DoD Web site touts MTMC personal property moves - Department of Defense's online information on Military Traffic Management Command's personal property transportation services - Brief Article

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, March-April, 2001 by Leesha Galery

Thanks to a veteran military reporter, information on personal property moves managed by the Military Traffic Management Command are showcased on the Web.

More than 20 stories--mostly about MTMC--are located on the principal Web site of the Department of Defense. It is a one-stop information site on personal property moves especially for service members.

"Our aim is to explain the moving process in every day language," said Rudi Williams, of the American Forces Information Service, Alexandria, Va.

"There is so much involved in moving service members and civilians around the world," said Williams, "the traveler needs to have their questions answered at the onset."

The personal property information is located at: http://www. defenselink.mil/specials/ itsyourmove/.

The site is named "It's Your Move" after a booklet of the same name developed several years ago.

"The Internet site has everything you ever wanted to know about moving household goods worldwide," said Williams.

Williams should know. The former Washington bureau chief for "Stars & Stripes" made numerous moves as a soldier in the U.S. Army. Williams retired as a sergeant major in American Forces Information Service in 1990 after 27 years of military service. Later that year, he began working for the service as a civilian.

The Web site includes information on moving household goods, cars, mobile homes, boats and, even, pets.

"A lot of people have pets; they love them and they love to read about them," said Williams.

The week Williams posted an article on moving pets, the site reached its highest number of "hits."

"Parakeets, monkeys, snakes, rabbits, gerbils, fish and horses are just some of the pets that people try to move," said Williams.

"My advice is not to take your horse to port with you--you're going to have to take it back."

Williams says that most people know the government will ship your personal vehicle for Permanent Change of Station moves, but a lot of service members do not know that they can also ship their boats.

The site has stories about the stress of moving with comments from medical experts on how families can cope.

"Our primary interest is the military, but our civilians are also very important," said Williams. "They move around, too."

Articles on spousal employment and childcare information are also listed.

"Spouses need to know about the job market wherever they go," said Williams.

Members can learn important information about the Department of Defense school system, including special education programs. The articles are timely and full of facts, points and suggestions.

"I'm always looking for new ideas for the site," said Williams. "I want the site to cover everything it can.

"Most new service members have no idea of what is involved in military moves. We want to provide all the information we can."

Many of the articles also appear on Web sites for the departments of Agriculture, Immigration and Customs.

There are pitfalls for the service member and his or her family moving from overseas, said Williams.

"They need to know why they can't bring the nice fruit they received overseas back home with them."

The site has colorful images and is easy to navigate through.

Williams gives credit for the user-friendly site to its Web designers.

Retired Naval Reserve Petty Officer Pam Johnson led the team that included Tech. Sgt. Phillip Copeland and Lisa Stanford.

The Web is just the starting point for the information, said Williams.

The news articles are sent throughout the Department of Defense, including satellite feeds to Navy ships at sea.

"Not everyone has access to the World Wide Web," said Williams. "Our plan is to have all military news services carry the stories in print, so the word reaches as many service members as possible."

Williams is already looking to the future.

His next goal is to compile passenger travel information on a similar site.

"Space A information is possible," said Williams. "Expect to see it in the future.

We will do virtual time updates daily."

Leesha Galery
Legislative Liason
Comamnd Affairs Office