Situation: Wife On Base.

After successfully getting on base, one of the first battles we fought was identification. Who knew that a military ID card would be the magic ticket, enabling all types of critical activities? (Get on base? ID. Go to the gym? ID. Buy a single-serving of ice cream at the mini-mart? ID.) This meant mastering the meaning and usage of the "Civilian"/"DOD Contractor" CAC Card (http://www.cac.mil/). Fast. For Alex, this was a relatively easy process. For Heidi, obtaining a "UNIFORMED SERVICES ID CARD" / "dependent ID card" (http://www.cac.mil/uniformed-services-id-card/) proved an all-day challenge.

Turns out if your dependents are not entered into DEERS (http://www.military.com/benefits/tricare/defense-enrollment-eligibility-reporting-system-deers.html) by your "trusted agent" then the process to be added includes:

Obtaining original SS ID cards, original Birth Certificates, and an unexpired passport. Too bad we left those critical documents in Seattle behind several locked doors.  (And since we had just reorganized our filing system, we weren’t even sure where to tell someone else to look.) Happily, Heidi was able to obtain digital copies of her Birth Certificate and SS Card. (Kudos to Heidi’s ever-organized father.)

Off to the Library to print out the documents for $0.05 a-piece.

The next step was to heading to Legal Office on base, so that the JAG office could issue a "Power of Attorney" allowing you to you certify that the documents are copies of genuine documents. (Really, they just staple a generic letter to the documents, and put a pretty stamp on the front.) Unfortunately, the JAG services are for individuals with a valid military ID. We were extremely grateful that the office accepted a copy of our orders instead of the ID, so that we could get the paperwork…to get the ID.

Back to the Personnel Services Department (PSD) Office, hoping they are not on lunch break. Two quick scans of your newly "certified" documents and a genuine Uniformed Service ID card can be issued!

Now your wife is a real person!

[Note: Heidi refused the offer of any photographs this day. It was slightly traumatic.]