If everyone is having fun with the elections, I have a request for help. A friend of mine is looking at moving to Memphis for work. He is not exactly quite sure where in the Memphis metro (TN, MS, AR) he will live, but his work place would be near downtown just off of I-240. There appears to be 3 squadrons in the area, with 3 wings and 2 regions:
1) Millington Composite Squadron in Millington, TN (SER-TN-014)
2) 99th Composite Squadron (Delta) in West Memphis, AR (SWR-AR-099)
3) Desoto Composite Squadron in Olive Branch, MS (SER-MS-096)
Clearly, meeting with each squadron is the best way to assess the situation. Nevertheless, anyone have any information they are willing to share through either the board or PM?
Just from the looks of it, it appears that ARWG or TNWG would be the way to go for wing/group level activities as MSWG would probably be a bit of a drive. Interest aligns with internal AE, CP, or perhaps pursuing safety. He probably wants to stay at squadron level or group level positions.
Thanks
Well, looking at the map, Millington and Olive Branch are about the same distance from downtown Memphis (30-ish miles), so West Memphis might be a better deal. The TN and MS locations are both kinda out in the sticks, while the AR location is basically right across the river from downtown (8-ish miles). Of course, where you work and decide to live will have an influence.
I lived at the NAS in Millington for about six months, and it was OK. No car, so didn't get out much. No CAP.
Our Olive Branch Squadron is a pretty active Squadron, one of our largest. They have 2 aircraft assigned and a very good Cadet Program. They also associate fairly closely with the Millington Squadron. I don't know if Millington still has an aircraft. TN & MS work pretty closely together on the whole. The whole Memphis area has pretty much grown together, to the point where you only know you left TN for MS by the road signs. The Arkansas Squadron while close by is in a whole other region, so I don't believe there is a lot of interaction.
As the commander for the Desoto Composite Squadron and former commander for the Millington Composite squadron and former group staff member in TNWG I can attest to two of the three squadrons' capabilities. The Olive Branch squadron is the largest in the wing at this time and we have a strong CP, ES, and AE presence within the wing. Our pilots and aircrew members are training and flying constantly. It is a bit of a drive to Jackson for wing activities but like Al Sayre said we do try to train with our neighbors to the north in Millington and the MS squadron's in our area. The Millington squadron has a strong ES, and CP presence in group 4 but they do not have an aircraft at this time. Group 4 as a whole plays very well together and they train hard and play hard. It was a bit of a trek to most wing activities however. I can't speak much about the squadron in West Memphis, but I believe whatever unit your friend decides to join he will be greeted with open arms and people willing to help with his transition.