You have a lot to learn as a brand-new military spouse. Being separated from my husband was the first military challenge I faced, but the next challenge came immediately after…
the inevitable PCS.
As soon as my husband’s orders came in hand, I wanted to get the show on the road. I was ready to get started and be moved, but I didn’t know the first thing about PCSing. The fact that I didn’t have a military installation nearby to assist me proved to be my first hurdle. Then I quickly realized that the Internet had everything I needed in regards to knowing what to do and when. With all the resources available, it was a matter of putting together the most appropriate game plan for us. Are you a brand-new military spouse?
Here are my suggestions to keeping your sanity during your first PCS.
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Understand that PCSing is crazy.
I have a terrible Type-A personality. When I plan, I expect things to go the way I planned. The military thinks otherwise. Before we got the hard copy of our orders to Fort Belvoir, his orders to Korea had a different follow-on assignment. Everyone else that my husband went to Korea with got what their follow-on assignment said…we were the only ones thrown a curve ball. The military is notorious for throwing curve balls, so brace yourself.
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Househunt online.
My goal for our first PCS was to find a home before we moved. I wanted to be sure as soon as we drove onto Fort Belvoir, Va., we could immediately put our boxes in our new home. I scoured the Internet to get a sense of what was out there. The Automated Housing Referral Network is a free housing referral website that’s tailored to the military community. All you need to do is input your new duty station, rank grade and voila! — a selection of possible homes that fit your criteria.
If you can’t have a home waiting for you before you move, especially if you’re doing an overseas move, don’t worry. The best thing to do is get yourself there and take a deep breath. Once you’re at your new duty station, you can ask around. Other military spouses and your housing office can offer advice too.
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Print checklists, assemble documents.
Whether you are doing a DITY move or having the military move you, keep all your important documents (passports, marriage license, PCS orders) with you. Assemble a special binder or folder that has all the appropriate documentation that you would need for your journey. I like to print checklists to get me through the different steps. AHRN.com assembled a special toolkit for military families and Military.com offers checklists too.You can never be too prepared, so print as much as you can and put together a toolkit that works for your family. NextGen MilSpouse has a comprehensive list of PCS resources. Bookmark that page today.
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Learn from your mistakes.
I wanted to forget them as soon as they happened, but I quickly realized that it’s important to remember the mistakes from my first PCS. I certainly don’t want those things to repeat themselves. My husband and I wrote down tips and suggestions for our future selves. What do they say about fine wine? It gets better with age….
