MA going to Bahrain

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Permalink Reply by Elmer Charles Slack Jr. on June 1, 2012 at 12:17pm

Rick,

My son spent a year there recently and I can tell you emphatically that cell phones will not work. Skype is the best answer! There have been a few developments since he left,mainly in the unrest of the regime and the civilian population.The heat cannot be overstated and they will stress that to him.The overall feeling is that there is some underlying unfriendly feelings toward our troops and he will "feel" it,but there are no outward signs or "acts" to that end. Tell him thanks for his service and god speed!

 

Permalink Reply by Jim Santucci on June 1, 2012 at 7:15pm

My son (Chris) shipped out to Bahrain after training as well.  He's been there since last July and is there for another couple of months (your son could be my son's replacement).  His next duty station is in Greece.  Chris has had no problems with cell phones.  He brought his iPhone with him.  There's a cell phone service (on base I think) that he can subscribe to.  All he needs to do is change the SIM card and buy a monthly plan.  Of course, as Elmer says, Skype works as well.

 

Bahrain has been good for Chris.  While he doesn't really care for the Middle East, he's been able to improve his dog handling skills immensely, and he loves the work.  The protests and demonstrations are ongoing and there are many restrictions for military personnel regarding where the can/cannot travel off base.  But, he works long hours so doesn't really affect him that much.

 

Best,

Jim

Permalink Reply by Elmer Charles Slack Jr. on June 1, 2012 at 8:27pm

Jim,

I am glad to hear that cell phone service has improved in Bahrain,my son was there about a year and half ago and before he left to go there,he and  my wife went to the local Verizon store to get overseas service.They purchased said service and as soon as he got there and tried,it never worked properly. That is why i proposed the Skype alternative,which for the most part has been good-especially due to the "free" factor.

I too remember hearing about the long hours which pretty much goes with "Military service",something our youth at home have no idea about.It still bugs me to overhear someone complaining about working an extra hour they had to work(paid for of course).Anyway,that's a story  for another time! Thank your son for his service as well!!

Permalink Reply by Shane Snyder on June 2, 2012 at 12:06pm

Rick:

My son is coming to the end of a 2 year deployment. He bought a cell phone there as soon as he got to Bahrain and has used it all over the place. We found that the Skype was good but the video chat was iffy at best. I can tell you he is part of a mobile security group and in the two years he was in Bahrain he probably actually spent in all total 3 or 4 months actually in Bahrain the rest of the time has been out on ships all over the place. Some of his friends (dog handlers etc) have never left Bahrain since they got there. I know that he is really looking forward to leaving.