Making the Most of Your Military Move
Tricks of the trade from a few expert spouses.
By Michelle Cuthrell
PCSing is a part our lives. We might as well get used to it. And, with a little effort and a big attitude change, PCSing can actually be fun. You just have to learn the tricks to make the most of it.
Myth No. 1: Military movers always screw everything up. I know pack-up day will be the most stressful day of my life.
Reality No. 1: If you plan it right, moving day can actually be an opportunity for you to relax with your spouse – because there’s nothing else you can do.
If you anticipate stress, you will be stressed, because you are setting yourself up for failure.
“I always have music running and pizza for the boys packing my stuff,” said Army wife Jesenia White, who has moved more times in her life as a military brat and as a military wife, than she can count on two hands. “I find that they don’t feel as rushed and overwhelmed when packing and when I ask for wrapping on items, they don’t get all upset about it because they feel like I have taken care of them.”
Myth No. 2: The car ride is going to be one ugly unending chorus of “he’s touching me.”
Reality No. 2: Although PCSing can be a challenging time for children; it can also be an amazing bonding time – if you deliberately set the stage for fun.
Army wife Sherry Shaw, who has moved five times in eight years, packs goodie bags for her kids to give them something positive to look forward to and help keep them occupied.
“I get fun gift bags and buy brand new comics, coloring books, crayons, video games (each kid has a Game boy), snacks, treats, little toys… anything to make the trip seem exciting,” she said. “This also helps when things get spread all over the car, as you just pop the treats back in the goodie bags, replenish as necessary and keep on moving.”
Myth No. 3: By the time we sign in to Fort Bliss, Texas, my husband and I are really going to hate each other.
Reality No. 3: Though reading crazy maps and fighting city traffic in town after town can intensify the stress of your travels, it doesn’t have to put increased strain on your relationship. Those same scenarios that stress you out will provide lots of laughter later on, if you just allow them.
“My husband and I always play fun games in the car,” White said. “He makes up a song and I pretend like I know what the song is and start singing with him just by trying to figure out what he is going to sing next by looking at his mouth. It’s hilarious because it sounds so awful!”
Myth No. 4: Moving is all business, no pleasure.
Reality No. 4: With a little planning, PCS can turn from a despised little acronym into something sweeter like Pretty Cool Sightseeing, for example. Plus, the military is picking up the tab.
When Army wife Laura Erickson married a military man and PCSed to Fort Lewis, Wash. two and a half years ago, she and her husband actually used the PCS move as their honeymoon. Though they only had six days to travel from Maryland to Washington, they planned ahead and were able to stop at exotic locations like the Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, where they took road breaks hiking, sightseeing, and observing rock formations.
Army wife Julie Legg and her husband invested in a National Parks pass (which costs $80 and is good for one full year for a family of four) and made it a point to stop at federal parks as they travel from station to station.
And they always eat locally.
“There is nothing better than tasting local catfish outside the Vicksburg, Miss., battle ground or standing awestruck in the middle of the rolling hills of Gettysburg,” she said. “People are often very appreciative of military personnel. Eating lunch in a diner in the heartland of America is a great reminder for our families of the reasons our husbands choose their careers.”
Jesenia White
Jesenia White and her husband, Graham, have been married for four years. Both were military brats and although they’ve PCSed together twice, combined the couple has PCSed a whopping 25 times.
Julie Legg
Julie Legg is a 19-year military spouse with seven PCS trips, six long deployments, five budding careers, four motorcycles, three houses purchased, two homes sold and currently works as a cardiac registered nurse.
Sherry Shaw
Sherry Shaw grew up as an Army brat, moving more than a dozen times to five different countries. She married an Army officer nine years ago and continues to tally PCS moves today.
Laura Erickson
Laura Erickson has been married to her Army hubby for two years. “My overall experience with the military has been positive because the unit my husband belongs to is very tight-knit, my Army wife friends are great and my husband loves me well,” she said. Since becoming a military spouse, she has taken up camping, hiking and back-country camping. Last summer, she and her husband backpacked for six days and hiked 50 miles through Glacier National Park.