Permanent change of station moves define military family life. Every few years, everything gets packed, transported across the country or world, and unpacked in a new location. The process creates stress, comedy, and stories that last forever.
The Packing Experience
Movers arrive with impossible speed and questionable organizational skills. Trash cans get packed with contents still inside. Half-eaten food joins dishes in the same box. Items clearly marked do not pack somehow end up on the truck. The randomness defies explanation.
Finding belongings afterward becomes an adventure. Kitchen items appear in bedroom boxes. Important documents hide among random papers. The TV remote surfaces months later in a box labeled linens. Every PCS creates mysteries that may never be solved.
Claims and Damage
Something always breaks. The question is only what and how severely. Military families learn to photograph everything before moves and document condition meticulously. The claims process becomes familiar territory, though satisfaction varies wildly.
Stories of catastrophic damage circulate through military communities. The piano dropped off the truck. The antique furniture refinished without permission. The car interior packed with household goods. These tales encourage ever-more-paranoid preparation.
Base Housing Adventures
Government quarters come with unique characteristics. The previous occupant’s decorating choices remain visible through multiple paint layers. Maintenance response times range from impressive to legendary. Housing office rules create their own humor.
Learning which houses to request and which to avoid becomes local knowledge shared among families. The good school districts, quiet streets, and problematic addresses all factor into the housing lottery that shapes the next assignment.
Making Friends Fast
Military families develop skills at rapid friendship formation. Kids learn to make new friends within days. Spouses connect through unit activities. The shared experience of frequent moves creates instant bonds with others who understand the lifestyle.
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