You’ve made it! Not in a way that the adventure is over, for it is truly just beginning. But you have made it through some of the more confusing and isolating times of the military and are now about to embark on your first military adventure as a couple….
Your First Duty Station.
I remember getting ready for this transition, and on one end, I was so excited for our military life to begin together.
On the other hand, I was terrified about the transition, how I would coordinate the move, and what lay ahead of us.
I am here to tell you there are countless resources to help you in this big transition and that if you use them, you will get done what you need to and be moving into your new home before you know it!
Each branch may have a slightly different way of coordinating PCS moves, but each branch also has specific resources to help you in the journey.
Regardless of branch, you will first need your spouse’s orders stating where you will be moving to.
Once you receive those orders, you are going to want to decide a few things:
Moving
- Do we want to move ourselves
- Do we want the military to move us
Housing Situation
- Do we want to live on post/base
- Do we want to live off post/base
- How do we want to use my spouse’s terminal leave
- To move and look for housing in the location we are moving (what it was intended for) or To visit family and friends or make a fun, longer road trip/ travel arrangements along the way
Now, each of these categories has pros and cons to either route.
For example, living on post means great access to communities and resources and being close to your spouse’s work (potentially… but we won’t get into that).
Off-post, however, allows you to have more freedom in choosing school districts for your children, gives you and your family a break from everyday military life, and lets you get to know the community.
There could be an entire blog post written about each of these options, so I won’t go too much further into the good and bad’s to each, but these decisions are personal to each family.
Once you decide what you want to do, you will determine how you move forward.
For example, if you would like to live on post, you will need to call the housing office of that post and request to be put on a waitlist (they will have their own set of paperwork to begin this process and will explain what is needed).
Or, if you are living off post, you will want to contact a real estate agent or an organization such as No Stress PCS (check out the podcast No Stress PCS) to begin the process.
Although there are many moving pieces, I encourage you to be excited by all these choices and opportunities.
You are getting to start over with your family and build a new life with a new career field for your spouse.
My husband and I’s first duty station, we got placed in a city we never would have moved to, and it has been so fun to experience things we never thought we would in our lifetime.
And we have grown to love it!
Military One Source is a great resource for all branches, and they have a great series on the topic that will help you navigate every step of the way: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-pcs/
Also check out our Mission:Milspouse Resource Page.
If you have any questions in the meantime, remember that we are here, constantly releasing resources and navigating this milspouse life by your side. Speaking of which, check us out and follow us on social media, where you can stay up to date with all our latest content and even send us a message!
You got this, Milspouse, and welcome to our tribe!
*If you missed parts I and II in this series, catch up now!
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