PCS Expectations
How two military spouses got excited about their next duty stations.
by Rachel Howard-Collins
Moving is a way of life for military families. Sometimes families enjoy where they’ve been stationed. Maybe they’ve been ordered to live on a tropical island or a base close to the grandparents. On the other hand, sometimes the family’s response to the orders is “Fort…where?”
Here’s the story of two spouses who made the most of their moves.Amanda Campbell’s PCS Success Story:
Another way to get excited about a duty station is to visit in person before the PCS. This is what Amanda Campbell and her husband, Dave, did when Dave received orders to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
“We took advantage of our house-hunting leave to come out here together and get acquainted with the area,” said Campbell, who has been an Air Force wife for three years and has two PCS moves to her credit. “We got to meet our sponsors and get a feel for the area and the kinds of things we could do here.”
Knowing what job opportunities were available was very important to Campbell. She is a music teacher and opportunities for music teachers can vary greatly from one area to the next.
“Researching the local school districts is always a high priority,” Campbell said. “When I discovered that it wasn’t likely I would find a job in a school district here, I started researching other music-related opportunities. I ended up becoming a member of a local performance group. Finding jobs as military spouses can be difficult, but sometimes you can find opportunities very similar to what your ideal job is in a situation or organization that you wouldn’t first think to look.”
Campbell is originally from the East Coast, so she researched West Coast attractions.
“The first thing I did when I found out we were moving here was to get online and look up information about the town and surrounding area,” she said. “I wanted to know what this area had to offer; everything from state and national parks we could visit to entertainment that comes through the venues here. My husband and I also haven’t had that much of an opportunity to travel together on the West Coast. Now that we’re here, it is much easier and cheaper to travel to Western sights than it is from the East Coast. We are definitely taking advantage of that as often as possible.”
In the end, attitude can make or break a PCS.
Christy Jenks’ PCS Success Story:
“I can find almost everything there is to know about the new location on the Internet,” said Christy Jenks, a 13-year Marine Corps wife. “Military spouse message boards always have three or four spouses who are already at that location and are willing to give you the ‘real deal' when it comes to the place, the base and the people.”
For her kids, Jenks looks for activities they might enjoy and how close they are to the new duty station.
“My 13-year-old needs to know where the nearest water park is,” Jenks said. “My youngest wants to know what landmarks and professional sports teams are in the area. Then, before we even get to town, we order tickets to something fun. [It] gives us all something to look forward to - not just the 300 boxes that await us to unpack.”
Jenks’ husband Ron had already been a Marine for 10 years when they got married. She knew that being involved with the military meant a lot of moves and this year’s PCS will be her sixth.
“Originally, my husband got five weeks’ notice to move to New Orleans,” she said. “That was totally unexpected. But I soon found possible houses to rent, activities in the area – space camp - and even spooky tours for my boys to enjoy.”
Her children – Ronald, 19; Chris, 13; and Cody, 11 – were getting excited about the possibilities of living in the Big Easy when new orders came for Fort Lewis, Wash.
“My first response was ‘That’s an Army post!’ as if the USMC banished us,” she said. “But soon I found several Fort Lewis wives online.”
From searching local realty and rental Web sites, Jenks found that she could rent a very nice house for the BAH allotment. It was bigger than their house at their current duty station in Jacksonville, N.C.
Jenks found white-water rafting for son Chris, and Cody found out that the Seattle Mariners baseball team was hosting their family’s favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, a week before her husband had to report.
“We knew it was fate,” she said. “Plus, they have Vietnamese food - our family’s favorite, which we’ve missed the past four years in Jacksonville, N.C.”
The family will PCS this spring, leaving Ronald behind, who has chosen to attend East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.