Army Move - OCONUS

So I am really upset because I just spent the last hour typing this up on my iPhone, only for my phone to decide to shut down the Blogger app on its own and NOT save my post... Le sigh.... So hopefully this one will turn out as good as, if not better than the first one!!!

So here's my deal... My soldier just got his written orders to Hawaii about 3 weeks ago.  So I am going to do my best to tell you about what I know already and how our process of getting the ducklings and I added to his orders so we can go with him is going!

**I added a part below about getting your pet to Hawaii**

Any army move is challenging... er so I hear.  I feel like getting an OCONUS (off continental US) location as a FDS (first duty station) is a little more overwhelming because there is so much more to stress over! But again, I have nothing to compare it to... I am going to make you a simple list off the top of my head of what you can do to get the process started -- even if your soldier has not received projected or written orders yet, get this stuff done ASAP so it's less of a stress later if his orders do end up being for an OCONUS location!!! I will delve into details after!

1. And this may be the most important to make this whole process go smoother... MAKE SURE YOUR SOLDIER IS ON TOP OF THEIR CRAP!! Seriously! I know no one wants to be a nagging spouse, but I genuinely believe this is crucial to not being another horror story! If they have questions, they can ask their sergeants, it's one of the things they are there for!

2. All dependents (spouse and kids) must have a physical done! And ladies, if you haven't had a lady check done in the last 12 months... well get 'er done! It's a requirement!

3. After all the physicals are done, order ALL medical records.  This could save you from having to hunt down a military doctor if they question something from your physical!!

4. If you have a cat or a dog, get the rabies blood test done ASAP!!! If you go to HAWAII your pet has to wait 120 days from the day the lab receives their blood work before entering Hawaii otherwise they will be quarantined!  *More on this below!*

When your soldier gets to AIT they should fill out an EFMP form.  This form will identify whether their dependents have any special medical needs or not. When they get their written orders for an OCONUS location, you should mail your soldier your medical records and physical results. They will then contact the EFMP office on their base (usually located in the hospital) and set up an appointment to bring over the paper work and records.  They should also go to the hospital ASAP and register you and any children!  After the appointment they will review your physical results and any part of your records that is needed.  Upon approval they will pass the information along to your soldiers new duty station and that duty station (in our case Hawaii) will grant command sponsorship. They will add your name(s) to your soldiers orders and present him with those new orders. --we have not completed this part yet, my soldiers appointment is scheduled in 2 weeks which is nerve wracking because that doesn't leave us much time until his report date!

So in short, you need to be medically cleared to get command sponsorship, and you need command sponsorship to get your name on their orders, and you need your name(s) on their orders in order to set up housing and movers. Yes, it's a heck of a process!!!

While this is all being done, you can start figuring things out at home.  If you have a loan on your car you need to get written consent from the loan provider to move your car "overseas".  We still have a loan on our Odyssey through Wells Fargo.  They require that we provide a letter stating where we are moving, how long we will be there, proof of insurance with "Wells Fargo" listed on the insurance information, and a copy of the soldiers orders.  It's really not that big of a hassle compared to some of the other stuff! Also, start purging your home of anything you don't need or have not used in at least a year. Depending on your soldiers pay grade there is a weight allotment for shipping.  I know an E4 with dependents is 8,000lbs. Start trashing, donating, and hosting a rummage sale.  If you have a second vehicle, you may want to consider selling it.  The Army only pays to ship one vehicle, the other one is your out of pocket expense!!
***Speaking of out of pocket expenses, you should also know that when you get to your OCONUS duty station, if you do not have a house waiting for you, you will have to stay in a hotel.  You will more than likely be paying for that out of pocket, and then the Army will reimburse you AFTER, for up to 10 days.  It takes 3-5 weeks for your belongings to get there, including your vehicle, so you may have to rent a car for your soldier to get to and from work. This is all out of pocket expenses that you need to prepare for which is another reason I suggest selling your second vehicle and having a rummage sale!

The best advice I can give is to stay calm and try to turn everything over to God (or whichever higher power you believe in) because stressing over it will not change a thing! Be careful what you read, I read sooo much information on the Army FIC forum including horror stories that I stressed to the point of getting shingles! It's not been fun.  But I decided that I am going to turn it over to God and accept that whatever happens, happens, and that's the way it's meant to be!! Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions! I will update more as I finish going through this whole process!!


**MOVING YOUR PET TO HAWAII**
If you haven't already looked into how to get your pet to Hawaii... well just a FYI... it's uber stressful!! Hawaii has some of the strictest quarantine laws because the Islands DO NOT have rabies on them, so they take extra precautions to make sure they don't start now! I will tell you more about our plan with our precious boy Capone after I type this out, but here's a simple break down on the process to get your pet ( a dog in our case) to Hawaii!

The Hawaii State Department of Agriculture gives in lengthy detail the process of getting your pet into Hawaii, but here is a rough break down! Here is the website for the Animal Quarantine Information Page for Hawaii.  I got the information below from this website, which provides even more great information!

• Allow at least five months, even though the waiting period is 120 days. The waiting period starts after all the shots and blood work is done and received.
• Dogs and cats will need original records of vaccinations signed by a veterinarian, and this can be hard to obtain if you have been lax about shots or have moved.
• After the animals have two rabies vaccinations at least 30 days apart, the blood work is sent to the lab to be checked, and the results are then sent to Hawaii.  At that point you can find out online when the first day your pet is allowed into the state.
• No more than 14 days before the pets arrive in Hawaii a veterinarian must apply a certain flea/tick preparation to the animals, and no more than 10 days before the vets must prepare a health certificate. Note that these are for the dates you are actually traveling.
• Pets must arrive by 3:30 pm in order for them to be released directly, otherwise they are transferred to the quarantine site and held up to 5 days (for the “five days or less” option, which costs $225).

This is our plan as of right now... I was sooo overwhelmed with everything and this move, we were going to give our dog up.  It broke my heart because he is my 4th child.  I love him so much.  I posted it online (FB) and was very particular about what kind of home we wanted for him.  Well my sister-in-law called me and said they would take him.  Well our eldest duckling had a break down over leaving Capone behind.  I talked to the hubster and my sister-in-law and this is what we are going to do: I am going to set up to have his blood work done next week.  We will get it sent in and everything ready to go. My sister-in-law is going to keep him for about 6 months while we move and get situated in our new home.  Then we will start working to get him over there.  This will get us through the 120 day wait period and allow us to get settled without dealing with a puppy dog on top of things. Oh and if  your pet does need to be quarantined, the Army will help pay for up to $500 of the quarantine cost, which for a full 6 month quarantine is less than half...

So I think this about wraps it all up.  I will update as our journey continues, but I hope this helps!