Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo  Military and Family Support Center

If you arrive in Sasebo with orders to a command that is currently deployed, you will report to the Transient Personnel Detachment in Building PW63, and they will hold you, either until your deployed unit returns to Sasebo, or until you are properly processed for onward travel to pick up your unit during a port call.

Note: Each individual's situation is unique. Information contained in this section is intended to be a broad guideline that will help you better plan you and your family's arrival and provide information to assist in your permanent change of station.

Sasebo has a Family Member Assistance Team, which is comprised of sailors on Temporary Duty Travel from various floating commands, that is responsible for assisting sailors and their family members with a number of services and concerns that arise when the military member is deployed. Assistance includes letters of dependency, Environmental and Morale Leave and Emergency Leave order processing, providing rapid contact with the deployed service member in times of emergency, and a myriad of other outstanding services.

• On arrival -- An FMAT sailor will be at the airport in Fukuoka meeting the majority of new arrivals as they exit Japanese customs. They will show you to the bus that will take you on the 1½-hour ride to Sasebo. Military members should take their families to visit the FMAT office, located on the first floor of Building 310, within the Fleet and Family Support Center, shortly after arrival, to familiarize them with the location of this dedicated team.
• Delayed arrival of dependents -- If family members will be following you, and you are deployed at the time of their arrival, FMAT, along with the FFSC, will provide them with support and help in accomplishing the many things they must do to settle into their new Navy community. We ask for maximum possible prior notification of such instances, so the command's ombudsman and Family Readiness Group president may be made aware, and prepare to appropriately welcome them to Sasebo.

The following are a few important things deploying personnel should attempt to accomplish for their family members prior to deploying:

Sponsor Support

Ideally, the service member's sponsor will be able to assist in getting much of the above accomplished, but if you find you are having problems, stop by the FFSC for either active help or referral to someone who can provide you with the level of assistance you require.

Financial Planning

Every service member must ensure the financial security of his or her family prior to getting underway. Another thing to consider during this tour in Japan: You will be entitled to a number of special pays and allowances that should significantly enhance your monthly income. This is an excellent opportunity for families to pay down -- or pay off -- their outstanding debt, and/or commit to a healthy savings program that will see them comfortably prepared for their return to the United States. Visit with the FFSC Personal Financial Management Program specialist for help in developing a sound budget plan, including:

• Allotments for your family's living expenses, as well as for major bills
• No matter who normally handles bill paying in your home, you may want to consider having the shorebound spouse assume that responsibility, due to the erratic nature of shipboard mail pick-up and delivery.
• Have you joined the Thrift Savings Plan yet? This is an excellent time to do so if you haven't.
• The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is available to assist in emergency situations, to include catastrophic car failure, but spouses cannot access these financial resources in the absence of their sponsor without first having the sponsor sign a waiver to permit such assistance. Without this waiver on file, the spouse must wait while FMAT communicates with the command and gets the service member's approval for such assistance.

Establish a Plan for Communicating

Communication is the key to maintaining a healthy relationship, as well as for minimizing unnecessary stress for yourself and your loved ones. It is important that the service member, spouse and children come up with a plan -- and expectations -- for keeping in touch. Unlike the days of sail, when mariners would be out of touch with their families for months, or even years, at a time -- in today's world, there is little excuse for not maintaining some degree of contact during deployments.

• Establish personal email accounts, possibly even for the children, and make a commitment to send a message at least once a week -- when system conditions permit. Yahoo, Hotmail, a local internet provider or other type of account is sufficient in most cases.
• Share photos and other memories via email attachment, but keep in mind, email messages too large in size (over 750 kilobytes) can jam a ship's system and either slow it down or stop it altogether.
• If you don't have a home computer or you otherwise need to find a computer to check and send your email from, FFSC has client computers you may log onto for this purpose. Most Navy Exchanges and MWR public facilities on base have Wi-Fi capability, making it possible to sit in the coffee shop at the club or the food court area, and freely use your laptop.
• Our deploying units will normally be operating in the local region, making mail service between the family on base and the sailor underway free of cost to you. You may send each other letters and packages, to include boxes of souvenirs from the ports you will visit, via the Military Postal Service mail, for free.
• Telephone connectivity, ship to shore, is considerably more available now than it was years ago, but it is costly. Perhaps you want to include plans for telephone contact during port visits, or monthly, just to keep up live contact with your loved ones.

