Numbness: Why Ignorance Is True?

From a very young age, my family taught me to not take the freedoms I’m blessed with for granted. Two of my great grandfathers held combat roles in WWII, and through their experiences, that I learned through my grandparents, I can begin to understand the sacrifices that come from military service. I’ve learned service provides an unmatched sense of structure and responsibility, which can and should be applied to everyday life, after the military, as well. Men and women learn the necessary skills of leadership and humility, characteristics that are already important to me, and ones I hope to further strengthen. I’ve wanted to serve in the military for my entire life and although my parents were not in the military, they have strongly supported

Once my great-grandpa, David Kauhaahaa, watched his best friend die in the Vietnam War. He was devastated and he tried to help his best friend but he told him not to and move on, save someone else when you loose one, I will miss you but Iʻm here with you, and promise me you wonʻt die. My great-grandpa was shocked but he moved on and had a family. The military has affects on my family and the world but, there is history behind. The military has many benefits for people who does not come from a wealthy family. You could attend college and get your degree through the military. Every generation of my family has served in the military, which is why I am able to tell you about the many facts. My purpose is to inform my audience about the

Most military families face the possibility of a loved one returning to service which can also cause a great deal of fear and unpredictability within the family. Studies also prove that family members struggle with emotional distress and children often have behavioral issues as a result of parents deployed to serve in the military. “The strain of war deployment with associated risk that the service member may be harmed or killed, adds to the stressors inherent in military family life, even in times of peace” (Link, P. E., & Palinkas, L. A. (2013). This also suggest that family separations due to irregular tours and training deployments. Often impact the relationships in the family and can change the family dynamics often leaving one caregiver with a majority of the responsibility of raising a family. The military culture can adversely affect family functioning with inflexible hierarchical relationships, expectations and of obeying rules and

As mentioned above the military family members go through many challenges. The service member when deployed leaves the other parent to the care of the family and home. Many divorces happen due to one parent being away from the home for long periods of time and the stress placed on the one parent at home. With one parent left to take on the role for both parents, this can either become a stressor for that one parent or strength building time. The children may receive less attention because the one parent is doing the duty of two. They become self-sufficient during this time. The service member that is deployed is focusing on the duty at hand. This may be patrolling the boundaries of the

As we look at the over, arching aspect of family implications, the most common aspect associated to this is the number of service member deaths. By the numbers alone, those killed in conjunction to the operations of the past 14 years do not hold a candle to the sheer numbers of World Wars I and II, Korea, or Vietnam. We must look past these numbers and look at all injuries, which will then significantly increase the casualty numbers. Many of the millions of wounded warriors resulting of their service, both the physical and emotional trauma, will affect them for the rest of their lives. (Morin, 2011) With casualty rates today we can no longer only look at the service members themselves, the burdens and joys of life continue even in their absence. Now, in today’s families, the decision to serve, or the continuation of service affect everyone within the household.

The military has always been a part of my family’s life. My grandfather was in the army along with his son and my grandmothers other son’s. I also have many cousins who are still in and one who worked at the Pentagon. My uncles use to always tell us stories about their military service and how much they learned. Most of my cousins that joined only joined because of these stories and the lavish lifestyles they have seen my uncles live. Unlike them, I wasn’t drawn in by the stories my uncles told me, or the war letters from my deceased grandfather. For some reason it was my mothers dream for me; probably because its always something she wanted to do but was afraid, a fantasy I wasn’t quite ready to live in for her or them.

“At the end of the day it is our Families that will be there long after our military career is over,” said Perry. “If we don’t invest the time to build that foundation with our Family members now, it could lead to problems at home that ultimately effect Soldier readiness, which then impacts unit readiness down the road.”

Throughout many years, military deployment has affected the family system. Especially young children are effected by their parents shipping overseas since they are still are trying to figure out how to cope without guidance during their development into adult years. In this particular study, researchers examined adolescents between the ages of 12-18 to determine their thoughts about their parents going into war. More specifically, researchers wanted to study the children’s experiences with ambiguous loss within their military families. Researchers hope to find ways in prevention and intervention in order to reduce the feeling of uncertainty within adolescents.

In my life, I have had to say goodbye to my father, and have him absent from my life for over three years. Three whole years in which communication was limited and assurance of safety was not a thing. During these times I was faced with all the negatives of the military life, and personally felt that the military was taking my father away from me. However, as I repeatedly saw my father grin coming home from deployment, I could tell that he was not being used or just a pawn in the game. My father loved what he did and when he is home, my family has always lived life to the fullest. My father always recollects his grand memories of the military and cannot thank the military enough for all the benefits and opportunities he has been given. I personally

Growing up in a military family is a tough way of life. My father is in the military, which has forced my family and me to move every two to three years. He has also deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, occasionally, for over a year. The media has highlighted the hardships and sacrifices of members of the military, which I do not want to diminish. What the media has not highlighted is the sacrifices that the family members undertake, either when the military member deploys or is faced with yet another move. All the tribulations and sacrifices notwithstanding, I have been able to parlay them into making me a stronger person.

Being in a military family, each person has to make sacrifices. My dad’s sacrifice was being way from his family so long. He would be gone for months to years at a time. It would be hard when he came

Deployment has become a very popular topic over the years . Recent psychiatrist has studied the effects of deployment on one’s mental health. In regards to studies, many civilians are curious about the struggle service members are enduring over the period of time of deployment, and how it impacts the family emotionally, mentally and physically. On a daily basis military spouses and children face the emotional transitions of deployment. We began to discuss the importance of deployment and “identify specific challenges and transitions that parents face in their parenting roles as they and their children cope with prolonged separation and reintegration” ( DeVoe 184) . While recognizing the issues the family faces , we re-examine the

Military families have constant challenges and difficulties every single day. It’s a challenge that one has to continually work through constantly moving from house to house or state to state, all the time, and always having a loved one being deployed and overseas away from their family for six months or more at a time. It’s harder for children to go through this in my opinion. A military parent is always at work but when they leave for 6 months at a time, when the child is an infant and all through their teenage years, that parent becomes easily forgotten. Not even a memory. The parent finally comes home from fighting for our country and they are so excited to see their babies and spouses only to find out that they are a stranger to their

From the time I was born my father had already been in the military 10 years. So growing up I had a chance to see some of the struggles first hand. One that stuck out was the internal conflict he had to deal with being a Christian and having to do are deal with some of the things he had to deal with being a Gulf War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm Veteran that is considered a 100% disabled by the military. With my father being a Christian he was taught from a child to turn the other cheek. With my father being in a

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.