Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Going, going,gone, but not forgotten;Deployed Marines get storage help

4/28/2003 By Cpl. John F. Silwanus, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan — Unaccompanied servicemembers preparing to deploy for more than 90 days can now leave, rest assured their possessions are in good hands. With help from their units, Marines can arrange to have their personal belongings stored at one of the Traffic Management Office warehouses on Okinawa."When units pay an outside contractor to professionally pack the belongings of their Marines, it cuts down on a lot of hassles the Marines may face later," said Chief Warrant Officer E.E. Pido Jr., officer-in-charge, Personnel, Property and Transportation Office, G-4, Marine Corps Base. "There are also several benefits besides the lack of hassles."TMO does not pack the belongings themselves, because it is not an official Permanent Change of Station move, Pido said. The servicemember should contact his command to find out if they will fund a contractor to pack his belongings. The contractors can then arrange to deliver it to the TMO warehouse. This will help eliminate confusion at the warehouse."Marines often drive to the warehouse with their gear in a five-ton and hand it to us. That creates confusion down at the warehouse," said Staff Sgt. Arnaldo Tinoco, operations chief, TMO, G-4, Marine Corps Base. "We coordinate with the movers when they bring the gear down to the warehouse and from there, we store it."The professional movers can pack the belongings with the proper materials and ensure that an inventory of items is taken. This helps the Marines with compensation in case of any broken items.Storing materials at the TMO warehouse also helps Marines because there are no storage fees for the gear, according to Tinoco. The warehouse will store the gear as long as the request is more than 90 days. "There is no cost for storage for as long as the Marine is TAD," Tinoco said. "We can store the gear for as long as needed."Tinoco also said that TMO will support individuals in any way, but in his opinion, aligning the movers makes it easier on everyone. His opinion was recently proved true when members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit worked through their unit to set up TMO for many of their unaccompanied Marines."The 31st (Marine Expeditionary Unit) had a representative contact a local mover to pack the Marines' gear and from there the movers worked it out with us," Tinoco said. "It turned out to be easier for everyone."

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

No comments: