Military Moves to Hawaii

Happy holidays—the war is over. As the U.S. winds down from a happy Christmas with the realization that the war is over in Iraq and thousands of young men and women were home for the holidays, we should realize that some of those men and women aren’t done serving.

They’re the kind of people that feel an intense need to protect the country from violence and aggression of all kinds at home and abroad.

Usually that means putting themselves in extreme danger in unstable parts of the world.

But sometimes that means drawing duty in a tropical paradise. Imagine a war-hardened soldier getting that letter and learning they’re the next to be relocating to Hawaii, the home of the iconic Pearl Harbor attack of World War II.

Most would jump at the chance to defend such a historic plat of land, especially due to its highly strategic location in the Pacific Ocean and permanent potential for conflict.

It sounds marvelous, sure, but it’s an important part of keeping the country safe so the rest of us can live our chosen lives.

Honolulu moving isn’t all work, however. It can be a soldier’s dream—with the chance to serve in the military and the chance to serve to other young people in a pickup volleyball match on Oahu’s sandy beaches. Soldiers and tourists alike can mingle at the island’s many hotspots and attractions, and get a piece of island culture in the form of a suckling pig or the freshest pineapple available (or both).

Moving to Hawaii from the mainland should be an easy feat for any soldier, especially with the right moving company at their side. The military presence in Hawaii is hard to escape, so there are always friendly (if stoic) faces in the crowd. And the United States’ immense military network will take away some stress of finding housing or transportation, or solving those little problems that always arise during relocations.

But that’s only a part of the charm of The Big Pineapple for soldiers new to the area. There are craggy mountains that fall into the ocean, remote beaches of palms and shimmering tides and enough potential for solitude for those long workout days. The big question is: run on the beach or in the mountains? At sunset or sunrise? Before or after visiting that open-air bar? The answer is, again, both.