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Returning to Japan

April 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Family Members are returning to Japan 2011If you are an eligible family member (EFM) who departed under the authorized departure FROM Japan to the US and would like to return to Japan now, you will qualify to receive transportation as well as per diem for your travels. If your sponsor is due to PCS within the next 60 days then ,unfortunately, this will not apply to you.

For Non-command Sponsored Dependents:

If you were transported to an OCONUS safehaven you maybe provided return transportation to the Permanent Duty Station (PDS) in Japan. If you have been taken to CONUS then you are not authorized return transportation, except with special permission.

Safe Haven Allowances for Military Command Sponsored Dependents

M&IE which means lodging, meals and incidentals:

a. The lodging allowance is paid for commercial lodging and must be documented by a receipt (!) ask if you need a statement of non-availability. Reimbursement for lodging is not authorized if staying with friends and relatives. Tax for lodging in CONUS and non-foreign Outside CONUS (OCONUS) locations is a separate reimbursable expense.Safe haven allowances are not reduced until the 31st day at the safe haven. (see below)

b. Meals and incidentals: You should be able to receive this allowance regardless of whether you are staying with friends or at commercial lodging. Make sure it is on your travel voucher that you pass in at finance, if not ask why!

Take a look at your rates

First 30 Days
Dependents age 12 or older receive up to 100% of the locality rate
Dependents under age 12 receive up to 50% of the locality rate

Days 31-180
Dependents age 12 or older receive up to 60% of the locality rate
Dependents under age 12 receive up to 30% of the locality rate
read the regulations

Save up to 50% off Vacation Rental Deals!
Save up to 50% off Vacation Rental Deals!

Filed Under: entitlements, Military Money Matters, OCONUS, Travel

Participating in an Adventure Race

April 27, 2011 By 1 Comment

break from PCSing: Racing My husband, Tim, had signed up both of us with an adventure race here in Washington. Considering we hadn’t trained at all, I was a bit sceptical how things were going to work out.

What is an adventure race? An adventure race is an outdoor multi-sport event. Sports may include: Mountain biking, orienteering,navigation, trekking, kayaking/canoeing – more advanced and longer races provide an opportunity to show your repelling and climbing skills. While I think it sounds fun not sure if I could compete on this sort of level.

Today, there were two categories of race durations: the sprint racers (4-6 hours) and the super sprint racers (2-4 hours) – that was us! Should you feel up for it, you can find races at any length. Some folks love 24hour races.


Ever since our PCS shifted into high gear and we had canceled our gym membership, Tim and I had not done much endurance training at all. Little here and there, but we started this race today pretty much cold turkey, however, we needed this break today. Heck, I had been painting, digging, sorting and cleaning for a week now. My gosh, how much stuff is there to do? The truth is , that if we were packed tomorrow: We’d be fine! It seems as though this move is an opportunity to do what we haven’t done for years….clean garden tools, sort out things that I had been holding on to….

Back to racing. Adventure racing sounds much more intimidating than it actually is. Our disciplines were orienteering, mountain biking and trekking. In all categories we had to find markers in the park that had punchers tide to them. We had a map and on foot or on bike we raced to find them and we marked our papers once we were successful.

YOU can do a race like this. Can you walk? Can you ride a bike? Then you could have done what we did today! No kidding. A super sprint race is a great way to get started. You should check your ego at the door (park gate) and try to just have fun! Don’t be intimidated, chances are that the ‘fancy’ teams are in a different racing group anyhow.

I should also mention, that there are also urban adventure races. While still challenging, usually these races are laid out or fun! You can dress crazy and you’ll have a lot of fun completing tasks a la “Minute To Win It”. The biggest races I know of are the “Urban Oyster” and “Urban Assault” (brought to you by the Belgium Brewing Company, if that tells you anything!). My, then 15 year old, and I participated in the Urban Assault last year, when my husband was deployed, pretty much as an ode to him – since he, my husband, is really into this kind of thing. It was a great bonding experience for my son and I. Only a few weeks after Tims return from Iraq he participated the race as team “What just happened?” Side note: My son was appalled when Tim stopped to get a coffee in the middle of the race! So much fun! Try it!

And now, I am on the couch, unable to move and blissfully exhausted. Tomorrow is the last day, before our household goods are being packed up. I am very curious, what we’ll do tomorrow.

Find adventure races all over the country:

Filed Under: Travel, US Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Conversion Tables

April 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I was having fun today finding some useful widget tools and some that are not so useful. Play around  add a few if you like.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , , , ,

Finally! My friend from Libya writes!

