We spent some time driving around Fort Leavenworth today and let me just say ... this isn't the post I remember. There are familiar sights, of course, but our housing area has been completely razed, cleared, and built again. And wow, is it an improvement. I remember my sweet husband checking into our housing a week before the boys and me ... and calling him to see how it was. He is life's eternal optimist and when he said, "It's ... [long pause] ... livable," I knew we were in trouble.
It. was. terrible. The housing was tiny, old, moldy, creaky, and dirty. Totally unacceptable, totally below standard ... and we loved our year in it. Sure, we had to pay monthly for a rent-a-fence that was likely installed in the WWII era and yes, I could hear my neighbor open her kitchen cabinets from my sofa ... and okay, there was a full pink Starburst wrapper encased in layers of yellow wax in my front foyer surrounded by dust and hair that was perfectly preserved under the tiles, but we had the very best neighbors ever created and loved every minute of our time in Kickapoo.
The absolute absence of any counter space, an ice maker, a dishwasher, a garage or a carport, or any indoor storage was challenging yet somehow didn't overshadow the weekly Bible studies, the folk art painting class, and the hours spent outside with our young children. It was a year I will always remember fondly and driving around the post all these years later was quite nostalgic for us.
The new Kickapoo Village has replaced our sad little octo-plexes with beautiful duplex homes complete with garages, yards, and adequate square footage. I'm happy for these Soldiers and their families. Their time at CGSC will be even more enhanced and I'm grateful that the Army has worked to make these improvements. Plus, I still adore my friends who began as neighbors in our little dilapidated homes.
It. was. terrible. The housing was tiny, old, moldy, creaky, and dirty. Totally unacceptable, totally below standard ... and we loved our year in it. Sure, we had to pay monthly for a rent-a-fence that was likely installed in the WWII era and yes, I could hear my neighbor open her kitchen cabinets from my sofa ... and okay, there was a full pink Starburst wrapper encased in layers of yellow wax in my front foyer surrounded by dust and hair that was perfectly preserved under the tiles, but we had the very best neighbors ever created and loved every minute of our time in Kickapoo.
The absolute absence of any counter space, an ice maker, a dishwasher, a garage or a carport, or any indoor storage was challenging yet somehow didn't overshadow the weekly Bible studies, the folk art painting class, and the hours spent outside with our young children. It was a year I will always remember fondly and driving around the post all these years later was quite nostalgic for us.
The new Kickapoo Village has replaced our sad little octo-plexes with beautiful duplex homes complete with garages, yards, and adequate square footage. I'm happy for these Soldiers and their families. Their time at CGSC will be even more enhanced and I'm grateful that the Army has worked to make these improvements. Plus, I still adore my friends who began as neighbors in our little dilapidated homes.
I don't have a great reference photo from 2005 but here's a glimpse at some of our Soldiers outside our homes way back then ...
Note the wiring stapled across the front of our homes ... and just out of frame are the air conditioning units right at the front door to each home. Bless. It was lovely.
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