Keesler Air Force Base

Arrived to Keesler AFB on 14^th Dec 2015 for tech school. Oh man, where can I begin on first expression! The beach, the casinos, the dining experience, the sunset views… etc, Its endless! Namm sayinn.
Now a slight history about Keesler that I have expereinced for the past 2.5 months; Keesler Air Force Base is part of the Air Education and Training Command, and its primary mission, since 1941, has been training the best future Airmen to help fly, fight, and win the mission! The emphasis is on high-​technology training in a number of fields, primarily in the electronics specialties.
Keesler AFB is located in Biloxi, Mississippi on the Gulf Coast. There are strong military ties throughout the area… Keesler AFB is located approximately 1 hour east of New Orleans, LA; 1 hour west of Mobile, AL; and 4 hours south of Jackson, MS… Derppppp! My first Mardi Gras experience was soooo lit! No lie.

I like going to the base with my boyfriend whenever we go to Mississippi. The surrounding area has tons of restaurants and places to go. The beach nearby is a good place to go to for a get-​away (if it is not too hot, but even if it is, you may find yourself wishing that you could take a nice stroll whenever the weather gets cooler…) You will need to have passes or some form of ID to get on the base. It is very quiet and things appear organized. When you go to the stores on the base, the lines are quick and short (a plus for those of us who have a limited amount of patience and do not like to stand in lines…) If given the chance, even I would like to work on a base similar to this one, so for those of you looking for a job, this seems like a nice and safe place to work as well. While this place may seem nice and peaceful, it is not perfect. Some areas are nicer than others because some places are still being rebuilt, but there is visible progress. Good job Mississippi!

Many of you don’t realize how great it is to be stationed here. You have the southern hospitality, great local seafoods and cuisine, fresh air from the beach, Mardi Gras and rich history. If you were stationed away from your family and had to stand outside in the freezing snow, then maybe you have justification to be complaining. I love the Keesler area.

Keesler Airforce Base Inn is very affordable and clean. I didn’t see any bugs. Kitchen is clean with complete pots, pans, microwave, refrigerator, oven, toaster and utensils. the bathroom is clean, with good new looking towels and it smells good. They provide soap and shampoo. The bedroom is spacious. Their staff are courteous. They provide excellent service. The only complaint I have is the tissue boxes were open. They should provide a new, unopened tissue box for their next visitors for health /​safety reasons.

I love this base! It’s one of nicest bases I have visited. From my understanding almost everything on the base is relatively new due to rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. The commissary and BX are large, relatively new and well-​stocked. There are 3 fitness centers… I only visited one, the Blake Fitness Center. There are so many places to take a walk or run on a nice day: the track beside Blake Fitness Center, the running track near the flight line and Back Bay, and Marina Park. This is great because everyone on this base seems to exercise! I’ve been to many military bases and seen quite a few overweight, lazy military members… Not this base. There seems to always be someone out exercising. The following are also on base: a movie theater, bowling alley, post office, car wash, auto hobby shop, youth center with a pool, and an arts and crafts center.
I also have to give kudos to MWR or whoever plans all the activities on base. There was always something going on at Keesler. The first weekend of my visit they had a «Cruisin Keesler Classic Car Show» going on at Marina Park. That same day they also had some Latina dancers performing outside the BX for Hispanic Heritage Month. Football season on base was great because they have Sunday NFL Ticket at Bay Breeze Event Center on base. The base does a great job getting the word out about activities via their website and Facebook. On their website I saw something about watercolor classes at the arts and crafts center as well as a «Ghouls in the Park» for the kids to celebrate Halloween on base. They even advertised for an Oktoberfest event happening at Bay Breeze.
Also, what other base has the beach directly across the street and its own pier, boardwalks, boat dock, and boat launches. You can fish at Back Bay of Biloxi right on base! It’s fantastic.
My biggest and only compliant about this base, and all military bases I have visited for that matter, is the Temporary Family Lodging. First of all, I have yet to visit a base that has TLF as nice as regular family housing on base. These bases seem unwilling to spend money on updating and refurnishing TLF and other lodging. Most have bug problems and are in varying states of disrepair. Furthermore, the bases contract out the maid services, so cleanliness suffers tremendously. I have no idea why any military base would want its visitors and new personnel to have dirty, moldy TLF housing as their first impression. Stop being cheap with the onbase lodging!!!
Everything else on base seems nice and new though.