Gotta get up on my soapbox!!

I read Jim Twamley's article on the home page regarding the Ellsworth AFB campground, and two thoughts came immediately to mind:

1. Sounds like somebody at Ellsworth really pi$$ed in this guy's Wheaties; or

2. He's getting paid a commission from Passport America to get folks to use their member campgrounds.

While I respect that everyone has an opinion (and we all know what they say about opinions,) and I don't normally get into arguments with people about theirs, I really feel compelled to offer mine after reading this harsh condemnation of an MWR facility that is providing a welcome service to both our Active Duty military members and the retired military RV community.

Make no mistake about it...they're providing us retirees a service. MWR's primary mission is to provide Morale, Welfare, and Recreation support to ACTIVE military members and their families...not retirees, DA civilians, contractors, or any other civilians. Many of us may not like it, but the fact of the matter is we retirees ARE civilians, maybe with a special status due to our years of service, but still civilians. When we hung up the uniform for good, we supposedly transitioned from Military members to a well deserved civilian status. Some of us have a hard time remembering that fact.....especially Colonel's and Sergeants Major (but that's a subject for another rant. :laugh: )

Mr. Twamley seems to be pretty upset that Ellsworth charged him $20 for a full hookup in an expensive tourist area because the scenery is not to his liking and he had to drive to the MWR office to pay with a credit card. I assume that he had to drive to Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, and all the other great places to visit in the area....a couple of blocks to pay the bill? Come on.

As for his contention that $20 for a full hookup is excessive and that the Passport America campgrounds in the area are so much better, well, let's take a closer look at one of his examples. 3 Flags RV is about 5 miles west of Rapid City and is a Passport America park. The PA rates this year for this park are $12.50 - $18.50....the lower rate being for water and electric only, the higher for a full hookup. Guess it is whole lot better to see some great campground scenery for $1.50 less a night. I'm going to the Black Hills in July and, personally, I plan on only being at the CG to sleep at night. So much for that great campground scenery.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I am a Passport America member too, and use their parks whenever I can while I'm traveling. The only reason I don't use them exclusively is because of the restrictions they place on you...length of stay, availability of a site (most of them usually only have a few sites at the PA rate). They're good for an overnight stay or a couple of days, in my opinion. If there is a choice between a PA campground or a military campground, it's hands down the MCG for me. The rates are about the same, and if the MCG is a few bucks more I don't care....the money is going back to the soldiers in one form or another.

As to Mr. Twamley not returning until Ellsworth lowers the daily rate to $7.00 for a full hookup, well at least there will be one more site available for those of us who appreciate access to these facilities.

OK....rant over. I must be getting old and cranky, because articles like these never used to bother me. It just annoys me when folks with an outsized sense of entitlement bad mouth the things that we should appreciate. Indirectly, Mr. Twamley is making us all look like spoiled brats and belittling the work done by MWR services, and you too Larry, with all the work you put into this site for the love of it, without compensation. (You like that sucking up?:S )

Feel free to flame me back....I'm a big boy and I can take it!

Well said Sarge ... I was debating whether to take this issue here, or a note to Larry -- I chose a note to Larry -- But I agree and think Tamley should stay somewhere else so those of us who want a MCG site can have it. MCG and MRW does what it does with the money it has -- and NONE of it goes into the pockets of "profit" --

My rant: First I'd take an issue with his attack, and I do believe you might be accurate that he is either paid by, or has a cousin that owns, PassPort -- far as I'm concerned, he can stay there and I won't miss him ...

Second, I'll take issue with his negative journalism -- we as journalists (and I am one) state facts, and let the reader make the decisions about quality, acceptance, or desirabiltiy, or whatever the point for the story is. The slanted and biased opinion he voices would never have made it past my 'edit' desk. This kind of writing deserves nothing less than a delete button, not because I necessarily disagree with a writer, but because he does not support his negative conclusions with any statements of fact, but merely loses himself in insults expecting his readers to simply believe him -- sorta like a "speech writer' for a political candidate during an election campaign...

He's not welcome at my campsite, but is welcome in my classroom, where I would teach him a thing to two about writing and respect and ethics so he gets it right in the future.

Far as I'm concerned, I'd like to see it removed from our home page because I get annoyed every time I open this site now, and will until it's gone. I'd hoped Larry would have already taken it off, but not yet.

I have been to Ellsworth a couple times, and I agree that they are a bit high for what they provide. However they are reasonalbe.
Twamly's review was informative and his points are mostly accurate, but they sure sound like a blast that is not called for. It would be nice to have some pull thru's, but the location is fine, close to gas and not far from NEX. Yes, a hassle if coming or going after hours, but a lot of bases have restrictions as to what gate you can use in an RV or Truck.
All in All, Ellsworth is above average in cleanliness as compared to the PA paks I have been to.
Mostly I agree with Sarge and Monkee, I just need to say that a lot of Twamleys info is correct.
Frank

Might be (some) correct, but attitude is not... and he did not compare, he just insulted the MCG and MWR.

And when he complains about something without offering a method to correct what he complains about, all he's doing crabbing.

And this is the last comment from me, because debating what he wrote is lending it credibility - I hope enough people rag at this guy that Larry takes it off.

LOL....glad to see I'm not the only one with their panties in a wad about this article!

You're absolutely correct franknsandy....he did have nice things to say about the facilities and they were accurate. But those comments get lost between the lead in of "if you insist on being mugged" and the closing paragraph where he slams the MCG once again. Maybe he showed up proclaiming to everyone who would listen that he was a world famous reporter doing a review on their campground, and was put off when nobody fell all over him?

I've stayed at Ellsworth before also...and I've stayed at civilian campgrounds in the area when I couldn't get a site at the MCG. Is the price there high? Sure it is, if you compare it to other MCG's that might not be in high demand tourist destinations. There is NO comparison if you stack Ellsworth up against other civilian campgrounds in the area, which average $45 - $55 a day. Desert Eagle at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas runs around $20 a day too, but I'd much rather pay that than what a hotel on the strip wants. Costs are relative and should be considered in the proper context.

Is the Ellsworth Family Camp difficult to get to? You betcha it is....just like most on-base facilities around the country. Unless it is a separate facility, such as we have here at Fort Gordon, MCG's are built on military reservations where security has rightly become more important than accessibility. Civilian campgrounds are designed with easy access in mind. You don't want to make it too difficult for someone to find you if your livelihood depends on it.

I'm with monkey on this one.....we're giving this guy entirely too much attention on this. I hope Larry either deletes the article or moves it off the home page so it's not the first thing somebody coming to this site for the first time has to see.

'Nuff said....

Concur
Next topic please
Frank