Posted on Sep 20, 2019
How can I go about securing orders and preparing for a short notice PCS to overseas?
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So, as it says on the tin. My contract had me originally assigned to Ft Campbell following AIT for 68W, however I looked into my sponsorship and my welcome letter surprised me with USAG Italy! How do I go about securing my orders and preparing myself and my husband for this move with such short notice? How much leave will I have before my report date? I’m super blindsided, any input is appreciated!
PCS
Vicenza
Orders
Career Advice
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 7
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If I understand correctly you do not have orders and have not attended a Levy Briefing. Don't panic before you are attacked is my thought keep your mind on AIT when they process your orders and send you to a Levy Briefing then you will have the correct information and reaction time. My last OCONUS was a cluster do to me getting in a hurry it effected every thing including housing. My Suggestion is be Patient. Check with you current Chain of Command and see if they can offer any help with some of your questions after all They are you support group. Hope this helps.
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SPC Brionna V.
That is correct, SFC. Thank you so much, I'm just a little frazzled since I've got less than 2 months to prepare this - I spoke with my drill sergeants and was advised a followup would be done on my orders (I and a few others transferred from another company who have a good chunk of time before their orders are to be cut, the rest of my company has their assignment already). I appreciate the input.
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LTC Jason Mackay
SPC Brionna V. - ensure your spouse is ready to move. Prepare the household. Your overseas quarters will not be large. You'll also be limited with a weight allowance that is likely far less than you have currently. Get an idea of what you will take and what will be stored at government expense. Use this opportunity to purge stuff.
You'll likely have a Transportation appointment. Get with your sponsor in Italy and see if you should buy a car there or transport one.
Your spouse will need to be command sponsored. Step one, named in orders by name. Check your orders for that. Step two they need to go through the Personnel office to get a NO FEE passport with a SOFA stamp so your husband can work overseas. A tourist passport will not work. The official process handles he immigration visa piece. This takes up to six weeks. You may have to,proceed ahead of your spouse And then arrange for him to follow.
As SFC Robert Walton said, get your levy brief. They cover this in it as well as transportation considerations.
US Army Europe has a detailed command sponsorship site. Google it.
You'll likely have a Transportation appointment. Get with your sponsor in Italy and see if you should buy a car there or transport one.
Your spouse will need to be command sponsored. Step one, named in orders by name. Check your orders for that. Step two they need to go through the Personnel office to get a NO FEE passport with a SOFA stamp so your husband can work overseas. A tourist passport will not work. The official process handles he immigration visa piece. This takes up to six weeks. You may have to,proceed ahead of your spouse And then arrange for him to follow.
As SFC Robert Walton said, get your levy brief. They cover this in it as well as transportation considerations.
US Army Europe has a detailed command sponsorship site. Google it.
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If your AIT is the same as Gordon you should get your orders close to graduation from your company. The major thing for you would be to get to transportation and have your household goods shipped to Italy.
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SPC Brionna V.
Thank you SSG. My main concern is getting command sponsorship for my husband and arranging his paperwork so that he can move with me - overall, I’ve been told very little regarding OCONUS procedures and how to move forward. With me graduating from AIT in November, I have no clue how long I’ll have on leave before my report day to prep any of this, so trying to arrange it on weekdays and not miss instruction is nearly impossible.
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SFC (Join to see)
If Italy needs a Command Sponsorship than your husband will need to make sure his medical is up to date as well. You will need to do EFMP paperwork once you finally get your levy brief. That brief should be able to answer all your questions. You will more than likely have to do all of this while still in class. How much leave you can take will be how much you have acquired since joining and you can find that on your LES. Hopefully your unit will be able to let you get it all done before you leave. SPC Brionna V.
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You tell them to put you back on orders to Campbell and turn away from Italy, quickly lol.
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I like SFC Robert Walton advice! While you’re waiting for the Army to get it’s stuff together, do some proactive planning with your spouse. Have spouse get a passport. Check DOS web page for information about Italy. Research towns and tourists attractions near your new duty station. Ask spouse to start going through personal stuff. You need three piles: household goods, hold baggage, and Goodwill. Household goods may take more than a month to get to you. Hold baggage will arrive in a few weeks. Consider your vehicles. Don’t ship a beater overseas. Parts and labor are expensive for old cars. Italy is a great place to live for a few years. Good luck!
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SPC Brionna V.
Thank you sir! The advice is deeply appreciated - hopefully, things won't go and hit the fan and cause any more unexpected chaos. I'm looking into the possibility of my husband obtaining his passport through command sponsorship; from what I understand, he'll receive a passport as well as an Italian visa that will open the way for him to obtain his soggiorno. Hopefully, my levy brief will clear things up.
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Pretty much same thing happened to me when I was enlisted. Didn’t even know then we had Army base in Italy. I did all the briefings, went overseas first then pregnant wife and son cane few months later. They went to nearest military base for things and I went through the offices at Vicenza on my end to get them over there. During those years those with less than 2 years in and not E-4 could not have family travel with soldier at same time.
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SPC Brionna V.
Thank you sir! I'm trying to look into the levy briefs as well as how to get into one - with my training, it's been a little crazy trying to figure out what's going on. I appreciate the input!
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