PCS Move to Japan

Somewhere south of Japan. (May 2017) - Photo by MC2 Nathan Burke

Goodbye everyone, it's been fun! I leave the United States in a few days, headed for USS Ronald Reagan, ported in Yokosuka, Japan. It's a lot of work to get ready to PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move to a new country and I wanted to share some tips for anyone who comes after me.

* Things change all the time, so don't take this guide for gospel!

* I post way more often to I Am Your Eyes on Facebook, so get there.

If you don't feel like reading, I did a quick video showing what packing for this was like.

https://www.facebook.com/122199361139641/videos/2102478163111741/

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Permanent Change of Station is a fancy phrase for moving to a new command. 

So far I've PCSed from the Nimitz to Syracuse University to Defense Media Activity, which are all commands in this country. Going to Japan ups the game just a little bit.

Here's some quick tips:

Start early.  I'm a single Sailor with no kids or pets and it took almost two weeks to get prepared to leave. Those with families will want to start a month or two early. 

Read all the paperwork. The Navy will send you lots of good gouge to read, as should your next command. It will have important things like flight info and cultural details of the host country. 

• I posted detailed info about flying to Japan at the bottom of the page. Thanks to Reddit user TheBeneGesseritWitch!

• BE ANNOYING. If there's anything you don't understand, call people and ask! My itinerary had detailed info on my flight from Baltimore to Seattle, but very little about the plane from Seattle to Japan. I called four people before I found someone who could tell me what the check in process was like, the plane seating details, etc.

Understand the packing process. If you have large items, like furniture, you'll be assigned a Household Goods move. If you have small stuff, like me, you'll get an Unaccompanied Goods move. You could have both types! 

Breaking down the stationary bike and weight bench, hoping UG movers would take it.

My place came pre furnished so I only needed a UG move. I had a couple of larger items I wanted them to fit, but had to wait until the movers arrived to find out if they'd take them. No one on the phone would say for sure. (They ended up taking everything)

http://www.wetooktheroadlesstraveled.com/2014/08/tips-for-moving-with-the-military.html

This was the UG move items. I've been told three weeks to two months for this to arrive.

Sell Sell Sell.  Not everything should make the trip overseas. Many things are just easier to buy over there. For me, it was my Jeep, my water cooler, mountain bike, and a bunch of smaller stuff. Figure this out at the beginning so you can start selling or giving away. (I mostly gave away)

Why would I sell my bike? Because I don't want to wait for it to arrive in the UG shipment, so I'll just buy a new one.

The Navy has too many damn uniforms. Look at those sexy PO1 chevrons though.

Double check your uniforms (especially the blues or whites).  Depending on the time of year, you'll be expected to arrive to your new command in dress blues or whites. Make sure they look good, have the proper rank (did you get promoted) and still fit (did you get fat).

Take off all pinned rank and ribbon items and store them in a plastic bag, to lessen the chance of them getting torn off when some baggage handler tosses it.

Mama's vacuum bags made my uniform items super small.

Get magic bags.  They're called vacuum bags, and they decrease the amount of space your stuff takes up. Thanks to my mama for suggesting these and letting me use some of hers!

This is my checked and carry on stuff. I bought a blue suitcase so it'd be easier to spot at baggage claim. Every small electronic item I own is in here.

Carry on items, so all this is going in the backpack. Make sure you have:

• your printed orders
• your passport
• a bag with sunflower, pistachio, and pumpkin seeds

Make sure checked and carry on stuff is separate from your HH or UG move items, because the movers will take everything they see. I put all this stuff in a separate room and told them everything in there was staying. Simple.

My PC obviously couldn't go in checked luggage. I was told it was a bad idea to ship it with my high end graphics card still attached, as it could get easily damaged during a rough ride...

I didn't take this pic just to show everyone I own a Founder's Edition GTX 1080, the best graphics card on the planet.

...so I took it out and shipped it in its original packaging. I'm terrible at assembling, disassembling, or maintaining ANYTHING so this was a big win for me.

SURVIVAL TIP: Pack your electronics in their original boxes if you can, but DON'T SEAL THEM. The movers will want to copy serial numbers so they have a record on their end.

They put everything in huge boxes. Maurice and Lindsey were awesome. Thanks again guys!

Treat the movers right.  These guys are working their asses off all day. Have some snacks and drinks ready for a UG move, and give them sandwiches or pizza for the bigger HH moves. Also, tip them. I gave them $40 each at the end and they were very appreciative. That was probably more than necessary, but they were cool. (we laughed almost the whole time...good conversation)

It feels awkward to have strangers moving your stuff. I asked them if I could do anything to help and liked the response. He said "just hang out and talk to us." That's a great approach, because it's a non-creepy way to stay in the equation to make sure it goes smoothly.

