So.. I just got my orders and..

[LetUsNvr4Get]

Im going to Oki in March. What are some pro/cons about being stationed there?

It all depends on what you you like to do for fun. As i've said i live on Mainland but I ride the ships through there every 2-3 months. The cool thing about Oki is you can get just about anywhere in 30-45 mins. You have Kadena AFB for shopping, they infact just got a HUGE new PX there, its 2 stories more like a mall. If you like to surf or you enjoy the ocean they have that there, also i reccoment getting your dive license while you are out here, you wont find anywhere cheaper thats for sure. If you like to go out and drink and party then i only have one thing to say..... "Gate 2". haha. either way though there is plenty to do and if you are married and bringing your family, i have to say japan is one of the safest places to have them. if you want to know anything else, hit me up and ill be happy to help as much as i can.

[LetUsNvr4Get]

Im going to Oki in March. What are some pro/cons about being stationed there?

It all depends on what you you like to do for fun. As i've said i live on Mainland but I ride the ships through there every 2-3 months. The cool thing about Oki is you can get just about anywhere in 30-45 mins. You have Kadena AFB for shopping, they in fact just got a HUGE new PX there, its 2 stories more like a mall. If you like to surf or you enjoy the ocean they have that there, also i recommend getting your dive license while you are out here, you wont find anywhere cheaper thats for sure. If you like to go out and drink and party then i only have one thing to say..... "Gate 2". haha. either way though there is plenty to do and if you are married and bringing your family, i have to say japan is one of the safest places to have them. if you want to know anything else, hit me up and ill be happy to help as much as i can.

[LetUsNvr4Get]

sorry about that, our internet on the ship isnt always reliable and i had no idea it posted twice. lol

[dROD20]

thanx for the info sgt. im stoked about going over! im from florida so the water has been a big part of my life since i was little...i cant wait to see how the beaches are there. and i will def get the dive licence like you recommened. ive always wanted to do that. do you know of the best places to go for that or about how much it would cost? also, whats the best bet with surfing? whats spots are good and what is the best thing to do about a board? (rent or buy?) i also look forward to checking out gate 2. but ive heard not to eat the banana, lol! thanx again sgt!

[LetUsNvr4Get]

well actually i am deployed about 300 days a year on the ship so i personally havent had alot of time to do the things i mentioned, but i do know that you should be able to get your dive license for under $300. as far as surf board goes depends on what you like, i know they have places you can get them over here. the only thing you will have to get use to over here are the liberty cards, but i know quite a few Marines here from the bases and they dont think its too bad. I work directly with the 31st MEU. Whats your MOS anyway, DO you know what unit you are going to be headed to?

[Silentwarrior17]

Oki freaking sucks!!! Well for me it did, seeing how I was stationed at Schwab. Now don’t get me wrong I still had a blast out there, but it was mostly due to the guys I was with at the time. There isn’t a whole lot to do in Oki though and after awhile the place just gets old and you wish you were back stateside. Be happy you are in Cali. Some of my best years in the Corps were while I was out at Pendelton. You’ll have a blast, and you wont have to be like the disney character Cinderella like in Oki…the Oki marines will get that. GOLD CARD Oohrah!!!

[LetUsNvr4Get]

from what i was told is that the best time to come to Oki is as a Sgt or better. Being in Sase-blo (Sasebo, Mainland) and being a Sgt I didnt have to worry about this, thank god because the Navy is ridiculous up there with their libo cards

[Silentwarrior17]

Yeah the libo card things are just out of control. I don't agree with them, but I do see why they have the sometimes. Through my experience it is always the same with Marines. If you give them complete freedom and trust them to be adults they will usually handle the situation and be just fine. When you put them on a really short leash and restrict them, things usually go wrong. Seen if first hand too many times.

[SgtPatricksWife]

whats a libo card? haaha

[LetUsNvr4Get]

Yeah the libo card things are just out of control. I don't agree with them, but I do see why they have the sometimes. Through my experience it is always the same with Marines. If you give them complete freedom and trust them to be adults they will usually handle the situation and be just fine. When you put them on a really short leash and restrict them, things usually go wrong. Seen if first hand too many times.

we always have at least 5-10 libo incidents per float here on the ship between the MEU and the Sailors.

[Silentwarrior17]

Yeah we had a bunch on our float too. It was never really anything huge, but what do you expect when you confine people to such a small space, exp the marines who have nothing to do all day, and then let them out with little time to do anything. One of the big problems that we had was only being allowed off the ship for like 4 to 5 hrs and you know exactly what the marines are going to do with only 4 hrs....drink until they can't feel and wash all the memories of the boat out of their system. Now when we got over night libo...not a single thing happened and every marine and sailor did the right thing because they didn't have to worry about big brother watching.

[Silentwarrior17]

In Oki you get libo cards. Either red or gold. Red means that you have to be back by 2359 basically if I can remember right. Gold means that you have to be back on the base by 0600 or in formation the next day. If you have red you have to stop drinking b4 2200 and gold by 0300 but we know this doesn't happen. If for some reason someone messes up big time on the island, everyones libo gets shut down for months sometimes.

[SgtPatricksWife]

In Oki you get libo cards. Either red or gold. Red means that you have to be back by 2359 basically if I can remember right. Gold means that you have to be back on the base by 0600 or in formation the next day. If you have red you have to stop drinking b4 2200 and gold by 0300 but we know this doesn't happen. If for some reason someone messes up big time on the island, everyones libo gets shut down for months sometimes.

wow that sucks. never knew that. thank you for the information

[LetUsNvr4Get]

Yeah we had a bunch on our float too. It was never really anything huge, but what do you expect when you confine people to such a small space, exp the marines who have nothing to do all day, and then let them out with little time to do anything. One of the big problems that we had was only being allowed off the ship for like 4 to 5 hrs and you know exactly what the marines are going to do with only 4 hrs....drink until they can't feel and wash all the memories of the boat out of their system. Now when we got over night libo...not a single thing happened and every marine and sailor did the right thing because they didn't have to worry about big brother watching.

This is definitely true, but these days overnight or not we have shore patrol everywhere we go. And its always pretty funny, because you know we just hit a libo port because you see a ton of Marines and Sailors walking around on restriction, the Sailors wearing there little red badges and Marines in formations 3 times a day. haha. good times here on the Stressex. haha. How long did you say you were on ship for?

[Silentwarrior17]

I was only on ship for a little over 3 months. Never want to do that again. This marine is not good on "sea life" haha. Nothing really wrong with it, just would rather be in theater doing ops than stuck on a boat again. But since the corps gets to decide those things I guess it really has never mattered what "I" what haha