By Marguerite Cleveland

     I am sure not many of you remember Pcs’ing before cellphones and Facebook but it was so tough to stay in touch with your military sisters with mail crossing or getting lost between new addresses. I love Facebook, it has given me a way to keep in touch and reconnect with people I know from all over the world. I also find Facebook pages or groups are a great way to learn about your new community and meet new friends. With the busy military lifestyle we live and the different time zones friends and family live in, Facebook provides a great way to keep up with what is going on when phone calls aren’t convenient or expensive plus there are photos and videos. In five minutes each morning, I can quickly post an update on what I am doing and then scroll through my feed and get updated on all my friends and family.

     One of the first groups you will want to join when you arrive at your new installation, especially if living on base, is your neighborhood page. If you know someone in the neighborhood you can often get added before you arrive. These are a wealth of helpful information from schools to local sports teams for your children. Military neighbors are the best and this has been my go to group for all kinds of help.

     I love to travel and a group of spouses set up a travel page for our area. When you move there is also this sense ‘I need to see as much as I can before moving again.’  This page streamlines the process with a group who is willing to share all the must sees in our area. We even have a few bloggers and writers that provide links to more in-depth descriptions of fun destinations to explore. I love just flipping through the posts to get ideas of things to do on the weekend.

     So how do you find Facebook pages and groups that are a good fit for you? Start by using the search function and putting in your installation followed by spouses. A quick search for Fort Stewart Spouses turned up 5 groups as well as the installation’s official Facebook page and the MWR page. Once you join one then Facebook will suggest additional options. Another way is to ask your fellow spouses who live in the area.    

     A caveat, when using Facebook make sure to monitor your settings to ensure your account is private. When using groups or pages pertaining to the military use private or secret groups that vet their members. Remember OPSEC. Just use good common sense, if you want to meet someone you haven’t met before use caution and meet in a public place. Consider meeting at a location on your installation, then you know they have been vetted to have access to the base.

     Facebook is a great resource for military spouses.  How have you used Facebook to navigate this crazy life we lead?    

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

Every three years, I swear that I’m going to do it. I’ll actually organize the house to PCS better, to make things more efficient. I’ll sort, store, trash and donate starting six months out from our move. I swear I’ll be super prepared!

And yet, here we are, 3 months from our next move with a house that is even more of a disaster than the last PCS. All my promises of doing better, organizing more effectively, apparently disappeared along the way.

But this time I don’t have the luxury of just letting things go again. I need to get my house into optimal PCS mode.

Organize Your House to PCS Better with Pro Tips

It’s crunch time. We’re coming up on this move sooner than later; the days are literally speeding by!

So I called in a pro, Melissa Rogers of Modified by Melissa. She’s an organization guru! Plus, as a military spouse, Melissa totally gets the need to be ultra organized to prevent PCS disasters.

Make Papers a Priority

Melissa’s number one tip is to sort and separate your paperwork and documents before the movers arrive.

So, good news for me! We’ve been doing this for years! I’d still like to go back through and weed out the documents we no longer need and pull out the ultra important stuff.

Paperwork that should be hand carried includes birth and marriage certificates, health records (a digital file is fine), professional licenses, insurance, and anything else that’s irreplaceable. If you’re traveling with a pet, keep copies of their health documents with you, too.

Melissa recommends sorting and storing these valuable papers in a binder or folder with lots of pockets. Another great option is to scan all of these important documents and store them digitally. Even if you need to “official” copy with a seal, the digital files at least create a papertrail.

Liquids & Lotions

I’ve got a few bottles of half used perfume and lotion floating around at all times. That stuff is expensive! I’m not about to trash it just because we’re moving. But I also don’t necessarily want to waste precious suitcase space on those toiletries either.

However, actually packing your liquids can be iffy.

To help your spillable stuff make it safely, Melissa recommends that you put a bit of plastic wrap under the cap, over the opening. Tighten the cap down over the plastic wrap. It will create a seal and stop spills.

Another option is to place your liquids into sealable plastic bags. If something does spill, it will at least be contained in the bag!

To help you unpack later, try to sort your liquids by type: cleaning supplies, soaps, lotions, perfumes and so on. Sorting this way will also prevent your stuff from getting mixed up or spoiled if spills happen. Plus, you’ll be able to quickly place each bag into the correct spot when you unpack!

Keep Things Separated

Did you know that packers will just pack everything in one area? Yup, if it’s in the same general area then it’s all going in the same box! This explains why my linens keep ending up with the board games.

According to Melissa, it can help to sort your belongings and put some space between things.

Consider putting all your towels and other linens together, maybe mixing in other blankets or clothes. Keep artwork and other wall decor in the same section. Basically, if you want things packed together, put them in the same spot to begin with. And if you’d prefer to keep your knives out of the breakables, put them far apart on packing day!

Clean Out Your Closets

I’ve been making passes through my clothes (and my kid’s clothes) for the last six or so months. I’m trying to weed out things that we no longer wear or that are too small or just plain worn out.

I always seem to skip cleaning out my pantry and supply closets though. Which leaves me with boxes of random non-perishables and half-empty bottles of Windex.