April 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you have loved ones -family obenghazi-libya-protestersr friends – that are struck by disaster, you worry. You’ll try and get in touch with them to get some kind of acknowledgment that they are alive and hopefully all is well.

I have a friend that lives in Benghazi, Libya. When the situation in this country was heating up I emailed her wondering if she was ok.

When I finally received an email I was relieved but what I read, was devastating.

I am publishing her emails,because it gives a unique glimpse into her struggles and puts a face on to the uprising and fighting in Libya.

I am listening to the news from Libya with great interest…but first I must know that you are OK.
How are things?  Send a short note so I know you are OK.

I hadn’t heard from her and my concern was growing. Finally, March 1st I received an answer to my email that I sent saying:

Hi,

I’m fine thanx. I’m back in benghazi since 10 Feb before the revolution started my husband was supposed to come but he got stuck in Tripoli.

the event actually started on 16th no media was allowed in libya and communication was cut off. it’s qaddafi strategy to hide his crimes from the world. that’s why ppl found themselves facing a criminal and they had to act.

what you see in AlJazeera is true these guys are reporting the whole truth to the detail .guys age 15 and above in peaceful protest were faced with live ammunition, and heavy machine guns Qaddafi hired black ppl from Africa they landed in many libyan cities dressed in army suits and they had yellow safety helmets on. shooting and killing ppl. in Al-bayda Derna and Shahat Al marge city and all far east libya they managed to arrest them and they killed some and they kept some in jail for further investigations. these black ppl speak french.

same happend in benghazi. it’s terrorism. sometimes we see ambulance car coming to the battle field and guys rush injured ppl to get them onboard suddenly the door opens and black soldiers come out of it and open fire. they use ambulance cars as ambush.

Security forces opened the jail house to let criminals loose in city to terrify people and commit crimes which later on he will accuse the revolution guys of committing.

libyan young guys were determined to take down the regime so they surrounded the army base, airport, top security base and they managed to take over.they faced life amunition with bare chests using stones, molotov, taking garbage containers as sheild to get closer then throw home made bombs. around 2000 died but this was like fuel to the fire.. many others came out and more people were convenced that qaddafi is a terrorist killing his own people. so after the bases were down and military joined revolution distributed weapons and guns all over the city so we can protect ourselves from Qaddafi forces.

in east area things are under control but tripoli is still struggling i receive many calls from people telling me that military killed young guys and they burned their bodies to hide the evedince my husband told me the shooring is still continuous night and day and he shelters wounded guys in our apartment because if they go to hospital they get arrested and kidnapped.

the remarkable thing is people are one hand they donate blood, money, food and i saw some donate thousands of dollars to feed and buy medicine, blankets, water, carpets, matresses, ..etc to hospitals we’re reporting any security incidents to a commetty we elected. and last week the loose criminals attached philipin nurses and they took their moibiles, money and whatever they found some were sexually raped. so now these nurses are moved to live in  floor 4 of ibn sina hospital around 70 nurses and ppl provide them with food and making sure they’re safe. the other day i was directing traffic in a junction because no police in city but now they’re back.

we the civilians are cooperating with eachother and we’re doing our best to ensure safety and security and we opend port with egyp borders to get food supply and medicine. but in tripoli things are getting harder as qaddafi is still in control and he makes sure they suffer lack of services and food.

yesterday he announced distributing 500 Ld to each libyan family ( what a joke) even his bribes are cheap. he wants people to shut up. and to show the media he’s giving money and helping people.

he fakes interviews on libyan tv and you know the game so plz dont beleive what you see .. i assure you Aljazeera is broadcasting the truth.

in Ajedabia east benghazi last night was aircraft bombing and also in misrata and zawia this guys is nuts and he threatend to kill us all and burn the petrol.

many of my friends in benghazi took their guns they got from army base and they drove to Tripoli to support ppl there.

i know qaddafi has a secure base in tripoli but the dangerous one is in sirt. i won’t be surprised if he uses weapons of mass distructions.

mobile phones are working now.. internet is back since 2 days. but very weak

thanx for checking on me Tim i appreciate it. i hope my english is understood im writing in a hurry and my thoughts are distracted.

take care and pray for us.


So, I sat, stunned and shocked. I wish I could reach out and touch her, comfort her. She is strong but the fear rings through in her email. After my reply to her with reassurances of our family’s prayers and support It was another 13 days before I would hear from her:


my friend,

Thank you so much for keeping in touch and i appreciate your concerns, efforts and prayers.

