The main attraction at The Lake of The Ozarks, of course, is the lake itself. We spend so much time swimming, fishing, skiing, and just enjoying the wind in our hair as we glide through the water, that more often than not we simply forget to look up. Then there are those moments when you have to look up, when you hear lightning on a perfectly clear day. It’s not a literal lightning bolt, but an A-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed Warthogs. The A-10s we see flying over “Magic Dragon Land” are part of the 442d Fighter Wing based at Whiteman Air Force Base. Whiteman Air Force Base is 65 miles southeast of Kansas City, just off US Highway 50 near Knob Noster. During missions, the Warthog’s goal is to provide close air support by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets. Seeing them fly above your head, you can’t help but feel their power with a surge of patriotism and pride.
Many veterans, military retirees, and former service members call the Lake of the Ozarks home or their home away from home. Close proximity to services at Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood make this area a natural choice for military retirees.
Whiteman Air Force Base provides a Commissioner and a Base Exchange. Shoppers must show proper identification cards when making purchases at both facilities. The Commissary is a modern supermarket offering a full line of meats, produce, groceries, bakery and deli items. The Commissary is open 6 days a week. The Base Exchange flagship store is located next to the commissary and is open 7 days a week. The Base Exchange flagship store also offers Anthony’s Pizza, Frank’s Franks, Burger King, Robin Hood Deli, a coffee shop, florists, hair and beauty salons, a dry cleaner/laundry and a cell phone shop.
Fort Leonard Wood is located just off Interstate 44, near the cities of Waynesville and Saint Robert. The Main Exchange Mall is open daily and has a food court and offers a variety of concessions including barber and beauty salon, shoe shine, florist, optician, among others. The commissary is also open 7 days a week and offers a full line of grocery items, including rotisserie chicken and sushi. General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital has 450,000 square feet of clinic and ward space and offers a full range of medical services for active duty military personnel, military retirees and family members enrolled in TRICARE Prime. Non-primary patients are seen as space allows. The Army’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department operates the Lake of the Ozarks Recreation Area (LORA) on Linn Creek. LORA welcomes active duty military, retirees, members of the National Guard and reserves, Department of Defense employees with identification cards, family members, and contract employees of Fort Leonard Wood.
