This will be my first pcs as a military spouse and I'm pretty nervous. In fact...this is my first move ever! (other than just "in town") Can someone give me some pointers for the move? Also, we are going to Fort Irwin, Ca....not the greatest place, but I wanted to know some info about that too...housing..etc. Any info would help me out a BUNCH!
2007-02-07 15:36:26 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Congrats on your support of your husband. PCSing is a huge responsibility for the spouse. Nothing to be nervous about. The military has a ton of avenues in place to make things as smooth as possible. Like others have said, make sure you are careful about what and how things are packed. The contractors that work with the military know exactly what they are responsible for and are hoping that you don't.
They must pack your items and will disassemble any items if needed. Upon delivery to your next base, the movers must unpack your items, reassemble the previous items and then remove all of your packing materials and boxes from your home. Listen...this is what happens to most people. The movers will talk rather quickly and WILL NOT offer up any extra help unless asked. If you literally wanted them to walk in the door and pack your entire house, then they will in the fashion that is the easiest and fastest. Clothing will come right out of the closet, hangers and all! Remember that you are in control of the move. Don't let them dictate the pace or make you sign any inventory in a hurry.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE FORMS when you take delivery of your items. Don't sign anything that waives your right to unpacking or is "pencil whipping" the form. You might wind up agreeing to somethign that you didn't realize. Like the fact that you agreed to do all the unpacking, or that they delivered everything undamaged. They will be tired and ready to go home. They will try to get outta dodge as fast as possible in order to avoid having to take a lot of trash and boxes out of the house. Many will wait for you to decide that you would rather just have them leave the boxes unpacked and hope you are happy with them just placing the major big items of furniture in the room. They MUST unpack EVERY single item if you wish.
You have 70 days to file a claim after they leave if you discover any damage while unpacking. I assume that you will probably have them place your big items (to include assembling your bed) and then you will unpack the rest. My major piece of advice is this... Have them unpack your kitchen and your closets and take away the boxes. You will be able to get settled in faster and the major items you need will be available. The rest of the items you can figure out over the next couple weeks. Don't fall into that temptation to have a few boxes unpacked for a few months...everyone has been guilty of it.
Take pictures of all your high dollar items and write down the serial numbers. The movers are honest hard working guys but things go missing sometimes and it's an honest mistake. Having pictures of the condition and identifying marks will help if you need to make a claim on anything.
There are briefings on the base on this process and it's mandatory that your husband attend before PCSing. You are also welcome to attend as well.
As far and information about housing and the area, make sure you check out this site:
https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sites/
S.I.T.E.S is a resource that contains all the needed data for every duty station in the Department of Defense. This should also be briefed during the housing portion of your husband's outprocessing. The site is security protected so you will need to provide the requested data to verify that your family is active duty.
Good luck!
2007-02-07 17:50:02 · answer #1 · answered by dsmturbo16 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Navy offers a class in how to move. If you can find one for your branch I highly recommend taking it. They walk you through a lot of the paperwork and usually have tips and tricks to make things easier.
Also, if you're moving stuff (even just luggage) in your personal vehicle check to see if you can get reimbursed for it. It means weighing the car empty and packed but usually you can get some money back for it.
You might search Yahoo groups to see if there are any groups for spouses in Ft. Irwin or military spouses in CA. I always look for groups near any new base just to get to know a few people and ask questions.
HTH and good luck with the move.
2007-02-08 16:32:00 · answer #2 · answered by Critter 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I cant helpy ou with the base, you are stationed at ft lewis, WA. its an awesome post if you ever get to make it there. I can help you with the move....ditymovers.com is a military moving site. If you need to buy boxes and supplies you can get twice as much for a 1/3 of regualr cost.Also if you need a moving truck Penske is the way to go! We are moving in june and we got a 26ft truck for $847 which is unheard of! mention you are military and what discount they can give you. most trucks are 1000-1500 dollars. You want to be organized and save EVERY SINGLE RECEIPT!! that is so important to make sure you get reimbursed correctly.use a lot of blankets to cover furnitures so they dont get messed up and bubble wrap is awesome too.Label every box and i suggest loading the truck in a sort of order to make it easier to unpack. If you have kids, if possible pack up their(s) rooms last and unpack them first, it makes the transition easier!
2007-02-08 00:24:34 · answer #3 · answered by cherokee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ft Irwin ACS is a great place to start. Been through a bunch of PCS's. Get your name on housing, find a decent apartment in Barstow and enjoy life in the desert. The folks at ACS will really help you.
2007-02-07 23:41:17 · answer #4 · answered by Jim from the Midwest 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pack some mementos that will remind you of home. Get involved in a community activity with the other military wives. Get a job after the move to keep yourself busy and your mind active.
My stepson is in the AF in CA. His family likes it except for the expensive housing since they live off base.
2007-02-07 23:46:57 · answer #5 · answered by ne11 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
remember that it is the movers job to pack up your house and to un pack your house. This is what they are getting paid for. I did a mistake and they didnt stay to help me. I was so mad because no one had ever told me. Keep somethings with you that you will need before your stuff gets there. Make sure that you have a pan to cook with, a air mattress to sleep on, blankets, pillows, silverware, towels, dishes, etc...
Also make sure that the movers are fragile with your items, and if anything breaks report it broken that way they can reimburse you for it.
2007-02-07 23:55:09 · answer #6 · answered by j_kuemmel02 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ok well i dont know nothing about that base. but i know alot about military moves and my best advice id let them move you...they will have movers come and pack up all your stuff and move it. if you have pre packed then you can leave you stuff in boxes just open tops cause they have to see whats in it. make sure you set all this up ahead of time cause it does take time. (i did all mine a few weeks ahead of time) sometimes they make you go to a class to b4 you can sign up to have your stuff moved. they will not move stuff like bath stuff...candles (not sure why lol) anything that will cause a mess. OR you can to a move yourself and you will get aq certain amount of money in you acct. then you save all your recepts (gas,uhal rental, lodging, food, toll fee's) they will also ask you to go to a weigh station to get evertyhing weighed..its easy to do. then you will send all the recepts back in and they will give you a % of that total back. I find that you come out (money wise) better if they just move you. hoped i help. good luck and as soon as you get there on your new duty station...do to the housing dep. they will hook you up with tons of info.
2007-02-07 23:51:27 · answer #7 · answered by Boggen1210 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