Single soldier well-being related to recreational facilities accessible on installation

Abstract

This report focuses on the impact military installation recreational facilities have on the well-being of single soldiers (‘single soldiers’ refers to unmarried soldiers). This passion developed partially from being engaged to a military member as well as professional associations with Fort Riley and Little Rock Air Force Base. Because of these connections, surveys and interviews were planned to be conducted with the single soldiers located on these installations. While surveys occurred at both locations, enough surveys to do analysis were gathered only from Fort Riley, and time constraints limited the project to surveys only. Fort Riley is an Army post located in the Flint Hills Region of Kansas. Fort Riley, also known as “The Big Red One,” is home to the 1st Infantry Division and is located on over 100.000 acres with approximately 15,000 active duty members assigned there (U.S. Army Fort Riley, n.d.). Fort Riley’s proximity to Kansas State University made it a convenient installation to include in this research project. The question to be answered in this report is: How does the built environment of recreational facilities on military installations affect the well-being of single soldiers living on base/post? All components of the research question were chosen with purpose and intent. The built environment, or “the physical environment constructed by human activity, and involves distribution across space of activities” (Leung et al., 2018, p.1500), is what connects this report to my future career in community planning. A planner can be involved with the built environment within planning, developing, and reconstruction of buildings if necessary. Recreational facilities, or what the military often refers to as third space, includes parks, pools, trails, bowling alleys, fitness centers, and much more. This concentration helps to focus the research into a manageable amount of facilities (instead of considering housing, workspace, etc. Well-being, defined as “a broad category of phenomena that includes people's emotional responses, domain satisfactions, and global judgments of life satisfaction” proposes a connection between people’s surroundings, and their satisfaction with life (Diener, et al. pg. 277, 2000). Finally, because previous and current research centers mostly on military children and families, this report will focus on single soldiers living in the barracks.. This report will bring to light a different side of the military experience through examining recreational facilities through the single soldier lens, specifically through the surveys taken by soldiers at Fort Riley.