Personal Narrative In A Military Family

Four or Five years ago if you were to tell me that I would be confidently applying to the University of Miami I would have laughed. Through high school I did not give much effort and like most of my peers, thought that furthering my education was my only option. Nearing the end of my senior year I started realizing that no noteworthy university would even consider accepting someone like me. As the days ticked away, I applied to a nearby college with an incredibly high acceptance rate and found myself opening an acceptance letter a few weeks later.

Most people can relate the word “home” to one area where they grew up and made memories. Unlike most people, I called many places home. Growing up in a military family was an arduous task which had great impacts, both positive and negative, on my life. It shaped me into the person I am today. A person with a laundry list of flaws and imperfections, yet has learned to love herself.

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.

I went pre-med before getting deployed and as an intern I've seen a lot of horrible things. But when it's your friend... Someone you serve with... It stays with you forever.

If there was anything more terrifying to a shy, introverted, teenage girl than the idea of being a in crowded room full of strangers, it would to be actually in one. Yet, there I was, surrounded by a numerous amount of impatient, jet-black cars that illuminated the dark streets, rows of musicians rehearsing their piece by playing a dissonance of sounds, and the expectant, motley crowd of people lining up on the sidewalk for the veteran’s parade.

Growing up as a military child and living all over the world, I was afforded many

I was in the Marine Corps serving under Third battalion Eleventh marines Mike Battery in Twenty-Nine Palms California from 2009-2013. What our unit did was put rounds down range, oorah. We were an artillery battery, think modern day cannons. As far as twenty-nine palms all you have to imagine is sand in a five hundred square foot mile area. My job as Ammo chief was to insure the safe handling and transportation of hundred pound high explosive bombs. On one partially long training exercise I was instructed to take my marines and four ‘7-ton’ trucks and go to the rear to load up with more ammo. No problem, I’ve done this before but on this occasion when I was going to return the battery would have moved positions. So they gave me the grid number

As a child of a Vietnam Veteran, I have witnessed my father and go through many things to receive adequate support. My father suffers from progressive prostate cancer, Post-traumatic stress disorder, and a depraved back. These chronic illnesses have forced him to retire early and seek help from the government for financial support. He has repeatedly seek help for the Veteran Affairs applying for unemployment disability and have been turn down several times because his illnesses are considered to be common for Vietnam Vets. This has been hard on my family caring for him and finding an extra source of income to sustain living. Living in a rural area there are no Veteran Affair offices, therefore, we have to travel two and a half hours and

I originally wanted to join the military to defend and protect our country, but realized that it wasn't going to bring the satisfaction I desired. I wanted to fight and defend closer to home, the one that involves Traffic incidents, Drug and DUI enforcement. One Friday afternoon, after getting out of High School, there was a video game tournament being held at a Movie Gallery just a few miles away from where I live. I attended the event and met a cool young man who was 18 years old at the time. I believe I was 16. I talked with him about games and the future tournaments that would be great for the community. It was the beginning of a wonderful new friendship. However, the next day at around 3:00p.m., my dad came into my room and told me he

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.

In September of 1993, my mother, Pamela, was stationed in Kuwait. After a few weeks of deployment, she was informed that she was pregnant and would have to return to the states. In April of 1994, in Fort Lee, VA, she met her husband, Richard. A month later I entered the world, and she was given a choice; leave me with a family member and return to Kuwait, or be discharged from the Army. Having already left behind one child she chose to be discharged as well as to settle down and have a family with Richard. Three years later they welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world, and the next year a baby boy. To people on the outside looking in they were a perfect family, but looks can be deceiving.

Growing up in a military family we moved around a lot luckily for me and my sisters we were young when most the moving was done. I was born in Germany on Air Force base but we moved within a year and I don’t recall much from there. From there we moved back to the states to help my dad’s mom and ended up in Arizona, I don’t recall a lot of details from there. Moving to Utah I was older and remember just vague details, such as our house and a couple of friends, my first-grade teacher and going to church. I was old enough to remember having to move to Wichita Falls, Texas though I cried and cried begging my mom to not make me move, I think back now to what my life would have turned out to be had I not moved. We ended up living in Burkburnett, this small, clique centered town made it extremely hard to become involved. This is the only real home I’ve ever known though it comes with its pros and cons I wouldn’t trade growing up there for anything. I met my ex-husband in that town and from there we were stationed in Savannah, Georgia. This area was right by the ocean and was perfect in every way to me, not too big, but big enough there was always something to do, had a good college and the airfield was

I joined the Marine Corps looking for a challenge. I wanted to open doors for a new career and longed to have a positive impact on the world around me. Looking back five years later, I realize I found all that I originally sought, but I’ve also found something profoundly satisfying and meaningful that I never knew I was missing.

Freedom, the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Many people today take this liberty for granted, not realizing what hardships were fought, past and present, to keep what we love intact. Today I will be discussing the price of freedom. I will first discuss how the founders of our great country fought for freedom, next I will talk about the time our great country went to war, not just for our freedom but the freedom of the entire world, and finally I will explain how we pay for our freedom and how it has directly affected my family.

I sat down to talk with my granddad about his experience in the army. It was not by any means an easy topic for him but he is very open about most things and he said it was fine for me to ask anything. Of course I didn’t ask too detailed questions and I tried to avoid ones that would probably hit hard and or have an affect on him because the topic isn’t something to take lightly.