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I would drag my balls through 100 miles of broken glass just to eat the corn out of her shit. (tanks post)

I can never listen to that song again with out laughing...

Well played! If anyone has more...I'm just sayin....

One thing I'll add that nobody else has: after about a month in, go buy an Ordnance Survey map of your village and go for a walk to a rural pub. Britain has a wonderful system of walking trails and they've mapped their country to a ridiculous level of detail. There's something fantastic about taking a walk with the dogs to a small local that has probably been serving ale longer than the US has existed as a nation.

You have managed to make a thread about Tebow not safe for work. Impressive.

....funny you say that, but all three went to my High School. The "Lead Singer" of in the video is my best friend from High School... Is that close enough? We graduated in '05. PM me if you want more info

I haven't read all the replies here yet and my military info is a bit out of date, but I was stationed at Mildenhall 95-98, got out and stayed in the UK for the next 12 years so can offer a couple of points. First piece of advice - put that American iron monster back on the market and pick up a used car when you get to the UK. Sure, it's fine on most of the roads, put try parking that beast in the middle of Bury or Cambridge and you'll wish you'd left in on your side of the oggin. ALL parking spaces in the UK are the width of a compact car +6 inches. If you even take a 2-door coupe, you'll struggle to get the door open far enough to get out. Practice going through the window. Used cars aren't cheap, but they can be found in great condition and, like everything else, you'll find there's a thriving market of those things between inbound and outbound mil folks. Appliances - refridgerator. Leave yours behind. Unless you want to put it outside and be the redneck family in the village (Trans Am on blocks optional - see point above about American cars). It won't fit in 98% of British kitchens. Get used to a fridge/freezer about 2/3 the size of an American one. Same for washer and dryer. The UK units fit under the countertop in the kitchen and you can get a good used one for about £100. Dryers aren't quite so common due to space, but again, pick up a used one when you get there. Check all of your electronics - most are dual voltage these days and, if they are, will work just fine with a plug adapter. For most of the other stuff you can keep a transformer or two in the kitchen and bedrooms for things you can't live without but, again, most of the usual domestic stuff you can get used from outbound people or just on ebay. TV - check that it is PAL capable. Many of them are multi-system these days, but if yours isn't, box it up or sell it (it'll be obsolete by the time you rotate back stateside, anyway). Living on base - don't be so bloody daft! What's the point of going to a first-world overseas location if you're going to live in Little America? The other thing is that time will disappear around you over there so hit the ground running. Your first year will be up before you know it and you'll wonder what you were ever thinking about living onbase. Live off base - no question. Especially go for some of the smaller villages where you may trade convenience for character and community, but it is a trade well worth making. They may not have the walking-access to shops (but they will ALL have a pub and, really, what more do you want?). I lived in Dalham for 2+ years and was the only American there at the time. After a few months, I was pulling pints behind the bar at The Affleck Arms and knew most everyone in the village. And they all treated me like gold. The housing stock is hugely varied from wicked cool and interesting (friends rented the old Mildenhall train station) to horrible little boxes on a postage stamp. On this issue, get some really, really good advice from someone in the area about buying versus renting. When I was there in the late 90s, finding rentals was a problem due short supply. Buying may well be a good idea now with the housing market tanked, but the prices will still make your eyes water once you convert to dollars. Think carefully and talk to a lot of people about it even before you leave. Don't waste time with a year on base to get used to it. Seriously? School - not an issue until high school. Send your little one to the local school. It'll be a great way to meet local people and you'll all get a lot out of the experience. And don't be surprised if your tiny Yank develops a cute little English accent while you're there. Dogs and renting? The Brits themselves love pointing out the irony that it is the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children" but it is the "ROYAL Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals". But that also means some snooty locals may stick their nose into how you handle your dogs, so be prepared for a little unwanted supervision on occassion just on the off chance you run into said snooty local. General stuff: Space in the house. There isn't any. Get used to it. To practice, buy a camping trailer and live in that for a few months. After that, a British house will seem cavernous. As an example, the NCO housing at Mildenhall, before we did some major renovations in the late 90s, had galley kitchens that were so narrow that you couldn't open the oven and the fridge at the same time. True. Yards (gardens). Will be smaller than your current living room. Only useful for planting a few flowers in, really. British homes generally are really tightly packed. They would put a whole village, including pub, shop, and church, in the space of a normal American single family plot. But, the plus side of that is that there is still a lot of green space, especially in Suffolk around the bases, so you lose in your living space but you gain in your surroundings, if you know what I mean. Britain does a lot of things differently than we do. That doesn't make it right or wrong, just different. Some of their bureauracracy will leave you stunned but you will have no choice but to succumb to it. The locals all do, they just know about it beforehand. They over-engineer the hell out of everything they touch but it usually works (except the electrics on a British car. 100 years of practice and they still can't get that right). Money/commerce. Don't convert everything in your head or you will go mad off base. Cost of living in the UK is bloody high and getting higher. Shop on base as much as you can for the stuff you need, but do go out to the market towns and spend a few quid out there. Just accept that a dollar doesn't get you what a quid (slang for the pound) used to. Pubs. Not just for alcoholics. Pubs do not have a direct translation in the US. Especially in villages and urban neighborhoods, they have a social standing and community role that no place in the US equals. They are where drinks are drunk, rounds are bought, friendships are made, stories told, life happens. Do not underestimate the importance of the pub to your experience of the UK. Find a local you like and become regulars. It will enrich your time there immeasurably. Eating out, especially at pubs, is pretty reasonable. The beer is wonderful. All of it. Some is maybe less wonderful than the other, but it's still all wonderful. Make a habit of hitting village pubs as often as you can. Many will welcome dogs. Well, that's about all the pontificating I can think of right now. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any more help. As I say, my USAF knowledge is going to be a bit out of date, but I just left the UK last year and can fill you in on life in general a bit. In any case, enjoy the place. I envy you going over for your first time.

Dear God.

I've got nooooo problem with someone blowing cash on guns, trust me. I would just put out there that if a person has ANY thought of using a gun in a self or home defense role that they seek out professional training. A basic pistol class is far from ninja training. I equate it to pilot training: when you graduate UPT you know how to take off and land and fly around a little bit. But you have 0 clue how to employ an airplane as a weapon. Same thing with guns.