The Key to a Successful PCS is to Never PCS
I am moving this week from South Korea to the United States to begin my next assignment. I am reminded, once again, that no matter how many times we do this, it never gets less stressful. And nothing ever seems to go right.
Three days ago, we were nearly finished with our unaccompanied baggage shipment and getting ready to move into our hotel at Osan Air Base. I received a call that because of a COVID-19 case on base, it was closed to outsiders. Our arrangements were canceled.
Earlier in the day, I went to turn my travel itinerary into a plane ticket and was informed that Alaskan Air canceled the second leg of our flight. We would now be overnighting in Seattle instead of finishing the journey straight through.
Immediately following that, I went to deregister my car at the Pyeongtaek DMV, and the staffer told me that I could not complete the process because I had a speeding ticket. Of course, I didn’t have a speeding ticket — I paid it three days before. The system just needed to be updated.
Classic, right? I know this is not unusual. It’s just how it goes for servicemembers when we uproot our lives and prepare to reset.
And we do this dance, year after year. My daughter, who turns five in October, will be moving to her fifth city in July.
Despite all the setbacks and frustrations of moving, I still find that the hardest part is leaving the memories behind: memories with friends, memories with coworkers, and memories with family.
While they may not be all positive memories, they all carry the emotional weight that has formed me into the husband, father, friend, and leader that I’ve become.
If you enjoyed this content, please subscribe to the jumo brief today to receive a free weekly newsletter in your inbox every Saturday morning! You will receive weekly content like this and much more!
The jumo brief helps leaders keep up to date on social commentary, news, and current events that are relevant to the Army.
The views expressed are those of Brennan Randel and do not reflect the official position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or any government agency.
