# Question About Military Bases?



## Monster (Jun 18, 2013)

For my story, I need some information about the U.S. military. I haven't decided on a branch fully, but I'm leaning on Marines (if it fits). This is a work of fiction, but it's based in a real world, with our same histories. 

One of my characters is the product of a Russian mother and a U.S./American father. For sake of explaining, the father was a military man and met the character's mother while being deployed. 

I have done some of my own research but I have come up a bit dry. Were there any U.S. military bases/deployment of soldiers to Russia in 1991? If there were, does anyone know what branch and what area of Russia the base occupied? I found information on one in Bulgaria, but nothing on Russia. From talking with a penpal of mine, apparently communism fell around that time. I'd think there would be U.S. involvement in that, or maybe the opposite. Anywho, if anybody has information regarding the subject, I would appreciate the help.


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## ppsage (Jun 18, 2013)

I think the Marines guard U. S. embassies.


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## Lewdog (Jun 18, 2013)

ppsage said:


> I think the Marines guard U. S. embassies.



Sometimes, but like we saw with Libya, the U.S. government sometimes contracts out the protection of U.S. Embassies and Consulates to private sector companies.

Now I can't remember for sure if it was in Great Britain or Russia, but there was a U.S. base that is now shut down, that was featured on television because of a close encounter it had with a UFO.


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## Monster (Jun 18, 2013)

I know what UFO encounter you were talking about, but I think that was in Germany. I will definitely double check though. There may have been another in Great Britain.


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## shadowwalker (Jun 18, 2013)

The US has been establishing military bases in former Soviet republics in the last few years, but there were no US military bases in the USSR prior to the breakup. Think "Cold War".


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## Whisper (Jun 18, 2013)

Monster said:


> For my story, I need some information about the U.S. military. I haven't decided on a branch fully, but I'm leaning on Marines (if it fits). This is a work of fiction, but it's based in a real world, with our same histories.
> 
> One of my characters is the product of a Russian mother and a U.S./American father. For sake of explaining, the father was a military man and met the character's mother while being deployed.
> 
> I have done some of my own research but I have come up a bit dry. Were there any U.S. military bases/deployment of soldiers to Russia in 1991? If there were, does anyone know what branch and what area of Russia the base occupied? I found information on one in Bulgaria, but nothing on Russia. From talking with a penpal of mine, apparently communism fell around that time. I'd think there would be U.S. involvement in that, or maybe the opposite. Anywho, if anybody has information regarding the subject, I would appreciate the help.



I think the only way your going to do this is to make the person a Marine Guard at the U.S. Embassy in Russia. However, there would have been very limited interaction between the Marines and the general public and any woman the Marines (especially if the woman was good-looking) would have been a KGB agent specifically assigned to seduce him. On the flip side, the marines would most likely know this and be trying to flip her (you gotta love the spying game). Of course, this could actually be a good back story as both knew what the others job was and fell in love anyway. If this is set at the time of the Soviet Union fall it could work as afterwords they would be free (to a degree) to live their own lives. Maybe after the Soviet Union fell she came to America and married this guard. However, their marriage would have been view with suspicsion and he probably wouldn't have had any assignments.

Maybe as a result he left the Marines slightly bitter. Now his son all grown up wants to join the military but he's torn between joining the Marines, which treated his father badly, or one of the other services. Maybe he decided to join the Coast Guard. (the Marines is overdone, IMO) 

Anyway, just food for thought.
BTW, my brother and I were in the Navy for 20 years.
My father was in the Army for 23 years.
I was born on a NATO base in Naple, Italy and lived on various military bases including in Germany.
My mother was in the Army for 3 years
and My nephew just joined the Marines early this year 

So, you could say I know a little about military life.


