When I Met The Next Best Thing

After the events of September 11, 2001, my dad was recalled to the military to serve twelve months in Djibouti, Africa. Upon his return, he made the choice to return to the Army, and we were sent to Colorado. In the years that followed, my family was

I grew up and spent most of my life living up north in Waldorf, Maryland, as my mother and step father are employed by the U.S Military. They were stationed on Andrews Air Force Base for eight years, but in 2006 they were both moved to Robins Air Force Base, in Warner Robins, Georgia. During this time I moved to Atlanta to live with my dad for a year, before moving to Warner Robins to live with my mom again. Upon arriving in the small city of Warner Robins, I noticed a big difference in the population, social life, and education.

No matter how bothersome it was when my parents got on my back for not saying “Yes ma'am” or “No sir,” I now realize they were teaching me responsibility, integrity, respect, and leadership.When I pinned my mother's rank of Master Sergeant to her shoulder it instilled a sense of pride in my family. We earned that insignia alongside her through all of our sacrifices over the years. My inclination towards engineering and flying is reflective of the dedication and pride my family has set before me. Between my mother who would arrive home late due to her six-hour commute and my cousin who depended on my family while his parents served in Afghanistan, I learned what it meant to be selfless. These members of my family, these role models, show me every day what it means to put service before self. These are the footsteps I aspire to follow

how I approach situations. My father is a retired US Air Force Security Forces member

Before I left, my father contacted his former shipmate, who at that time was the Defence Attaché at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, and asked him to be an emergency contact for me. In this way, the military is my family; its members have always been looking out for me wherever go. I felt very at ease knowing that there was someone whom I could rely on during that exciting experience, and I’m very grateful that I can always feel this connection so strongly. Military life is a difficult term to define, as it is different for everyone. For me, military life is about possessing a sense of justice, integrity, and loyalty. I believe that lifestyle is largely shaped by values, and those which are upheld by all military personnel have become important to me as

At the core of every Soldier or Veteran is a family that is influenced by their service. Nowhere is more evident of this service and sacrifice, than

Families like mother and daughter, Jackie and Simone Ellis. Simone—who was diagnosed with aggressive fibromatosis—was 17 years old when she received an invitation from BASE

One thing that all military installations offer to families is a mock deployment line. A mock deployment line is a wonderful thing for a child to experience. During a mock deployment line, the child will go through all of the steps their parent does when preparing to deploy. It cannot be stressed enough to parents the importance of informing their children’s caregivers and teachers that a parent will be deploying. Doing so is a vital step in helping the child cope with the upcoming separation. The child’s teacher, once informed of an upcoming deployment will help the child cope by incorporating activities such as reading books where a family member is taking a long trip, or talking with all the children about how they feel and why they feel the way they do into their lesson plans. Parents need to make sure they do not put off telling children of the deployment, letting their children know about the deployment as soon as possible will provide them the opportunity to become involved in preparing for the separation. Children will want to have many conversations with their parents about the deployment; parents need to make sure that they keep the discussions honest, straightforward, and factual (Clash, 2008).

War has tremendous effects on the human mind and impacts all parties involved. Remnants of war can dramatically affect relationships with loved ones and create greater problems ranging from financial problems to psychological damage that has more profound effects on the family infrastructure and its operation. The notion of war produces pressures and strains on the family that is not experienced everyday in the routine family life. Family member who experience PTSD from their service in the military also places unforeseen weights and consequences for the family to carry. There are specific effects distinct to a parent, a spouse, and children when a loved one is serving their country. The relationships between a service men and these family members are transformed with the absence and their reintegration.

Millions of people in the United States have family in the military. The military should be greatly appreciated since they fight for our freedom. It is surprising to discover that there are many people in my school that have family in the military stationed all over the world. There

Reading Solider Girls opened my eyes to the struggles that many women, especially those that are mothers, face while serving in the military. Reading the story of Desma, who experienced two deployments as a single mother to three children, one of whom ended up in jail, made me question the impacts of deployment on families and more specifically, children. Since the War on Terror is relatively recent, beginning in 2001 after the September 11th attacks on New York City, there has not been a significant amount of research done on the children who have grown up with parents being deployed. Using the research that has been done however, this paper seeks to explore the impacts of deployment on families, especially children.

Today’s Army is challenging for Soldiers with Families. There is an old Army saying, “If the Army wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one,” but today, that is not an adequate statement. For many years now, there are many Family issues that are constantly addressed and require action or change (Avery, 2009). Some of the issues include family support, medical and dental benefits, housing, Spouse employment, and readiness training (Avery, 2009).

We all have gone to our mom when we were little to ask her where dad goes each day. When she had told us that dad had gone to work, most of us would want to know where he works. For me, my dad was in the Air Force. It wasn’t till later in my life that I learn that I have a long list of family, including grandparents and numerous uncles. All my life I have wanted to join my family tradition and join the Air Force. Before I join and I would like to know more about what I am enlisting to do, therefore I would like to know what the benefits are. I have decided to do my Seiner project on that fact so I may learn as well as share with you the benefits.

MILITARY SPOUSES AND THE CHALLENGES OF MILITARY Abstract Army life is unique to say the least. The subculture, with its own language, rules, acronyms and ways, is foreign to the general population. The Global war on Terrorism has brought more awareness and certainly more curiosity about Army life. (Krajeski, 2006, 2008, p. 5).Today, more than ever, the military spouse is a pioneer who travels to strange lands, rears her

Men and women in the military make major sacrifices in order to serve the country. Being away from one's family is one of the hardest things about being in the military. This is especially true if one will be serving overseas. Dan Haws could not wait to return home after serving in Afghanistan. He knew that his loved ones would be waiting for him when he returned home.