I just hung out on the couch and played Stepbrothers real loud so everyone could enjoy it.

Learn the language (don't be lazy like me).  I need to get on this, because knowing some Japanese will make my 3-year tour more rewarding...and help me talk to women without accidentally saying something weird like "I enjoy tickling myself in the tub."

I just bought Hiragana Battle, an old school RPG game that teaches Japanese writing.  Might help.

Don't blow stuff up.  Be prepared for different voltage in another country. Depending on where you are, you might need adapters or even converters. This could be a post on all on its own, but check out this page for good info.

http://www.japanupdate.com/2015/02/japanese-versus-north-american-voltage-and-frequency/

Know the flight process. Going to Japan means a flight on the Patriot Express out of Seattle. It's part of the Air Mobility Command. (AMC) I'm still learning about all this, but here's a couple helpful links.

https://www.facebook.com/SeaTacAmcPassengerTerminal/ (VERY RESPONSIVE TO MESSAGES)

http://www.spacea.net/faq/patriot-express

SURVIVAL TIP: If arriving in Seattle from another flight, get your checked luggage from baggage claim. It doesn't fly straight through to Japan, so you'll need to recheck it when getting your AMC ticket.

Here's step-by-step instructions to get you through the Seattle Tacoma airport USO and flight check-in process. Individual experience will vary, especially since flight times change frequently. I'll be spending the night in the USO, so I won't follow this exactly.

Reddit user TheBeneGesseritWitch saw me fumbling around on there looking for PCS info and sent me some excellent info. I don't know this person, so taking the time to do this for me meant a lot.

"So I actually just walked my sponsee through this process:

1. Go to the USO on the second floor of SEATAC. Check in at the desk; the employees are really rude, but, whatever. They also have a storage unit there where you can check in your seabag/luggage. I checked in at like, 1200 the day prior; I have family in the SEATAC area so I promptly went over to my sister in laws and chilled. But the USO is a great place to hang out if you don't want to explore Seattle....go get some starbucks, the original is out there.
2. Chill out until roll call, which is like, at 0300 (it'll say on your orders)
3. Go back to the USO about a half hour early to get your luggage, and the directions to whichever gate they're going to issue you tickets from.
4. Go get your tickets. This is a long-ass line; have a copy of your orders handy. And don't freak out, if you're on orders, you will have a seat on the plane. If you're on leave or a retiree, you might be SOL, but yeah, you'll be okay.
5. Take your tickets and boarding pass over to the military baggage turn-in area--this is near the luggage check in where people are dropping off their pets and oversized luggage. Turn in your luggage.
6. Go through security.
7. It's probably about 0700 around now. Grab breakfast and snacks for the plane (they will feed you on the plane, but snacks are always good.)
8. Find your gate. Chill out, you've got another two hours (ish).
9. Get on the plane, put on your headphones and eyemask and sleep the entire flight because it'll help you with jetlag. Seriously, the time difference will jack you up when you arrive.
10. Land in Yokota, have your passport and orders ready; they're gonna give you an abbreviated 7th Fleet Liberty Policy Brief, and try to usher you onto a shuttle to/from Yokota to whichever other base you're really going to--if you're flying further (usually to Korea) you stay on the plane for this ~3 hour layover.

Google "Patriot Express" and there are some youtube videos where you can see the inside of the plane. It's a "normal" civilian plane, 767, it's just run and staffed by military. That being said, I've done MAC flights in the back of an A-10 Warthog, so I mean, my first thought was "oh shit, the Navy's gonna fly me 12 hours in a fucking cargo transport plane," but this is nothing like that.

Oh, and my sponsee said her flight didn't have USB connections so maybe grab a battery pack for the flight, but mine did, so, YMMV."

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I read that last part about a battery pack, slapped my forehead, and went to Best Buy and got a smartphone/tablet recharger. Thank you! (And thanks to my mama for helping me research those things.)

I'll add more to this post as I learn about the process. Expect photos of the sleeping area in the SEA-TAC airport USO and of the Patriot Express plane. Wish me luck! 

The [military] broadcast center of the universe

My cubicle is NOT the center of the broadcast universe.

That title may have built this post up a bit, but my new job really is in on the front line of military news reporting.  I work for DoD News (formerly The Pentagon Channel) which reports on all military-wide news.

Working very near us are armies of servicemembers and civilians producing content for individual military branches.  Everyone is churning out TV broadcasts, commercials, social media blitzes and much more.
 

