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Household goods make it home through TMO

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jake Carter
  • 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Permanent change of station moves can take a toll on Airmen and their families.

A few examples of things they often deal with during these frenzied times include packing up household belongings, which can take days to complete, or wondering how they will adjust to a new location and making new friends.

"Stressful things people PCSing can see are not getting the desired pack and pick-up dates, or if they're going overseas, it could get hectic," said Tech. Sgt. Aileen Boyd, 99th Logistics Readiness Squadron NCO in charge of household goods and passenger travel.

Other things that Airmen could stress out about during a move include pets, weapons and motor vehicles.

"We don't ship pets (if families move within the continental United States). If they are going overseas and there is pet space available, (we can)," said Airman 1st Class Daniel Schlicht, 99th LRS traffic management journeyman. "We can ship weapons. We just need the make, model, year, gauge and caliber for each weapon you are trying to ship. Ammunition is a prohibited item. We only ship vehicles if you're going overseas and if the regulations authorize you to ship it to that country."

Families also need to know if there are any restrictions concerning any aspect of their move.

"There are no moving restrictions when PCSing in CONUS, however there are restrictions going overseas depending on the country you are going to," Schlicht said. "If it is accompanied, dependents are authorized to move with their (military sponsor). If it's unaccompanied, dependents are not authorized to join the military member."

May through August is usually the busiest time of the year for PCS moves to occur, but with Airmen always on the move at Nellis Air Force Base, the 99th LRS Traffic Management Office stands ready to assist Airmen throughout the entire year.

"Last year, we (processed) close to 6,000 moves or assisted in those moves," Boyd said. "During the peak season, we usually see about 800 (customers) a month, which we counsel and help with whatever they need."

There are four types of PCS moves available for personnel moving overseas and two options if they are relocating within CONUS.

"If you are going overseas, you can do household goods move, accompanied baggage, non-temporary storage -- where your things will be placed in storage for the duration of your tour -- and you can do a personal procured move (formerly known as a do it yourself, or DITY, move) to a designated location if you wanted to bring things back to family," Boyd said. "When you are going CONUS, you can do a household goods move, where (a moving company) will come to your house and pack and pick up your belongings." For a personal procured move, you can pack a car or a moving van and get an empty weight ticket and a full weight ticket to see the weight or do a combination of both

When individuals first start the moving process, Airmen can take their orders into the TMO office, which will refer them to move.mil, a website that guides them on the proper moving procedures.

"Move.mil is like a self-counselor," Boyd said. "You go (to the website) and create your shipment application; TMO is the middleman between the (customer) and Joint Personal Property Shipping Office located in Colorado Springs. 

Once the customer has submitted the application via the move.mil website, the orders and supporting documents must be brought to TMO counselors to validate the application, then Joint Personal Property Shipping Office takes over and helps ensure a smooth PCS.

"Back in the day, we use to do everything," Boyd said. "We booked shipments. We were a one-stop shop, but now Colorado Springs processes a majority of the move."

For more information regarding TMO or PCSing, call the TMO office at 702-652-3496.