We still don’t have internet connection i have to drive around and book in many cafe’s to get a chance to log in and access my email.

Today i was able to talk to my husband pc to phone. He’s still stuck in Tripoli. and he was worried sick when he heared the Qaddafi forces attacked Benghazi and bombed our neighbourhood.

Tabulino is the area west Benghazi  i think you saw it on TV.  I spent all night on the roof watching anti aircraft like fireworks and in morning 6 am they bombed  our neighbourhood and the aircraft fell very near to our house.

My sister unfortunately the kids witnessed that day and i hope it won’t affect them psychologically.

My eldest brother ( neurosurgeon in UK ) he also came through Egypt and started operating on cases in hospital.

I’m fine doing all i can to help people in need.  Esp. Taking care of the church, the priest and the nuns. These people are forgotten in the middle of these events and they’re scared and facing daily challenges even to buy food and simple stuff. Last Sunday  me and my mom arranged a convoy for the priest to travel to almarj ( they have mass ceremony there) . and we arranged for an armed guard to be assigned at the church. Sounds strange but as i told you criminals are loose and last week they broke into the church and stole a car and some other stuff.

I have an interview appointment with UN i think it’s better to work under an organization. What do you think?

We all thank the US, Qatar, France, and NATO ( with it’s ups and downs) but i wonder why they don’t attack the forces near misrata, Tripoli and west Libya?  Another question… before they arm us can they send communication equipment to the guys in front lines? Or maybe let an aircraft drop them bundles of  personal protective equipments..eg. gas masks, bullet proof vests, ear plugs, boots, helmets..etc. these guys are fighting with no protections.

This was a quick email.. because i have limited time to access and give chance to others.

I copied your email and will prepare my reply offline from home. Send it  asap

This has been so long ago, and I worry as I have not heard from her since. Please pray for her and her family.


Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Door-to-door delivery

April 25, 2011 By 6 Comments

PCS moving day supervision

Yes,  the military has FIVE seasons during the year and all military families are intimately familiar with the 5th one: PCSing. This fifth season starts mainly around May and ends generally around September. That said, military families are PCSing all year – some even several times a year which puts a real strain on families. Last year about 230,000 families moved during the summer months rotation alone! It is not surprising that it can get difficult to get a packing and loading date, unless you get an early start.

Allow at least three weeks to schedule your appointments after you have submitted your moving request, but the earlier the better. The transportation providers (moving contractors) are given 10 calendar days minimum to determine shipment dates and schedules.

Packing company, Independent Truck Driver

Once the mover has accepted a date, they will communicate with you on how to proceed , ie. pre move inspections, packing days. What some military members might not be aware off is that they can directly communicate with the moving company once a moving company has ‘accepted’ their date.

What we didn’t know is that the packing is sub-contracted out to a different company. Meaning that the the service provider actually moving your goods is generally NOT the one that is also packing your household goods. They contacted us and they came by to do our pre-move inspection. Then in our case, it also seemed that -for whatever reason- we had also a sub-contracted, independent truck driver. Our truck-driver was very courteous, he called us and let us know what his schedule of arrival was going to be. He also had his own (trusted) loading crew, he seemed to do mainly west coast trips. We took down his phone number and from then on we really didn’t have any contact anymore with the official moving company but always went straight to the driver/owner.

Door to Door delivery

We knew that we wanted a door to door delivery, since we new that storage usually causes the biggest damage to household goods. We already had housing set up, so all was good. We only had one issue, in that we had or rather wanted to spend 2 more weeks in Washington State. So what to do? We decided that I would stay in Washington at a friends’ house while my husband was driving ahead of the truck to our new place.

In the end, husband left Washington State the day AFTER our furniture left, and arrived in Colorado a day BEFORE our furniture got there. In the mean time our truck driver was really good giving him updates on where he was and what time to expect him. Of course, we made ourselves available so that he could always reach us.

I think this was the most contact we’d EVER had with a truck driver. I liked that though.

Damages

We didn’t have any this time. In fact, there was such little damage during the last move that we didn’t bother to report it. I have to admit that I HATE, no: H-A-T-E, filing claims. The little damage that we had, as annoying as it was, I  did not report NOR file. This time there was a kids desk that was broken apart, when the truck drivers crew loaded the truck. However, the truck driver said immediately, that he would pay for the damage himself and to tell him the price.

That was the first time we had ever encountered that a DRIVER offered to pay for damage. Fortunately, the desk was an older IKEA desk and was easy to replace. We looked the price up online and told him, and he wrote a check on the spot. He said that any damage reported to the transportation provider that contracted him, would go on his ‘performance’ record and he did not want that.