The DoD News control room.

My building is called Defense Media Activity, or DMA, and it's located on Fort Meade.  There are billions of high-paced conversations happening all around me. 

"...Did you get the lead-in request for that Kirby brief?"
"...We're at speed when content control is ready for Sundance recording"
"...I need to coordinate a web transfer for this rotator please."

These and many other phrases are sloooooowly becoming things I understand.

 

Ever watch a news show where they cut to someone in the newsroom?  We do that here.  Air Force Staff Sergeant Chad Usher is preparing for what's called a "toss" to him from the studio.

See the camera way back there?  It's controlled remotely from the DoD News control room.

I can run the teleprompter!  

Goodbye Syracuse! Hello [lots of stuff]!

Graduation night.  MC1 Lingo, center with duck lips.  Selfie by Shawn Weismiller.

Ok that's all she wrote for Syracuse University.  We all made it through, with MC1 Nicholas Lingo not only working towards a master's (on top of normal course work), but earning the best grades in the group. (pretty much straight A's)

Those of you in the military have already realized that the bonds formed between us are stronger than most, because of what we go through.  There will always be a special connection with classes that survive two semesters (and a winter) at Syracuse U.

Huge shoutout to all the civilians and Navy 

that have worked to keep this program alive and well.

To my classmates: 

MC2 Torrey Lee 
MC2 Dom Pineiro
MC2 Bullet Tooth Tony Ramos

MC1 D Kennon
MC1 Nick Next Level Lingo
MC1 Ras Rasmussen
MC1 Sean Spratt


Love you guys.  Stay safe out there.

MC1 Alan Gragg (center with hand on hip), an instructor at DINFOS, gives a pep talk after PT.

That last line is normally when I'd start crying...but look what I get to do now!  Take photos of A schoolers!

Okay I technically work at Defense Media Activity, more specifically The Pentagon Channel.  But my building is located next door to the Defense Information School, so after checking in to work, I quickly showed up to see what the newbies were doing.  I tagged along for their 0430 PT muster today.  That's 4:30...AM.

After an hour of me realizing how out of shape I was, a couple students came and talked to me about the blog, and even knew about my Mars One venture.  (Manukin and ...Ecklebecker [sp?])

I'm really psyched to get personal access to this stuff, for two reasons.  One, my readers want current information.  Two, I love being in the place where MCs are molded.

Hopefully they don't get too annoyed with the old guy taking photos of them all the time.  I'll have more on my job as I learn it, and more on MC A school as I get the chance to get over there.

IMPORTANT:  Ignore any rumors about me getting covered in ants during PT and running around like I was on fire.

Syracuse University - It begins

I made it!  The journey started in Thailand and landed me in New York's Syracuse University.  For the next nine months I'll attend one of the top media schools in the country.  

  A stopover in my home state of Maryland meant good times with Mama... (she's a black belt)

and epic newspaper reading with Dadeo.

 I've been taking advantage of the warm weather while it lasts.  Central New York has a lot of lakes... 
 

 and mountain bike trails.  A deer pauses to marvel at my biking skills.

 Okay two things:

1.  The Navy is the only branch to attend Syracuse this year.  In a time of tight budgets, our top folks found a way to keep the program going.  This is why Navy is the best branch.

2.  The instructors here are top of their game.  I've attended several colleges, and Syracuse professors have a much higher level of knowledge and more importantly, passion, about their subjects.

This room displays photos and backgrounds of our communications instructors.  They've got pretty heavy credentials.  Our Sound for Picture instructor worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  He's holding a voluntary workshop for us on Saturday.  Who wouldn't want to go to that?

This is Al.  He worked with us on a video refresher course just before regular classes started on Monday.  Here he demonstrates how to be a badass camera operator, while I document the event.

Al shows us creative ways to attach lights to everything in sight.

The Sailors and their families enjoy lovely all-you-can-eat snow crab legs!

Getting destroyed in my first broadcast assignment.   I used to think I could write.

The only downside so far has been this beast.  I am not a fan of shoulder mounted cameras.  Unless you've been using them for years, they're just too bulky and awkward to be effective storytelling tools.  We were also assigned a Nikon D800 DSLR.  I will attempt to shoot documentary video with that instead.

More to come, including several posts from deployed Sailors!

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Location: Syracuse, NY   Miles traveled:  5,638

I'm home!

I was excited until I realized I was standing in goose poop.  Photo by MC3 Siniff.

Well, at least for the time being.  I've just arrived at Naval Station Everett, where Nimitz will be homeported after her dry dock ends.  I'm really happy to have a barracks room, but the sea calls, so I won't be in it much.  The ship won't be here for a bit longer, but I needed check into the room ahead of time.

