’t been dog mushing yet, but Fairbanks is the training area for the dogs that do the Iditarod. The trainers open up their facilities for people to come and look at the dogs. There is also a ski hill on post, Birch Hill, that is open during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. A weekend trip to Anchorage is also fun! We also get to see the Northern Lights every night during the winter. Many people fly up here just to see them and they are in our own backyard!

Favorite duty station so far: This one is my first, so this one! I did visit Fort Benning quite a bit and although that had a big military presence, I like that Fairbanks has a lot of mom and pop shops. Local Alaskans LOVE it here.

Who is your hero? Quincy, obviously! I am more and more inspired by him every day. He is the strongest, bravest and best leader I know.

What is the biggest draw back to where your current duty station? The cost to get home or anywhere in the lower 48. Alaska is the most expensive plane ticket in the US. It makes coming home for the holidays VERY pricey. Also it’s cold (hello -40) and dark (3 hours of sunlight a day) during the winter. You have to make an effort to go outside everyday no matter of the light or weather. It takes some getting used to. We are probably the coldest duty station there is, so be prepared!

How strong/ or not is the sense of community in the area? Strong. Since the town is small, almost everyone you meet is part of the military. Very supportive town and lots of military appreciation specials/events.

Are there any local festivals you have been to or are planning to attend? When the guys got back from Afghanistan there was a big parade put on by the city. It was so amazing to see how the local community was so happy to have them back. Since the town is so small, the local businesses really depend on the military and their families to stay afloat. People really appreciate us here.

What is the overall feel of the community/area/base? Strong. Everyone of course complains about the cold, but we get through it. I think the cold does keep us from doing more activities (FRG picnics during the winter don’t exist) and that’s a bummer. But we do our best to make sure new families know how to get through the winter. There are big workshops to help people adapt that occur on post once a month.

Have you joined any groups on base? I’m the FRG leader for Quincy’s company. We have a small group, but it’s been extremely rewarding.

If you are moving to Fort Wainwright, feel free to reach out to me! I've survived a winter and know what it takes!

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If you are a military spouse or military member and want be featured for this post, please send me an email at HandlingWithGrace {at} gmail.com. Duplicate stations are welcomed!