Before the movers come, make a sweep of your kitchen. They’ll pack anything that it’s a liquid. We learned the hard way when we opened up a neatly wrapped package containing a 1/4 full bag of white sugar.

Melissa recommends that you pull out anything you really don’t want to see again. Some items to consider removing include anything open, expired, or that you plan on eating between pack out and move out.

Do the same hard edit to your cleaning supply closets.

Trash or “regift” whatever you don’t want to take with you.

Keep the Movers Out

Truth time: you’re gonna need to keep some things secure during the pack out process. Documents, packed suitcases and those last minute cleaning supplies are all things that you 100% do not want the movers to pack.

We’ve all heard the horror stories about orders or passports getting mixed into moving boxes.

To prevent that type of calamity, keep everything you’ll need after the packers leave and on the road (or on the plane) in a separate locked room. Put a sign on the door to keep movers out, too. Living OCONUS? Consider adding a translated sign in the local language, too.

What are your best PCS organization tips and tricks? We’d love to learn some new ways to have a smooth move!

There was a lot of shock displayed at the recent Congressional hearings about subpar military housing. Political leaders and privatized housing companies seemed surprised about these issues.

Know who isn’t surprised? Military families.

Having an on-base house with mold, or that’s causing other health and safety issues, isn’t news to us. Working with falling apart base housing is just a part of military life. And it’s one that military spouses have been handling for years.

Mold in Base Housing? This Isn’t News to MilFams

When I joined the military spouse ranks, one of the first things I learned was to get the gouge on where to live. I learned not to stop at checking out the physical location of the home, but to dig into the actual history of the property.

A decade ago, USMC spouses at Camp Pendleton were very aware of the housing issues. We were lucky enough to snag a newly built home. Our house only had faulty (brand new) carpets that deteriorated quickly and stained easily. Plus some neighborhood water mains and electric lines that went down pretty often, considering they were brand spanking new.

We all know about the townhouses located in the next neighborhood. How did we know? Because word was passed about kids getting sick, sick enough to be hospitalized for days on end. We knew about the black mold in the walls, the leaking pipes, the squishy floors, the air vents filled with debris.

We all knew.

Residents started complaining about health issues directly to the housing management company. Some of them got moved into newer housing. Others were told to, essentially, “suck it up.”

The mold-filled homes that they left weren’t gutted to the studs or torn down though. Instead, they were briefly, to my untrained eye, cleaned, minorly spruced up and then rented out again. Folks were given a discounted rate, with some of their BAH being refunded monthly. But they were also living in homes that were likely still filled with black mold.

Base Hazards Aren’t New

The DoD just spent years fighting allegations, now proven, about on-base water contamination at Camp Lejeune. Recent reports show that many, if not most, military bases have some level of unsafe groundwater.

Why are we shocked that base housing would be any different than the water?

It’s not new for military spouses to get the run around when we ask for answers or action. We’re used to the standard line of “We don’t do that here.” Or “It’s not in the regulations.” Hearing “It’s above my pay grade” is getting really old at this point.

If it’s not “your” pay grade or responsibility, I’d like to know who actually is in charge. Who do I talk to about my very real concerns? I’d like a name and a number.

No Plausible Deniability

When we have many hundreds, if not thousands, of cases with rampant mold, lead paint, decrepit walls and more, there is no longer plausible deniability at any level.

Housing companies knew about these issues. ICE complaints were no doubt filed, emails were sent and phone calls were made.

Political leaders, at practically every level, knew about these issues. Perhaps not every Congressional leader or local official in the entire nation. But enough of the leaders in major military hubs should have had this on their radars. Again, calls were made, emails were sent and no meaningful action was taken.

Military families are generally good at documenting things. It’s a skill we’ve honed over years of moving school and medical records, reiterating ongoing concerns to the powers that be, controlling the documents in our households and moving around the world. We’re good at taking the picture, getting the letter and building that paper trail.

It’s all right there, in black and white. Sometimes in living color, especially the pictures of ill children and falling down homes.

To Make a Buck

It’s a running joke in the military. Like your job, but want to double your pay? Become a military contractor.

When the US DoD handed over control of on-base housing to private companies, it shoved military families into no man’s land. There is apparently no higher authority to complain to about issues with housing.

We can’t go to local officials because we’re technically on federal land. Talking to military officials is also out because the DoD no longer controls the houses or their management.

Which leaves us with the actual companies. Except they don’t seem to answer to anyone. They’ve got lengthy contracts for the land and houses, loosely worded. There is no one providing checks on their systems or inspecting the homes.

Instead, the companies are making hand over fist, collecting full BAH allotments from each and every military family living in base housing. No remittance or refunds for falling down homes, for documented health problems, for loss of property due to housing issues.

Start Listening & Taking Action

I’m incredibly proud of the brave military spouses who have been speaking up. Sitting in front of Congress must be incredibly intimidating. Sharing your story in any capacity, in person or through digital media, takes strength and courage.

It’s time that we hold the privatized housing CEOs and Congressional leaders accountable. We need to keep talking about our housing issues, sharing our concerns and asking the hard questions.

Military spouses are a resilient community, ready to take action and make big changes. Let’s work together to create positive change in military housing and hold the decision makers responsible.

What has your base housing experience been? We’d love to share your stories, insights, and advice!

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