“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!”
— Matt
Mind the Mine Field
Have you been on a military base before? When we first moved overseas, security was thankfully not an issue for American bases. We could drive up to the gate post, let them know we were Americans, and they would let us drive right onto the base. With terrorism and real threats, getting onto an American base overseas base is no longer quite that easy.
My wife spent her first couple years of life near an overseas American Air Force base as her dad served as an elementary teacher to military kids. Today we live overseas in an apartment complex that borders along a foreign military army base. Our view out our windows is of the military’s high school playground and a field used for maneuvers.
A foreign friend of mine in their air force was organizing a half marathon race for service men and women. My friend invited me to join in the race, and I encouraged my wife to join along with me. She was a good sport, traveled with me, and jumped into the race. The base authorities allowed us in as Americans and special guests. The race course wound around their base, but didn’t have many of the typical amenities a normal long race would have – like port-a-pots. The other runners were familiar with the route that stretched around their workplace (the base) and the race organizers didn’t inform us of the features around the course. As we were reaching the last miles of the race and had been over-hydrating along the way, my wife needed to find a bathroom, which there was none. I noticed an out-of-the-way, lightly wooded and vegetated field that would serve as a perfect port-a-pot and I encouraged her to use the facilities. I didn’t notice that off in the distance was a military police patrol vehicle, who had been following the only clueless people on the course. I was waiting on the road for my wife when the officers pulled up to me. They advised me to get my wife quickly back on the course as she was in a mine field. Needless to say, she finished up quickly, and got back on the course.
Foreign military bases can be interesting places overseas, but don’t get off the course.
Something similar ever happen to you? Contact me and let me hear your story!
mattsmishaps@gmail.com Matt’s Mishaps, PO BOX 114, Grabill, IN 46741