Tell me!

Extended! Orbitz Spring Sale! (120x240)

I know a lot of things can go wrong with a move…tell me what WORKED for you!


Filed Under: Military LIfe, Shipping Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Scholarships: Don’t turn down free money

April 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

military spouse educationCost for education is horrendous and tuition fees are still climbing. Regardless of who you are, education is important and the desire to pay as little as possible if or maybe NOTHING for your degree is on the top of your list. Certainly, you can pick a less expensive college, but your education will most likely still cost you thousand of dollars unless you start looking for money. The only way to get scholarships is to apply for them. You may feel like scholarship awards are too competitive for you to be eligible for many, but someone has to win, so why shouldn’t it be you?

While it might take a little studying to work your way through the vast see of information, it is very much worth it as your proceed on your way to a higher education and a well paid job.
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I have found great articles here to start planning and applying for scholarships:

Filed Under: Military LIfe Tagged With: , , , , ,

Reference: Appealing Excess Weight Cost

April 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Appeal excess weight costThis is meant to be more of a reference on which you can fall back on when the ‘unthinkable’ happens to you. You have done it all:

  • You have sorted out, donated, sold items.
  • You have also claimed professional gear for you and your active duty spouse and/or medical gear separately.

    • 120x60 REI Outlet

You think you are within your limits. Yet you seemed to have exceeded your weight allowance and your Carriers will not be shy to charge you excess weight cost and at probably around $0.50 up to $5 per pound this cost could skyrocket quickly. If you are being charged overweight, know that there is a way for you to appeal this cost.

! Hold on to your shipping documents. !

If you decide to dispute the HHG shipment excess costs must begin the appeal process through the Traffic Management Office responsible for the delivery your personal property.  (For Coast Guard personnel the CG Personal Property Transportation Manual, COMDTINST M4050.6, Chapter 2, Section 2008.7.d (page 2-18) provides guidance for the appeal process.) By now, you might also be able to do this through move.mil. If you do this, cover all your bases and still contact your TO/TMO

  • REQUEST A REWEIGH: If your shipment is picked up and exceeds your weight allowance,  ask the destination TMF to have the shipment reweighed. You are welcome to observe the
    weighing and reweighing of your shipment. Reweighing the shipment will not cause any increase in excess cost to you as our computations are based on the lower of the two weights.
  • Were PB&E declared on the DD-1299 at origin? If so, were the weight annotated on the inventory and included in the computations. I cannot say it often enough, that these items need to be sorted, recorded and weighed separately, before you sign the loading docs!

If you receive a DD Form 139 (Pay Adjustment Authorization), contact TMF BEFORE you agree to pay the debt.

You have four avenues of appeal:
a. REBUTTAL – Your first avenue is submitting a rebuttal through your local TMF. You must state  the reasons why you wish to dispute the debt. (
b. REMISSION – Active duty enlisted members may file for remission of indebtedness through Accounting and Finance. Only the uncollected portion of a debt can be considered for remission.
(Ref DFAS DEM 7073-1)  => hence, as mentioned, before do NOT pay if you intend to appeal.
c. BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS – If you feel an injustice exists, your next step is a review by the Board for Correction of Military Records. Process a DD Form 149
(Application for Correction of Military Records) through the Military Personnel Flight. Responses to your rebuttal and remission must accompany this application. (Ref AFP 36-2607)
d. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE – Your final avenue is to the General Accounting Office. This request is processed through the Accounting and Finance Office. (Ref DFAS DEM 7073-1)       Responses to your rebuttal and remission must accompany this application.

It may take anywhere from 3 to 9 months before you receive notification of indebtedness for exceeding your entitlements. This delay is due to carrier billing procedures and the gathering of
information worldwide by the Excess Cost Adjudication Function. Do not hesitate to use the above appeal process. Remember that you might have to go above mentioned avenue several times if not all your documentation was considered. You have nothing to lose but your debt. At the same time, consider putting away small amounts of money, in case you end up having to pay, if you appeals didnot go through.
Try and start a folder in which you keep these documents:

  • DD-139, Payment Adjustment Authorization (PAA) for linehaul
  • DD-139, Payment Adjustment Authorization (PAA) for storage
  • Government Bill of Lading
  • DD-619 & DD-619-1
  • DD-1299 & HHG Inventory Sheets
  • Counseling Worksheets & All weight tickets (original and reweighs)
  • Orders & Estimate forms (DD Form 1701 or SDDC Weight Estimator Form)


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Filed Under: Allowances, PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

How to find the best Realtor in your town!

