Military Brats : Legacies Of Childhood Inside The Fortress

One of the most obvious differences between a military child and their civilian peer, is the seemingly continuous moving that is associated with their gaurdian’s occupation. Whether it is moving across the state or moving across an ocean, each move brings it's own challenges and it's own advemtures.

Military brats are often compared to a dandelion: Military children bloom everywhere the winds carry them. They are hardy, resilient, and upright. Their roots are strong, cultivated deeply in the culture of the military, planted swiftly and surely. And, ready to fly in the breezes that take them to new adventures, new lands, and new friends (Lockhart, 2005).

I’m a military child. Change was instilled in me since my birth in Spain. My childhood was spent briefly in Europe, the east coast of the U.S, and eventually the Midwest. This change of scenery, schools, friends, and just about everything else in my life led me to be the person I am today. Travelling was amusing and I enjoyed change of pace every couple of years, but it wasn’t easy. I learned early on that getting attached to people wasn’t a good idea and should be avoided in preparation for the next move. This led me to being an incredibly shy child who couldn’t open up to people. The world I come from is an adventurous but problematic one. When I concluded making friends would assist with each transition I found myself too terrified to attempt

Nowadays, cross-cultural communication is one of the keys to survive in this society. It plays an important role in our society. The book, A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier, describes several cross cultural issues. This book is based on the true story of Ishamel Beah, who was solder in Republic of Sierra Leone. During his life time, he face a number of cultural shocks and tried to adapt each situation. Through story of his life, we can recognize some cultural differences and similarities between his central culture, Sierra Leon, and other individuals/groups. Thus, in this essay, I would like to discuss how are cultural differences and similarities between Ishamel’s culture and other cultures revealed. There are three main points; cultural differences shows cultural conflict and cultural integration, and cultural similarities reflects the Americanization.

A prominent theme in A Long Way Gone is about the loss of innocence from the involvement in the war. A Long Way Gone is the memoir of a young boy, Ishmael Beah, wanders in Sierra Leone who struggles for survival. Hoping to survive, he ended up raiding villages from the rebels and killing everyone. One theme in A long Way Gone is that war give innocent people the lust for revenge, destroys childhood and war became part of their daily life.

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.

A kid separated from his family and put into a war front at the age of 12 change this kids life forever. In A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider, Ishmael Beah was put through a lot during the cold war in Sierra Leone, and he was given drugs and pills to keep his energy to fight in the war and he was turned into a killer. There where lots of people killed and torture and Beah was just a kid and he was ver frightened and confused about everything. Also Beah and his friends travel around the country for years trying to survive the war and figure out ways to find there way to safety. The theme of the book is no matter what don't give up on yourself because if you give up on yourself your already bound for failure and the during the hole story Beah used resilience to keep on going and not give up.

A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that children from military families have a higher risk of social, emotional and behavioral problems such as anxiety, depression and suicide ideation. Other reports have shown that military families also have a high rates of domestic violence, child abuse and spousal abuse. The immense strains and pressures of the military lifestyle create inconsistencies in the lives of military families that are often overlooked by those considering joining the military. Over the years the U.S government and other organizations have been doing ample research into family health in the military and effectively identifying and addressing critical issues that are faced by military families. Speaking from

Ishmael Beah, A survivor     Wilma Rudolph, a famous track and field Olympic runner and book writer once said, “Never underestimate the power of dream and the influence of hum spirits. We are all the same nation: The potential of greatness lives in within each of us.” The novel a long way gone memoirs of a Boy Soldier, an autobiography written by Ishmael Beah, tells a story about himself and the life he was forced to live as a boy soldier. He tells us how he was brainwashed and how his anger was influencing him to kill.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Solider is a biography of a young man, Ishmael Beah, during his years of growing up as a child of war in Sierra Leone, Africa. The story begins in January of 1993 in his hometown village Mogbwemo. Beah who is twelve at the time is a part of hip-hop dance and music group with his brother Junior, and friend Talloi. The boys leave their village one day to the neighboring city to perform in their friend’s talent show. While the rap group is away, rebels attack their village resulting in the boys’ early return to search for their families. Upon returning to the village, the boys are welcomed by a deserted village suffering from the horrors of war, which becomes their new reality. Two of the major themes reoccurring throughout this book are the battle with maintaining innocence and companionship.

War creates fight among humanity and can destroy the minds of adolescents. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a book written by Ishmael Beah based on his personal story of survival during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The book was published in 2007 by Sarah Crichton Books of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in New York. The memoir discusses the struggles of Sierra Leoneans during the times of their civil war from the 1980s to 1990s. Beah concentrates on how children were affected by the attacks of the Revolutionary United Front. Through his expressive words, he strongly discusses the repercussions of war on the

Children on the battlefield by Marcie Schwartz is about how young boys were in the Civil War, the jobs they had and the struggles they went through. Boys under the age of 18 have served in the military for generations, including the Civil War. Recruiters had to enlist a certain number of soldiers, boys would either get help from their parents, a religious leader or teacher, or run away and sign up under a false name. Boys roles in the army were musicians, powder monkey, or fighter. Boys went through struggles, like homesickness, uniforms not fitting, being bullied, keeping pace with the parade, adult vices, and war.

Imagine at twelve years old being forced into war and having no way out. Then, quickly being dragged out and pushed back into society. Life was not easy and “normal” did not exist for Ishmael and his friends. In The Making and Unmaking of a Child Solider he shows the readers that he faced mental, physical, and emotional abuse before/after the war. Beah wants the readers to understand that life was not easy in Sierra Leone and not everybody made it out alive or sane.

When you grow up as military Brat, your home towns are military bases. You show up one day, unpack, make new friends, and get shipped out again. But your life revolves around a military base. Commissary, movie theater, BX/PX, and your trusty ID card.

One way to accomplish this is through answering research questions related to military family life, such as “How do multiple deployments, multiple moves and other military lifestyle factors affect the development of attachment in military children?” and “What is the long-term impact on military children who have experienced multiple deployments, relocations and other life-disrupting events associated with military life?” As America continues to send service members to the Middle East in the midst of the longest military conflict in its history, gaining an understanding of the long-term impact on this generation of military children is crucial to aid in the development of programs and resources with the hope of ameliorating the challenges they have encountered. Additionally, the answers to these research questions may assist in identifying protective and risk factors and increase positive outcomes for these children as they grow into