You may have read in Military Times about the Air Force officer who had two safes vanish from his household goods shipment after a move from Florida to Wyoming last year. The safes held more than $30,000 worth of treasures ranging from a cherished letter from the officer's father, to some gold and rare comic books, along with birth certificates, passports and other documents.

The family still doesn't know what happened, although they have spent a lot of time and effort tracking down every lead with the help of a military investigator and their installation's personal property office. What little reimbursement they've received has been put aside in hopes that someday they can return the money if their valuables are found.

In retrospect, they admit they would have been better off taking their valuables with them, even though the safes had made it through household goods moves before.

But make no mistake: These family members are victims of something gone awry. An untold number of military families have been victims of thefts or mistakes that sent some of their belongings to who knows where during moves between duty stations.

So what do you do about valued items that don't fit in the family car — like that heirloom antique chair or the prized china collection? Should we all accept these incidents as a potential part of military moves and just "file a claim," as this couple was encouraged to do by the moving companies? Is enough being done to find missing items?

Such questions deserve to be explored. In the meantime, this family wants others to take precautions to avoid their heartache.

First, moving companies are required to give service members or their representatives an opportunity to identify, in writing, high-risk or high-value items, or offer the option of using a high-risk or high-value inventory. The moving company should give you a legible copy of the inventory.

Other tips from the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, the executive agency for managing military household goods moves:

*Don't ship small, very valuable items such as jewelry, coins, stocks; carry them with you. Also consider hand-carrying irreplaceable sentimental items, such as photo albums, and important documents such as birth certificates.

*Have your artwork, collectibles, heirlooms and antiques appraised. The government won't pay for that, but it could be well worth the out-of-pocket cost if you suffer a loss and must file a claim.

*Take photos and/or videos of your valuables, and collect the receipts from their purchase, before your goods are packed.

*Carry the receipts, pictures, videos, appraisals, and other documentation with you, and make copies. Some people also store their photos and documentations in "the cloud," accessible on the Internet.

*Keep high-value items visible until the high-value inventory sheet is prepared. When filling out the sheet, be as detailed as possible. For example, provide make, model and serial number for electronics.

*Watch to make sure all items are placed on the truck.

*Inspect and verify that inventory items have been delivered. Unpack all high-value items at delivery to ensure none are missing or damaged.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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