Military and Family Readiness Center (JBER-R) - Anchorage, Alaska

Sean W.

If you don't know where you're going in this buildin? Lol, recommend going through the center available entry from the parking lot, not a side door. There, you will find a directory.

David H.

Our time there was way too short. Love the outdoors there, the snow and the cold. Would go back in a minute if the military said so.

Kaleb R.

Army & Airforce.. duel military spouses dream. Beautiful place. Friendly people. And a place where you actually feel safe.

Quaker O.

While stationed here, I had a blast. So many things to do outdoors. Bears and other wildlife would interrupt pt time. If you love the outdoors then this base is great. In the winter time the base might be frozen ice but still had fun doing my job freezing in the cold and all.

Walter M.

JBER, a combination of Army Fort Richardson and Air Force Elmendorf. Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson. I had the pleasure of staying her a few days while in Alaska on vacation at the Air Force TLF (Temporary Lodging Facilities) as a home base between stints in Seward and off base Hotels. I’m going to butcher a lot of the specifics because I’m not military. I was a dependent as a youth and this trip was planned for by my sister (Air Force)

There is some redundancy on gates due to a combination of bases, but as we were still getting used to the 10:30pm summertime sunsets, most gates close early and without schedule/warning making entry slightly more difficult. There was an airshow when we arrived so the road closures and road blocks to keep public to certain areas of the base made a lot of back tracking. The main roads are well maintained, but parking lots are pretty much at the mercy of the extreme weather with some deep potholes. It’s a pretty flat base and you can see planes take off in the distance from almost anywhere.

The PX/BX is cool, reminds me of a Fred Meyer, but with a dedicated food court and some outside vendors. Commissary it’s pretty basic. Gas is cheap probably due to the oil Alaska produces. The Burger King on base closes early even though we stocked the fridge at our housing.

What I did make use of was the recreational facility. You can rent a hot tub there? Coolers, rain gear, bikes, fishing gear, archery gear for hunting, kind of whatever you need. It all was really cheap, if not free. I didn’t explore too much because of the 100% security check and it’s a big base and I didn’t feel like biking around it too much. There was a bowling alley and a bar that’s got limited schedule.

It’s a pretty cool base, but we had some issues with TLF and quality, but rec facility made up for it.

Trey S.

Post is nice. The housing is garbage. Make sure the house is perfect before you leave. They charge for the dumbest things and they make sure you pay for it. Unlike Irwin where you can pay to leave as is. Not here. Live off post. For what they taking for housing allowance is not worth the money. You can get a better place off post and pocket the rest of the cash. Trust me it’s not worth it.

James E.

Great overview. If you are an Airman and happen to be in Anchorage, visit Humpy's restaurant and check out the bulletin board for "pay it forward items" such as a pitcher of beer, which you can claim. Enjoy

Randall S.

Love this base!