Military families move all over the country and the world every three years. Some families move sooner than that depending on their military path.
We all stress over setting up our household goods appointments, plan around our pack-out dates, book transportation, find new schools at our next duty station, call new health providers, say farewell to the friendships we have made and search for a different job.
We try to prepare ourselves emotionally and physically for what is to come. Military families follow a specific checklist on each and every step from the moment we get orders to the moment we arrive at our new duty assignment.
But what happens when an already stressful PCS season turns dangerous? Who do we go to during our move and when we arrive at our new duty station if our families are faced with safety issues?
PCSing for some families goes beyond moving our belongings from point A to point B. Many military families, especially our Black, Hispanic and Indigenous military families, face concerning issues with every PCS. As we all know, military families have very little say when it comes to our orders and where we go next and this causes our underrepresented military families to struggle. Military families of color have experienced hatred, racism, discrimination and other hardships due to PCSing to areas where they are not welcomed. It does not matter whether they serve and wear the uniform proudly, they will be met with concerning situations, hostility and tense circumstances, from facing racism within their housing communities, to sharing discrimination stories happening to their children at local schools. Our military families of color are truly being impacted by their PCS orders far beyond the struggles of missing belongings and delayed deliveries. These frustrating and chaotic situations are causing families to think of their future in the military. With retention already an issue, taking care of our military families should be a priority to strengthen our sense of belonging and overall readiness.
Military branches like the Air Force have already given compassionate reassignment to military families facing discrimination at their duty stations. At least 15 families have moved since 2021 for harassment and discrimination due to racism and LGBTQ+ issues. We need the military as a whole to be transparent about these reassignments and share the data we need to make better-informed decisions when choosing our PCS options.
Moving to states with a higher prevalence of discrimination can have a life-altering impact on our military families. The potential risk of physical harm and violence can create a disturbing PCS season for these families.
Currently, Secured Families Initiative, a nonpartisan group formed by military spouses and loved ones, is fighting these hardships by putting into action their “Campaign for PCS Safety.” This will allow military families compositions and identities to be taken into consideration when PCSing and will share transparency to data and issues military families of color face at different duty stations.
Policy Recommendations
The SFI Caucuses respectfully request the following slate of policy recommendations to be incorporated in the 2024-2025 National Defense Authorization Act:
- Each branch reports on opportunities within existing assignment processes for service members to raise safety concerns, no matter their rank or job.
- Compassionate Reassignment usage data be reported back to Congress for assessment.
- The Department of Defense (DoD) makes existing data sets regarding safety in communities where service members may be assigned available to military families.
- DoD school liaisons be properly equipped and trained to handle issues relating to racism and discrimination.
- Every military family has the right to educational stabilization programs, to include guaranteeing the same access in every branch.
- Research on screening tool for service members and their families to identify adverse health effects caused by racial discrimination.
Why should this matter? Why should it matter to you?
As military spouses we pride ourselves in being leaders, advocates, and volunteers within our communities. We are loyal to our military, we show unwavering support through the lifestyle we are part of and most of all aim to create a safe space for our service members, our loved ones and the friendships this lifestyle has brought to us. We are a diverse community, one that in times of need comes together wonderfully to make everyone feel welcomed and safe. This should not be any different when it comes to our military families of color. These issues affect the overall quality of life for our military families and everyone needs to feel respect and support. PCS safety hazards keeps our service members and their families from being focused on the mission, deployments and military tempo to come. These hardships affect resilience, mental health, readiness, education, employment opportunities and so much more. That is why it matters, that is why it should matter to you. As you welcome new neighbors through the duty stations you belong to, as you invite others into your home, into your circles, be aware that PCS safety can be a concern for many as we all tackle stressful moves all over the country. We are stronger together, a cohesive group who strives to be an example of what that 1% should be. We look out for our own, always.