Medical Care

Immediately following arrival in Sasebo, you must get your family member's medical and dental records to the Branch Medical Clinic, in Building 1529, on the main base. They will be under TRICARE, with the clinic capable of a limited range of medical care and services. Patients are referred to local Japanese hospitals for any extraordinary care matters, to include prenatal care and the birth of babies. The cost for this care is covered by the Navy, and the quality of care is superlative.

• Be aware, if you have a family member in the Exceptional Family Member Program or who has any acute medical problems or special conditions that takes extraordinary care and medication, such as severe asthma, you may want to seriously investigate Sasebo's capability to support their needs through your local medical treatment facility. This should definitely be addressed during your family's overseas screening process.
• Make sure your Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System information is up to date.

Family Care Plan

Create a Family Care Plan for your spouse to identify a broad range of concerns, including what is to be done in the case of your spouse becoming incapacitated. Who is to look after the children, etc.? Your command will assist you in preparing this document.

Naval Legal Services Office

All deploying personnel are highly encouraged to get a power of attorney. A general power of attorney will allow a spouse to do practically anything in the sponsor's absence, while a special power of attorney can be prepared for the conduct of specific types of business. The Naval Legal Service Office in Building PW47 can prepare a power of attorney on a walk-in basis. You should also consider making a will. This, too, can be done at the NLSO, but you must pick up the forms and fill in the pertinent information, then make an appointment with an attorney to complete the will process.

Post Office

Take your orders, with dependent entry approval, to the Post Office for assignment of a postal box. Again, if you will be residing in town or in main base housing, you will do this at the main Post Office in Building 310, the same building as the FFSC. If you are assigned directly to Hario Housing, you will check in with the Hario Post Office for your box.

FFSC

Be sure to sign up for the Area Orientation Brief and Intercultural Relations class with the FFSC. This class is mandatory for the sponsor and highly recommended for all family members age 10 and older. Completion of this five-day class is mandatory for anyone who hopes to obtain a driver's license for driving in Japan.

Housing

Contact the Housing Welcome Center in Building 210 and get scheduled for a house-hunting class. These are held twice a week, with attendees being given much-needed information on their allowances and other considerations that must be made in locating a suitable home on the economy for those who will be residing in town prior to moving on base. You may not begin searching for a home nor make any obligations to rent a property without having first attended this class.

Personal Property

Contact the Personal Property Office in Building PW-47 to let them know you are now in Japan. Provide them with a good contact number where you may be reached and, when you move from the lodge, be certain to update your contact information.

Ombudsman and Family Readiness Groups

Learn the names and numbers for your command's ombudsman and Family Readiness Group contacts. Make sure your spouse has this information and, ideally, introduce your family to these people prior to departing for deployment. A list of all contact information is available at the FFSC in Building 310, by email to FFSCSasebo@fe.navy.mil and at the Base Communications Office in Building 1632.

Department of Defense Dependent Schools

Schools here in Sasebo are located on Main Base Housing and Hario Housing. The school at Hario (Darby Elementary) is kindergarten through sixth grade, and Main Base (Sasebo Elementary, and E.J. King High School) is for kindergarten through 12^th grade. When making a permanent change of station, be sure to hand carry all students records to expedite enrollment.

Personnel Support Detachment

Take all passports to the Personnel Support Detachment to get a Status of Forces Agreement multiple-entry visa stamp placed in them. This is critical, as it will allow the bearer to depart Japan -- and return -- as often as necessary during the projected tour of the sponsor.