We are still active duty Army and stationed down here in the SE. We figure we'll start to hit all of the National Parks that are in the area and stay at the military campgrounds near those Parks IOT reduce costs. We stayed at the Kings Bay a couple of weekends ago and got in on last minute reservations. It's a nice place but seemed as though there are mostly retirees. The Host was nice and told me that we got our spot as a result of a clerical error in the front office. Good fortune was on our side that day but I can see how some can get frustrated at the system. I also know that Lotts up at HAAF in SAV is really hit or miss since the people at MWR say that don't take reservations despite the website saying they do and there doesn't appear to be a host at Lotts. I would say drop an ICE card for Lotts but the SR CDR in charge of HAAF is TDY so I'm not sure what you'll get accomplished there.
Eagles Hammock is a popular winter destination for retirees. I'm a retiree who prefers not stay in a place more than a couple of weeks at a time. When I want to go to Eagles Hammock, I make my plans around availability.
I firmly believe military campgrounds are for recreation, not "homesteading". The situation is only going to get worse with the Navy's policy change allowing stays up to six months in length.
