pcsing to schofield barracks (Honolulu, Wahiawa: sex offenders, day care, how much)

[m&rwilliams]

My husband found out that we will be pcsing to schofield barracks in October. I have heard soooo many different stories, good bad and scary. I have a 16 yr old son a 12 yr old son and a 1 yr old daughter and a dog. I have already got his blood work/shots done and sent to Oahu. we were thinking of shipping him later if we end up staying in a hotel. someone said that we cannot get on the housing list until we are physically out there. is that true? someone also told us that we have to pay for the hotel out of pocket and then wait to be reimbursed from the army. some people say they waited up to 6 months to be reimbursed. what about day care? does military provide any day care at a cheaper price? weve heard that the price is the same as going to college. we have 2 cars but thinking about only taking one and just leaving the other here. not sure how it works. we don't have definite answers about anything. were thinking about looking into housing outside of mil. housing but people say there are too many bad areas. I grew up in the bay area so I don't know how much of a difference bad areas are there vs the bay. we currently live in el paso. how do we go about getting our cars there? does the military move them from our home or do we have to drive them to a port? how many days out? what if our hhg get there before we do? I have sooooo many questions as not too many ppl in the army seem to have actual answers. someone pleeeease help. my husband is currently an e4 looking to hopefully make e5 soon.

[wikiwikirunner]

There are countless threads on this topic, and even one on this page:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/oahu/...pcsing-hi.html

[hunterseat]

I was there a year, working at JBPHH. I lived in Ewa Beach at the Waterfront at Puuloa. The traffic was horrendous going to the Airport area. HOWEVER there were a LOT of Schofield occupants there and the commute wasn't too too bad from what I heard. The Waterfront has day care centers and an elementary school on property. It's a gated community WAY out in the middle of nowhere so teenagers can't just walk over to the mall and get in trouble - if that's an issue. There are pro's and con's of the WAP but I have a friend who loves it. It's on the beach. It's also in the Airport traffic pattern - approach. You have to know what area to pick your house in. They are dog friendly with a dog park and beach. (off the leash dog beach on Hickam) The base next door has a gym and there's one on property. They have activities all the time.
If you look up sex offenders you will pretty much find NONE at the WAP.
We had a 4 br (a stretch if you see the two rooms divided by sliding panels.) But plenty of room. I'd consider it if I were you. They have a military mini-mart/gas station. It's on the ocean and Pearl Harbor. you can sit on the beach and watch subs come in. (no lifeguards) There's a fb page for the WAP and also a community fb page. You should join the fb pages and take a look. If nothing else it can give you a year to figure out what exactly you plan to do. Also we think Schofield has the best pool. And the lemon lots are awesome, love the one on Schofield. We bought 3 island cars there, lots of those available. A very fun place to spend a tour!! Hickam and Barber's Point are good places to get paddleboards from MWR (Barber's is more of a challenge) and there's an army area up Waianae but they run out of boards quickly.

[FCStraight]

M&Rwilliams: Is it ok to assume your PCS is military? (civilians PCS there too, you know) I was stationed in Schofield Barracks before with my family...and we were assigned a pcs sponsor who provided us with all the relocation info, life and expectations on Oahu, school info for our kids, housing, etc., etc., sent us a huge relocation package on Hawaii, got us on the housing list (with my orders)...but not sure if they can still do that; and met us at the airport and drove us around until my POV arrived. That's what a sponsor is for. And you should have gotten one. The sponsor's job is to make your move to your new duty station as smooth and hassle-free as possible.

[FCStraight]

m&rwilliams- Sorry....I went too fast reading your thread. Yes, you're military. So you're going there with you husband command-sponsored right? If you are command-sponsored...and authorized HHG and POV shipment....your husband's Personnel Center and Transportation Office are suppose to provide you with detailed instructions where to go..and how to get all that done. Never missed nor failed for me with the 13 PCS moves I've made...both in the military and as DOD civilian. To answer your question about POV shipment. If you are not too far away from a VPC (Vehicle Processing Center)..wherever that may be from where you are..you would normally have to drive your vehicle there for processing. Generally, if you are too far away from a port where vehicles are shipped from..such as where you are, there should be place at or near Ft. Bliss where you can drop off your vehicle for shipment overseas (Hawaii is considered overseas...referred to as OCONUS). When I last PCS from Germany...I was at a location several hundred miles from the port...so I dropped off my POV right at the vehicle holding area on post...and it was trucked off to the port of embarkation for shipment. For your info...IF YOUR MOVE IS COMMAND-SPONSORED...EVERYTHING WILL BE TAKEN CARED OF FOR YOU. As such, you will be reimbursed for the cost of temporary lodging at your current location (El Paso)..and for whatever number of days you're authorized upon arrival in Hawaii. I'm not sure how they do the housing part of it nowadays...and again, you should be asking the right folks ON POST...not on this forum....as you may end up getting the wrong info. With regard to cost incurred enroute to your destination... I am not sure how the Active side does it now...but whenever I PCS, I can request an advance on my pay to cover expenses enroute to my destination. I have never requested advance on PCS moves as I have always saved what we have to spend when we travel on PCS. Child care is at your own expense...but generally costs much less on post. Every post and base usually has a child care center. Again, if you are command-sponsored....there is nothing for you to guess or inquire about....all that should have been provided to you. There should be a family support center at Ft Bliss whose only purpose in life is to HELP, PROVIDE INFORMATION, ASSIST...military families! Go there...if your husband's unit is not helping you out. Between your husband's unit and the offices in charge of processing his and your PCS move....and your husband's PCS sponsor at the gaining command...you should not have to be writing your thread with questions on this forum. I hope you get all your questions answered from the right people. Best of luck. PS: The town outside Schofield Barracks is Wahiawa. Pretty safe town. I would be scared to wander around El Paso (I have). That area is also a bit higher elevation than Pearl or Honolulu areas...so it gets kind of nippy at night...in the winter months. You'll love it there...just keep an open mind and get off-post regularly to meet the natives. My kids loved it there! Been back there a few times since. I'll go back in a heartbeat...if given the chance.

[HI85WH1]

I met a couple recently whose last name is williams... MR.. your first name isnt Erick is it?

[hunterseat]

Originally Posted by HI85WH1

I met a couple recently whose last name is williams... MR.. your first name isnt Erick is it?

Ya shoulda asked!!

[HI85WH1]

Originally Posted by hunterseat

Ya shoulda asked!!

Well, since he joined our HOG Chapter I guess I'll find out!