Being A Military Kid Essay

The time away from your family is very difficult. Military life is very hard sometimes it requires long hours, and you could find yourself in dangerous places around the world.

The life of a military child (brat) is a wonderful, enriched, hard, and learning experience. Brats

I have been a military child for my entire life. I’ve lived in five states on the East Coast, across the Atlantic in England, in the desert of Southern California, and finally, I’m home in Vermont. Moving roughly every two years has been difficult; but, despite this challenge, my “military child” experience has given me many positive advantages. I’ve been exposed to many different cultures, places, and people, and this has broadened my worldview and given me the tools I need to be a successful college student.

Being in the military comes with plenty of benefits. Free education is probably the number one reason (how do you think I am paying for my school right now). You get to travel and see things you thought you would never see. Not only do you become physically tough but also mentally tough. You become prepared for the tough civilian life. Markos Moulitsas Zuniga repots that, “The Army taught me the very values that make us progressives--community, opportunity, and investment in people and the future.” Although many feel that they should not join the military it can really improve our lives and they way we think.

When I received my orders to be stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii with 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division I was beyond excited. One, it was in Hawaii, but also, it was because I would have the opportunity to further my interaction with the people and

Although it was hard being a military brat I wouldn't trade the world, the experience has shaped me into the strong women I am today. The constant moving has made it extremely easy for me

Now my brother is in the military and he went there so they could pay for his college but he decided he did not want to go to college and stayed with the military. He enjoys it there because he gets to go to places he has never been. In the past year he has gone to Africa, Alaska, Hawaii, and Australia. But I can hear the smugness in his voice when he says he is not allowed to

I grew up in a military family, but I would not consider myself to be a military brat. My father went to the naval academy and started his naval career in Washington D.C. My family then moved from Washington D.C., to Washington, to Missouri. With every move came a new school, and new friends. Once settled in Missouri, my father began going on more navy trips where he would go away for a few weeks. The older My brother and I got, the more the family came along with my father. We would stay at military base inns and hotels. We traveled everywhere form San Diego, Florida, to Hawaii. During these trips, I became comfortable with staying away from home, while simultaneously growing closer to my family. I grew up during those road trips because

First and foremost, it taught me how to socialize. Many of my peers live in one place their whole life and never worry about making friends, because they’ve had the same ones for as long as they can remember. As a military child however, I never had that luxury. I moved to four different schools in Texas by the time I moved to Ramstein, and each one was harder than the last to adjust to. I never felt like I fit in. No matter where I went, I was the same quiet new kid. This changed completely at my new high school.

Military families move an average of every two to three years, which means approximately 500,000 military children change schools every year. ( website 4). Some changes in moving to different duty stations for children are; a change in housing, friends, schedules and routines, teachers and schools, and activities. That is a lot of change these children have to go through every two to three years. All of this change is caused to have mental health problems compared to children who don’t ever have to move(website 4). Moving around can cause children to have depression and anxiety. Military children can feel anxiety over new schools and whether they'll make friends, in addition to their grief at being separated from old friends.(website 5). The

When you have a parent in the military you growing knowing that the military has so much to offer and is one of the best career choices. Boys specifically know there is no greater honor than to serve and protect the United States of America. My great grandfather was in the Navy and a survivor of the USS Indianapolis, my grandfather was a pilot during the Vietnam War, my dad is currently serving in the US Army, and my brother is in the Army National Guard and hopes to be a pilot. I am currently twenty years old and the Army has been a part of my entire

One of the key events about this visit was the trip to the Commissary and the MCX. For some background, the Commissary is the grocery store and the MCX is like the military version of Target. Most people who don’t know any different might be under the assumption that working for the government would mean that they provide the necessities for daily life. But, that is hardly true. When walking into these stores, just like in civilian world there are price tags on items that are for purchase. From food to clothing, there is real money associated with everything, nothing is free. One positive about these places on base are that they are tax exempt. This is a small relief for these military families with their tight budgets. So many aspects of this trip were a surprise to me.

When people think about the military, they first go to thinking about the men and women that fight for our freedom or they think about the husband and wives that they are leaving, or they think about big trucks and guns. Rarely do people think about the kids that get caught up in this world. They do not get to choose to live in the world like their parents, these kids just get born into it and there is no way out. People look at these kids and feel bad for them, but they should not feel bad for them. The kids growing up in this world are able to travel, learn a new language and they get opportunities that normal kids would not be able to dream of. Even though they have great opportunities, military kids face challenges that most adults have never had to experience. Growing up in the military world has its pros and its cons.

I have definitively seen differences between being stationed overseas and being stationed in the US. Germany was my first official experience with the Army and my first experience living on an Army post. Being stationed in Germany you had a sense of community. You have your Army family as your support system and that is it. Living overseas you can’t just go home for the weekend like living in the US. Not all family members can visit you overseas like if you were in the United States. A lot of Soldiers don’t speak the language of the country we are in and that makes it hard to get to know the locals as well as you can get to know civilians at a duty station in the United States. The Army bases overseas are also a lot smaller overall than those in the US. After being stationed in the US and Germany, I can honestly say I miss being stationed overseas because I miss the sense of community.

Although I had grandparents, my father, cousins and friends who had served our country, I 'd never actually been on an air force base before and while I 'd heard plenty of war stories through the years, my new-found introduction to the military lifestyle surprised me. Accustomed to watching sons or daughters leave their homes and take off for duty, this time I had a rare glimpse into the military families who traveled along with their loved ones.