Shaw AFB

Shaw AFB in Sumter, South Carolina is home to the 20th Fighter Wing's F-16 Wild Weasels, whose job is to fly directly at enemy air defense systems and destroy them — which is the most metal mission in the Air Force, and they're doing it from a base in a town with three Waffle Houses, a Piggly Wiggly, and a Bojangles' that serves as the de facto officers' club. The Wild Weasel motto is 'YGBSM' (You Gotta Be S***ing Me), which was the first thing someone said when told to fly toward the thing that's shooting at you, and it remains the most honest motto in military aviation. Sumter is small, Southern, and sincere in a way that feels like a warm hug from someone's grandmother who's going to feed you whether you're hungry or not. Columbia is 45 minutes west with USC tailgates and actual nightlife, Myrtle Beach is 90 minutes east for when you need to make regrettable decisions at a beach bar, and the cost of living means an E-5 can own a house with a yard, a riding mower, and a smoker that gets used every weekend. The Carolina humidity will melt your will to live from May through September. The sweet tea is the antidote. Living the dream, just slowly, with biscuits and gravy.