Josey Rhynes: The U.S. Army’s Quality of Life
Each branch of the U.S. armed forces has distinct personalities and stereotypes that are the subject of relentless memes made by current and prior service members. Often, the U.S. Marines are depicted as a bruting caveman type who are only interested in serving their country and eating crayons. One commonly held belief throughout the Army is that the Airforce has it “easy”. Memes based on these beliefs usually depict the Airforce in khakis, rather than the standard occupational camouflage pattern, ready for a golf match. According to these stereotypes, the Army is more of a rough and rowdy crowd, the most similar to the previously mentioned Marine prototype. These exaggerations would have you believe that the average soldier enjoys being in the field, “getting dirty”, and are generally thought of as a low maintenance group.
July to August of 2024, I attended military occupational training at Joint base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The four weeks of training gave me the job title financial technician. During this time, the differences in Army and Airforce cultures became clearer. Joint base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst houses both Army and Air Force service members. The base has very distinctive sides. The Army’s side of base was decorated with dead-lined tanks, Humvees, and Apachee helicopters. While the Airforce gate was decorated with fighter jets and other war relics. Of course, the sides had practical differences as well. The Airforce side of base consisted of open airfield and landing strips. This wide expanse of open land is not needed on the Army’s side of base.
My first experience of this dissonance between the Army and Airforce was in the living facilities. In the beginning of the third out of the four-week training period, our class was moved into different barracks rooms because of black mold. Originally, we were in two-man rooms and shared a large communal bathroom separated by sex. While we were in class, there was an inspection and informed our senior leaders of the mold issue. The same evening, our class moved down the street into new barracks rooms. Keep in mind, this is not a new experience for myself or any soldier. July of 2023, I was at McCrady Training Center completing annual training when the roof of the barracks I was stationed in collapsed. My experience at Fort Dix was not all bad, though. The second set of barracks we were placed in were normally reserved for commissioned officers. These were one-man rooms with private bathrooms. I was amazed to receive, what felt like, lavish lodging following our misfortune. Upon entering our new rooms, one of my classmates stated that they “felt like they were in the Airforce”. This comment garnished a collective laugh down the hallway as we hauled our belongings into our new rooms. We were not surprised that the building inspectors had discovered black mold in our previous barracks, what we found surprising was the upgrade in our housing afterward. Reflecting on this event made me more aware of the cultural differences between the two branches throughout my stay at Fort Dix.
One day during lunch break, a few classmates and I went to the Airforce’s dining facility (DFAC). Upon entering the DFAC, the difference between the army and Airforce’s facilities was stark. The facility was newer and cheerily painted, compared to the dingy and dimly lit hall on the Army side of base. There were no cafeteria lines to fall into. Instead, there were stations with different types of foods. There was a wider array of options rather than two proteins and three sides. As I sat in the dining facility eating a restaurant level meal, as silly as it may sound, I truly felt amazed that this was what the monthly food allowance provided to airmen.
Even the gym facilities were different. While the Army’s side of base did have nice new equipment. The Airforce’s facility housed an outdoor recreational park. This included a training area: both covered and uncovered, a mile-long track, as well as baseball and soccer fields. All service members are allowed to use this facility while on base, but it was built and is maintained by the Airforce.
During my reflection on these differences in facilities, I realized these differences point to larger issues within the separate institutions. According to a 2021 survey by Blue Star Families, twenty four percent of military families placed quality of life as a “top concern”(5). Nine percent of these concerns had to do with housing. In some cases, there are a justifiable and reasonable answers for the differences in facilities. The Airforce is a younger branch. The Airforce was established in 1947, while the Army was founded in 1775. The Army has one hundred and seventy-two years on the Airforce. The Army’s barracks for example have had a lot more time to accumulate mold. According to the U.S. Army’s official website, “The Army plans to renovate or replace more than 1,200 barracks over a ten-year period. Installation leadership has completed 100% inspections of barracks”. The inspection of our barracks at Fort Dix seems to have been part of this plan.
Each branch of the U.S. armed forces has stereotypes which are tirelessly poked fun at online. However, from my experience at joint base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, it seems that stereotypes of the stark differences between the Army and Airforce’s quality of life may be based in reality. These experiences point to a larger cultural difference between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Airforce. In the Army, there is tension between senior leaders and young enlisted members. The older generation that the newer generation is just not as tough as they used to be. Some senior leaders may say, today’s lower enlisted Soldiers are ungrateful and whiny. However, The Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, JoAnne S. Bass, presented at the Quality-of-Life Panel of the House Armed Services Committee in January. According to the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, Bass stated, “We know that the strategic environment has changed. As such there is a race for talent across our nation, and we must recruit and retain the best that America has to offer. We can't have service members distracted by whether or not they're able to live in safe and affordable housing”. I could not find any information about if the representatives from the U.S. Army attended this conference or not. I think this speaks to the Airforce officials’ skills in advocacy for their airmen. Bass’ statement even shows a difference in Airforce and Army recruiting and retention strategies. According to Bass, AirForce culture highlights the talents of its members and rewards them. Meanwhile, it seems that the Army only renovates when there is an infestation of black mold or the roof caves in.
Although this issue may not seem important, it is important to me. Through reflection of my time at Fort Dix, I realized that stereotypes have real-life consequences. These stereotypes condition soldiers to accept a poorer quality of life. My tendency to downplay these problems seems to be a direct result of praise for appearing undemanding. Through writing this essay, I have seen that this issue is not only a personal one, but a concern for soldiers on every base. Although soldiers enjoy being in the field and performing their duties, their work-life balance and quality of life should be taken seriously. Overall, this experience has served in broadening and deepening my understanding of the relationship between work and life.
Josey Rhynes is originally from Chesterfield SC. She is a Secondary English Education graduating in the Spring of 2025. She completed finance technician training at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst in Summer of 2024.
Works Cited
“Army Quality of Life: The United States Army.” Army Quality of Life | The United States Army, www.army.mil/qualityoflife/housing.html. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Blue Star Families, 2021, bluestarfam.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/BSF_MFLS_Results2021_ExecutiveSummary_03_10.pdf.
“CMSAF Prioritizes Quality of Life at House Hearing.” Air Force, 31 Jan. 2024, www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3662536/.