Growing Up In A Military Family

Growing up as the son of a career Naval Officer, I have experienced a background that varies greatly from that of an applicant who has grown up in a strictly civilian family. The constant relocation, the exciting places I have lived, and the countless great, unique people I have met, have all contributed that that he unique childhood I have enjoyed. While at times my identity as a military child has made life challenging and difficult, I strongly believe that it has made me a stronger, more adaptable person because I have been molded by past experiences and I don't think that my application would be complete without this information.

There is a large amount of military families around the world. About Forty- three percent of active military members have children (Website). These children face so many challenges and struggles in their life while having a parent in the military. Children of Active duty military members exhibit anxiety, depression and stress just as much as the service members and spouses experience. For instance the children experience going through multiple deployments, long separations, frequent moves and awkward reunions when their parents return home from deployment. Even more so if the parent has been physically or mentally traumatized from overseas.

Adding something a good BRAT friend stated about this picture in another group she shared it in,

Have you ever thought to yourself “today could be the day I lose everything and everyone I care about?” As a military child I was use to moving but never did I think I would move to a whole new country. Moving to Japan was exciting, yet scary at the same time. I was excited to learn a new culture and language, but scared I wouldn’t fit in. Living on a military base I was surrounded by other military children and of course many Americans. I had an amazing first 2 years in Japan but all of that suddenly changed.

Military professionals consider it a great honor to be able to defend their country. However, being away from one's family can be incredibly difficult. Many military people end up missing important dates in their loved one's life, such as family vacations, graduations and wedding days.

My grandmother once said, or at least I am told she once said, that she was concerned that my father should not marry my mother because she had no roots.

Day one May 28, 2008 the countdown to hell. Today has come. The girls and I are driving to the airport to pick my spouse, their dad after returning from his tour in Afghanistan. This should be an exciting day, but instead of the girls singing to the song playing on the radio, we are all silent. Excited to see him, but not sure if we're ready for what’s ahead of us, for him to return home. We put smiles on our faces and have genuine tears in our eyes as we hold our home made poster board welcome home message to him. His plane lands and we watch for him to come down the escalator to where we are waiting. He's

There is only a small percentage of people that grow up in Military Families in the US today. I grew up in this unique community of military families moving around every two years or less. I lived all over the United States and in South Korea and travelled all over the world. As I moved and traveled, I met people from different cultures, religions, backgrounds, and walks of life. These experiences taught me to not judge a person by their appearance. I learned to be open to new cultures and ways of thinking that were different then my own which taught me how to appreciate and respect those differences.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issues and effects of military families and how they cope with deployments and reintegration. That is, by exploring many interventions and programs such as Operation Purple Camp, Military Child Education Coalition, and Families Overcoming under Stress. These programs should be utilized more often in order for families and children to effectively cope with military stress from deployments and reintegration. Three common themes that were analyzed in the literature review which are 1) Effects of Deployment and Reintegration of Military Families and Children; 2) Interventions for Children of Deployed or Reintegrated Parents; and 3) Maltreatment with Children of Deployed and Reintegrated parents. Specifically, this paper analyzes issues that fall under each of these three themes. That is, School and Educational Effects and Deployment, Psychosocial and Behavioral Effects of Deployment, Education and School Environment Intervention Programs, and Family Focused Intervention programs.

Military personnel are not the only ones who have to make sacrifices. The family members also have to sacrifice the time that they spend with their loved ones. Military families deserve to be shown appreciation for all of the sacrifices that they make.

During middle school, I used to always get made fun for everything, especially my grades, they used to get called a nerd. But for some reason, everybody wanted the answers to the homework that was due and help on a quiz or test whenever they were stuck. I used to feel very bad of myself because I thought I would never fit in with “cool kids” who just asked me for answers. This made me less confident and have low-self-esteem because I didn’t have any real friends. I triumphed and fought my very hardest to focus on my success and growth. I faced many challenges while doing this, for example my favorite teacher had passed away, I was going through a lot with my family and I didn’t really have friends. It was during these struggles

For many years, war has been a monumental problem across the world. Numerous people have devoted their lives to become soldiers and fight for their country against other armies. Though, people usually think that these soldiers are the only ones that are getting hurt during this horrible time. Indeed, soldiers are getting worst of the pain during a time like this, but did we forget about the rest of the world that is being damaged because of this conflict? Throughout war, families, the environment, and children are all hurt somehow, and it’s not just the ones who fought.

Growing up in a military family has its ups and downs. Sometimes you won’t see your parent for a long period of time or you may have to move frequently. Those types’ of events have two sides. They can help you become a stronger person in the future or the person does not adjust to such stressors. Growing up in a military family myself, I know how tough it can be.

Being in elementary school in Mexico was such a hard time for me and the way I related towards people because of my self-worth issues. Lack of self-confidence is a problem I have dealt with that has made me the type of person who feels the need of approval from others. When I do things I think twice if other people would see it as a good thing or if I could do it better. Because of this I have been the shy girl and I had problems making friends at that time. When I finally got to have real friends or that is what I thought I did not realized at that time but they weren’t real friends. They just took advantage of seeing I was trying too hard to fit in. I thought helping them with homework, to pass tests, and doing them

You always have your best friends growing up, but losing then makes our feel lonely. I was five years old when we moved for the first time. I wasn't in school yet so I had new friends. Moving can impact your life, especially when your older, and I have experienced this.