Whether it’s time to move on to the next chapter of a Marine Corps career or transitioning back to the civilian world, every Marine will at one point in time will encounter the Distribution Management Office.
It’s up to the Marine if this encounter will be pleasant or painful.
“We have a lot of Marines come in who just don’t know how the process works,” said Sgt. Christopher Hernandez, station DMO specialist. “They come in without the right paperwork and at the last second when there’s really not much we can do to help them.”
The first step for any move is visiting www.move.mil, the official Defense Personal Property System portal. Unlike before, Marines don’t just bring their orders down to DMO and have it inputted in the system; they have to fill out the information online themselves.
“There is so much information on the website to help with your move,” added Hernandez. “Marines just aren’t using it.”
On the www.move.mil homepage a tab titled “Before You Move” directs you to a step-by-step process of how to properly submit move information.
Once the online portion is complete, Marines then go to DMO to finalize.
“Regardless of the type of move, we need at least 10 – 15 business days to process,” said Hernandez. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal procure move (PPM) or a household goods move, it’s better to give yourself the extra time.”
Another important piece to making a move as seamless as possible is ensuring orders have accounting information. Without the accounting information DMO cannot authorize an advance or schedule a pick up.
For more in depth information on moving while in the military, visit www.move.mil or contact the Distribution Management Office at (928) 269-2311.