April 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

My friend and successful real estate professional (area: JM Lewis-McChord, WA) Sandy, shared some important tips with me on how to find a great realtor for YOU.

It can be difficult to find a real estate professional that can read you, gets a feel of what you want or need and stands by you, even when you are looking at your 50th house. “50 Houses?” Yup, yours truly! When you are moving to a new town and you don’t know anyone, who do you pick? Take a look at this video:

+See if you can get referrals from friends

+Google the Realtor(s) you are considering – what kind of houses are they representing, have they written blog articles, do they seem knowledgeable?

+Ask your potential Realtors for references. By all means call them and talk to them. You’d be surprised how candid folks are.

+Ask if he or she is a full time Realtor

+Is the agent you are about to chose a Realtor or a real estate agent. There is a difference!

+Does the agent have a comprehensive website, is he familiar and comfortable with the internet and social media. This is particularly important if you are selling a home, after all more and more people are researching homes online before they turn to a realtor. An agent needs to know how to reach them.

+Does the agent practice dual agency? View the video to learn what this means!

Sandy Nelson is a veteran military spouse and specializes in residential real estate in the Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, Centralia and Dupont area, and in military relocations to and from Fort Lewis and McChord AFB, WA.
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Filed Under: Military LIfe Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Finding Schools in your new location

April 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Finding good Schools Strategies

Finding good schools is at the top of most families’ lists when they are moving. So HOW do you find good schools, when you are moving into an area that you do not know anything about?

The wealth of information can be daunting and it’s easy to get bogged down in performance metrics like test scores and graduation rates. It might help you to make a list on what’s important to you. You might want to go to Google and “cruise the streets” via their street view feature to get an idea of the area.

  • +SchoolMatters.com, operated by Standard & Poor’s. The site combines test scores, demographic data, parent feedback and other information on schools nationwide. The site does not include private schools.
  • +Greatschools.org includes private schools, though the information might not be as comprehensive as the public schools info.
  • +Schoolquest.org SchoolQuest will help you find information including school contacts, academic calendars, state testing guidelines, transition advice, and much more for local schools near your selected military community

What you might consider when you are looking at the data. These are just suggestions, everyone should develop their own strategies in finding a good school:

  1. Where is the school located: In a crime ridden or an affluent neighborhood. Bigger houses mean more money.
  2. How transient is the school population?
  3. Especially for Middle and High School: Take a look at the feeder schools, where are they located and what kind of population is coming into the school.
  4. What do other people say about the school? How active is it? Which program does it offer?
  5. What are people saying that are living there? Look at forums and ask questions.
  6. Of course, you’ll have to look at the test scores.
Filed Under: Education, Military LIfe Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What if your BAH rates are going down?

April 19, 2011 By 1 Comment

2010 BAH rate is protected

Mid-December of 2009 the Basic Allowance for Housing rates for 2010 were published. Find BAH rates of 2010 the past 12 years at the “DoD Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Committee” Website.

Service members with permanent duty within the 50 United States receive a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), when government quarters are not provided. BAH is based on housing costs in local civilian housing markets and therefore fluctuates yearly. Other factors determining the amount of BAH is based on geographic duty location, pay grade, and dependency status. While it is not the intention to compensate for ALL housing cost, BAH aims to cover rent, insurance and utilities.
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In 2010 you will in general only see a small increase in BAH compared to the previous year. This is mainly due to an increase in rental vacancies and a decline in rents various areas.

Overall, the BAH is in place to help service members pay for adequate housing. It is stated that military housing officials from each installation begin collecting data from the local rental market as early as January each year. They are looking at appropriate housing. It is not considered that E5 live with his 3 dependents in a 2 bedroom apartment.

If you live in a more metropolitan area you will find that BAH rates are generally higher and change more frequently, than the rates of rural areas where rates tend to be more stable.

If my BAH goes down then I have to pay rent out of pocket!

Those who do notice the BAH rates lower in their area than last year shouldn’t worry, because an individual rate protection law is in place. The policy protects those who already are under a rental agreement. So if BAH rates in their area are lower Jan. 1 than on Dec. 31, the previous, higher rate applies.

Does rate protection keep me from getting rate increases?

No. An individual is authorized the larger of: (a) the January 1 published BAH for grade and location; or (b) the housing allowance being paid on December 31.
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Filed Under: entitlements, Military Money Matters Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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