Military Home Front replaces SITES Web site

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nestor Cruz
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  A Permanent Change of Station move can be stressful, especially without all the right information. 

But recently, two online resources became available to help military members prepare for a PCS: militaryhomefront.dod.mil and militaryonesource.com. These two Web sites replaced the Standard Installation Topic Exchange Service, commonly known as SITES, which provided service members information on the bases they were moving to. 

"SITES was the premier web site for 14 years which contained relocation information for every military base," said John Geoffrey, Airman and Family Readiness Center community readiness consultant. "All the information there has been migrated to the Military Home Front site, but it will take a while for all the information to be fully updated and current. I'm confident we'll have a really good product when all is said and done." 

Military Home Front features base-specific information as submitted by each installation. Information includes addresses and phone numbers for such frequented places such as the housing office, finance, child care services, legal services, commissary, fitness center, library, clubs and other base agencies. The site also includes links to the various offices and services. 

"When information was migrated from SITES to Military Home Front, the intention was to deliver a better product and make it more user-friendly," said Tony Goodsell, also an Airman and Family Readiness Center community readiness consultant. 

One "user-friendly" feature on Military Home Front is the "Plan My Move" tool. Here, service members can take charge of their PCS move by accessing information about entitlements and benefits, points of contact, checklists, planning tools, and information on education and employment. The site also allows users to create a custom family moving plan and calendar. 

Another handy Web site available to military members and their families is militaryonesource.com. The site provides a wide range of topics such as home or car buying, budgeting, retirement investing, single parenting, adoption, summer camps for children, deployment preparation and return, health and relationships, tobacco cessation and transitioning to civilian life. Licensed counselors and consultants are also available 24/7 by phone or email to answer questions. 

In addition to these online resources, the Airman and Family Readiness Center continues to offer classes, seminars and other resources to assist Kadena Airmen and their families. Classes such as Smooth Move and Heartlink are offered regularly, free of charge. 

"People can register for our next Smooth Move class and meet all the base agencies we bring in to get useful information," Mr. Geoffrey said. "Our job is to provide information so members know what to face at their next base." 

Whether online or through the Airman and Family Readiness Center, information and resources are available to help make a PCS move less stressful. 

"It's important for Airmen to keep an open line of communication with their sponsor," Mr. Geoffrey said. "Moving can be very stressful for anybody. The idea is to minimize that stress and that's what we're here for."