Valentine\u2019s Day is once again upon us, bringing with it a barrage of chalk-flavored candy hearts and hard chocolates that taste like burnt plastic. But for many a service member serving at home and abroad, it\u2019s a reminder of profound loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re not a cynical single person, you might be wondering how to celebrate the day with someone you love. Here are some suggestions \u2014 with a military twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plan a sleepover.<\/b> Nothing says \u201cI love you\u201d like sneaking your significant other onto the base. Barracks bunks are renowned for their romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paintball. <\/b>If you\u2019re into action over romance, you can try outright savagery in place of Cupid\u2019s arrow. Don\u2019t shoot your partner with a bow \u2014 instead, mercilessly destroy them at point blank range with .68-caliber paint spheres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raid Area 51.<\/b> Go on a couples camping trip in the Nevada desert. Do some hiking. Find the aliens you know the Air Force is hiding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stargaze. <\/b>Chances are you probably don\u2019t work for NORAD, but with all the UFO activity going in American airspace, you and your lover might just spot the next Chinese spy balloon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prepare a romantic dinner. <\/b>Candlelight, check. Tablecloth, check. Real silverware, check. Cooking, nope. That\u2019s okay. Uncle Sam has you covered with 24 different culinary options in the form of MREs. Just don\u2019t mention \u201ca rock or something\u201d unless you\u2019re planning to propose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netflix and chill. <\/b>Sit at home on your couch. Prepare a movie queue featuring such military greats as \u201cBlack Hawk Down,\u201d \u201cSaving Private Ryan,\u201d or \u201cTop Gun.\u201d Nothing sets the mood quite like watching an erotic, shirtless volleyball scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tap rack bang.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you’re not a cynical single service member, plan something special for your valentine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-observation-post","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":70,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,89,70,16,26,17,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3239],"class_list":["post-71580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-military-culture","category-news","category-newsletters","category-off-duty","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"V323KK574NCZ7KZPM6LRT676XM","arc_canonical_url":"\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2023\/02\/14\/6-date-ideas-for-troops-on-valentines-day\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"observation-post","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n