Sunset in Everett.  Photo by me.

Like Bremerton, this base has a great view of the water.  You can get closer to it here, though.

SURVIVAL TIP:  If a scene like this presents itself, slow down and absorb it.  It'll help balance the hectic moments that fill your days as an MC.

I am complete

 Metal love.

Break out the champagne, Siren made it!  Yesterday my motorcycle was delivered safe and sound to my waiting arms.  I immediately went for a ride, and everything was gravy.

If you ride...you know what I'm talking about.

The guys that brought Siren made sure the bike had enough gas and started ok before leaving.

The process was pretty painless and I'd definitely recommend Allied to ship your bike.  But use uShip first to see what kind of bids you can get.  (see earlier post about Uship)  Just be ready to talk to a lot of people throughout the transaction.  (corporate schedulers, dispatchers, individual drivers)

I am a transient

Emptying the trash is one of many not-so-glamorous jobs at TPU.

My stay on Coronado Island didn't last long.  After a little bit of confusion, I have ended up a few miles south at Naval Base San Diego.  I am staying at the TPU, or transient processing unit.

I'll be here until my ship pulls in to Coronado Island.  My new home is not nearly as nice.  During indoctrination on Monday, they told us which areas in the immediate vicinity to avoid.  The reason was gang activity.

But the weather's fantastic!

I share a room with three other guys.  Two of them are coming onto the Nimitz with me.  It's the first ship for all of us.  One is a nuclear technician, the other an aviation administrator.

The reactions to my job are varied.  Some want me to take a picture of them, others give me a you-lucky-dog smile.  I've already recruited two Sailors to take photos of me.  They seemed pretty stoked to get a photo credit.

When I told one Sailor about Admiral Moynihan reading the blog, he replied: "You guys have your own admiral?"

 Cleaning tile 74B...left-handed...there was only one glove.

I've been assigned to bathroom and p-way cleaning duty.  Monday through Friday, from 0730-1430, I clean toilets, showers, sinks, sweep & swab, take out trash, etc.

Once I'm free, I head straight for the internet locations.  I've been bouncing around trying different places.  Here I am studying for E-4 at the bowling alley while waiting for the Ravens game to start.

The various commands here PT during the day.  It's always 70 degrees, so why not?  They run, play football, soccer, frisbee, etc.  We don't PT at TPU.

Notice the small group of Soldiers in the lower left corner.  Ironic, coming from an Army base.

I've been swamped with acronyms since arriving.  I saw this sign and stood there wondering what SALUTES and PRIDE stood for.  I thought my salute was pretty good, but this made it sound much harder.  After heavy contemplation I'm 97% sure they're not acronyms.

The highlight of the last few days was watching the Ravens beat the Jets to start the season 1-0.  I met up with Marty (Carey) and his buddies from Combat Camera at Cabo Cantina in Pacific Beach.

Ignore that San Francisco hat.

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SURVIVAL TIPS

1.  Be flexible.  If you find yourself thinking "This isn't in my job contract", squash it.

2.  Make sure your sponsor tells you where you need to go upon arriving.

3.  If you're eligible to take the E-4 exam after arriving, be sure the Fort Meade Navy detachment sets it up!  They need to forward the exam to your new command.  I have to wait a month because something went wrong and there's no test for me to take here.

4.  Keep your military bearing.  You're going to see a lot of Sailors that aren't at the level DINFOS teaches us.  Don't talk in formation, keep your uniform looking good, cover on outside.

Yeah it's crappy busy work, but do whatever job they give you with professionalism.

Welcome to Coronado Island

The view of the Pacific made me drop my bags in awe.

I've arrived at my new duty station, on Naval Base Coronado!  Fort Meade seems light years away right now.  Being on a huge Navy base for the first time is pretty cool.  (The gate guards are wearing NWUs!) 

I told the students to be reliable and treat their word as a valuable asset.

I gave the DINFOS students a final talk before I left.  They gave me a nice "awwwww" when I told them I was leaving the next day.  That was sweet.  My mother took photos and told Lieutenant Commander Cummings she was my press agent.

Votaw drove me onto Naval Base Coronado and past some great scenery.

My first piece of advice on transitioning to your first permanent duty station:

Have a shipmate who knows the area pick you up at the airport and show you around. 

Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Votaw is an MC who showed me how to be a good section leader at Fort Meade.  He picked me up and took me on a tour of San Diego.  It was a true VIP experience.

My cheap camera is extremely homesick and refuses to focus but I feel good.  I'm still getting my bearings but will post more soon!