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## Lewdog (Jun 18, 2013)

Don't know if you will ever need this or not, BUT FYI, Air Force One is only called Air Force One if the President is on board the plane.  The helicopter that the President rides in is called Marine One.  Once again, it is only called Marine One if the President is on board.  If I remember correctly, they actually use three helicopters whenever the President it transported, so that no one actually knows which one the President is on until it lands.


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## Monster (Jun 18, 2013)

Thanks a ton, Whisper. That adds some new elements to my story. The idea of them both working for their respective governments and falling in love in spite of everything is a killer romance addition. Then the Russian woman finds out she's pregnant (with my character) shortly after their fling. After communism falls, the two are able to get married, but like you said, the military isn't so excited about keeping Bill on assignment out of suspicion. So he truly does leave the career he loves rather bitterly to be with the woman he loves more. The two eventually go back to the U.S. and live out their lives, having more children and Dad goes into a different job, gone often but still the strict and disciplined man he's always been.


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## Whisper (Jun 19, 2013)

Monster said:


> Thanks a ton, Whisper. That adds some new elements to my story. The idea of them both working for their respective governments and falling in love in spite of everything is a killer romance addition. Then the Russian woman finds out she's pregnant (with my character) shortly after their fling. After communism falls, the two are able to get married, but like you said, the military isn't so excited about keeping Bill on assignment out of suspicion. So he truly does leave the career he loves rather bitterly to be with the woman he loves more. The two eventually go back to the U.S. and live out their lives, having more children and Dad goes into a different job, gone often but still the strict and disciplined man he's always been.



There you go. Sounds like a winner. Good luck.


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## TheJungleDrummer (Jun 19, 2013)

Another idea you might consider for the characters meeting around that time is in Belgrade/anywhere in Eastern Europe. The Marine could still be a US Embassy security detail looking after the US Ambassador.  The Russian character could be an interpreter that the Russian Embassy uses when the two meet, which would be regular enough for the characters to exchange glances/phone numbers etc. Ambassadors of course would both have knowledge of each others language, but professional interpreters are generally used in formal meetings.  

Both countries regional political interest intensified when the Berlin wall fell, so this could perhaps work. Plus soldier/interpreter romantic encounters were/are is not uncommon.


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## Whisper (Jun 20, 2013)

TheJungleDrummer said:


> Another idea you might consider for the characters meeting around that time is in Belgrade/anywhere in Eastern Europe. The Marine could still be a US Embassy security detail looking after the US Ambassador. The Russian character could be an interpreter that the Russian Embassy uses when the two meet, which would be regular enough for the characters to exchange glances/phone numbers etc. Ambassadors of course would both have knowledge of each others language, but professional interpreters are generally used in formal meetings.
> 
> Both countries regional political interest intensified when the Berlin wall fell, so this could perhaps work. Plus soldier/interpreter romantic encounters were/are is not uncommon.




This blasted thing is writing itself, now.


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## Robert_S (Jun 20, 2013)

purged


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## Monster (Jun 21, 2013)

Another great idea. I could have a mix of something of the sort happen. I like where this is going.


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## tabasco5 (Jun 22, 2013)

Could you have the father on some type of special mission or assignment to Russia?  Or is the base important?


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## Shylock (Dec 2, 2013)

Given the aforementioned unlikelyhood of a Russian local/Marine embassy guard relationship, I might recommend minor changes...

 There's a marine base in south Korea called Camp Mujuk, since that's relatively close to Russia he can meet her there. Or she could simply be an exchange student that lives near the base. 

 But again, totally up to you.

 Hope this helped!


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## voltigeur (Dec 3, 2013)

There are 2 ways this would most likely happen. First is Marine Embassy Guard: They will be out on liberty in the country and they can meet local girls and this could easily happen. The guards are assigned at least 2 years and may spend more time so interaction with the local population happens more. 

 The next situation that existed in the Cold war was the Military Liaison Commands. These observers observed military activities in the host country.  Most of these officers were in East Germany but a few did short stints in the former USSR. These guys would be much more suspicious of locals and don’t spend more than a year in country.


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