I was born into an average family. I went to school like all the other kids, I had friends and I had good grades. I was a sweet, happy child who always loved to laugh and make jokes. The only thing that separated me from all the other kids was the fact that my dad was in the army. I am the daughter of a soldier who has fought in Iraq.
Being in a military family is not very easy. My dad was gone most of the time so me and my mom barely got to see him We were constantly moving so I had little time to actually make friends. The only good thing about being a part of this crazy life was that I had more discipline, I became stronger and more mature then most kids in my
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He was always on the go and sometimes he would be gone for a month and only be able to come home for one day. I was very young, so I don’t remember much of this but as I got older it always seemed to get harder, it never got any easier. When I was in 6th grade my dad had to go to Iraq for one year, this was the first time I was actually aware of what was happening because I was old enough to understand; I knew how dangerous him leaving was and that I might never be able to see him again. I remember how I always waited by the phone for his call or waited for the days we could Skype so we could see each other. It was a tough year and I thought that when he finally came home everything would be better, but sadly things just got worse from there. I was happy to see my dad but him being in Iraq caused him to get PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ) and later on this caused my parents to separate. My mom ended up taking me back to
For weeks leading up to his trip, it was all I could think about and it kept me up at night. My husband had been in the Navy for almost 8 years at this point and had been on two Middle East deployments in our marriage so I was no stranger to being alone, but this time was different, this time I had another tiny human being that I loved more than anything in this world to keep alive. I distinctly remember the day he left on that trip being the worst day of my life, I stood in our house and cried uncontrollably and thought to myself, there was no way I was going to be able to do this alone for one day, let alone two weeks. I went to her and spent an hour crying, telling her everything that had happened in the last year, she hugged me and assured me that there was nothing wrong with me, just something a little unbalanced inside me and that we were going to work together to fix it.
When I joined the United States Marine Corps, I knew it would change my life, but I never realized how great those changes would be. I was trained in public affairs as a print and broadcast journalist, and immediately stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Drastic life changes can take a toll both physically and emotionally over time, and it is always important to have a great personal support system to thrive through those times. My senior advisor at the time, Master Gunnery Sgt. (Master Guns) Charles Albrecht, turned out to be one of the best supporters I could ever ask for.
We have always been a very close family. I never really found the need to find an outside support system. I always had my husband with in a phone calls reach. I never really made friends with the other navy wives in my husband’s unit, It wasn’t that I didn’t want to I just would rather spend the time with my family. I never needed o...
Anytime a child is away from their parent whether it is to spend time with friends, while parents are at work or during school children tend to get emotional. Parents that are in active in the military can never be sure how much time they have to spend with their families. Separation anxiety is something that affects both child and parent negatively, and there is only so much you can do to prepare for it. Being deployed in the military is honorable but it will take a toll of on a family, especially a developing child.
In December 2002, my dad’s boss called telling him, he was to be deployed in January 2003. Being 5 years of age I didn't quite understand what he would endure, all I knew is my daddy was leaving us for 7 months. The morning of my dad's departure came quickly. I'll never forget the goodbye that changed my outlook on family and love. At 5 am my father walked into my room. Scared and nervous, he was crying… I had never
Many children are born into families that are a part of a branch of the military. Parents may wonder if the constant moving and deployment will bring negative effects on a child’s development. The rigorous lifestyle of the military can have negative effects on the children’s development growing up, but the opportunity of living as a military child is a culturally diverse, socially strong, and mature development of characteristics. The military life offers many benefits for raising a child. Have a family in the military lifestyle can greatly help the children’s development of positives characteristics.
At a young age I knew I wanted to be just like my father (who is now a retired Chief in the United States Navy and has served 27 years.) My dad constantly tells me to this day make sure you take care of the ones you work with because their welfare is what really matters. Although you might have to yell at them every once in a while, you can never forget that they will always count on you for everything. You never want them to be scared of you where they cannot talk to you, but where they know the limit that they can talk to you about anything and when work needs to get done it will get done. Growing up my dad always took care of his sailors whether if hes throwing them a BBQ or having them come over for a home cooked meal. I understood very early that the military isnt about just ...
He decided to become a civilian and worked with two automotive suppliers. In 2003, my dad decided to join the military as an officer. Our first cycle of moving occurred in 2006. We were sent to San Jose, California. When I first arrived it was a culture shock. Coming from a population of majority white people into a multicultural area ruffled my feathers. Not only was the cultural environment different the people were different. I grew up with my classmates at Cedarville Elementary and in San Jose I was forced to make new friends. As a second grader, the challenge is a easier. In June 2008, my family packed up and moved four hours away. Stationed in the "beautiful" San Diego. As a fourth grader, I made friends instantly, but the friends in San Diego were unfamiliar. The kids were harsh and rude. They would call me names and I grew up to resent San Diego. The beaches
deployments. He was not the same at all, he was kind of quiet. Me and my mom also
I’m a military brat. Most people think that living the military life is everything happy, when in reality it’s not. It’s not horrible, but you have to get used to not getting too attached to people. The reason is because many people come and go. You could know someone for one year and then they have to move, and you feel like you’ve known them for five years. Moving is the worst part about being a military brat.
Growing up with a dad in the military has not always been easy for my family and I. Our family never had to move around, but my dad has been gone a lot. My dad has done two tours in Iraq and one tour in Bosnia. He has also been all across the United States going to different schools and trainings, which causes him to be absent from our family. Growing up I have learned many things about myself, my family and my country. The military taught me to be strong, hardworking, appreciative, and able to adapt to surrounding changes.
My parents had go to Switzerland the week after for the funeral and the family. We had school going on and my parents decided to leave us with friends and go by their own. I stayed at a very good friend of mine, and my sister at one hers. They left and, where going to stay there at least a week. The time I spent there was really hard. Not only because the most helpful people I could have been with where away but I kept on having flashbacks.
Army life can be very challenging and a life changing experience. It was very challenging and life changing for me. I was raised by my Grandparents they did everything for me so this was a wakeup call for me on life. An independent person was not I, so I had problems with the changes about to come. Army life is constantly demanding and constantly changing without notice. Although the travel was exciting, army life for me was very challenging because I had to learn to adapt to a new system, to share my life with other soldiers, and to give up many of the comforts of home.
During my freshman year of college, I had met one of my best friends, who go by name Jill. (She lives in New Jersey and while I live in Pennsylvania) I found it to be strange that sometimes, it feels like we have grown up with one another but in reality we have only one another for four years and I couldn’t be more thankful. I can remember when we met at school as if it was yesterday.
The contemporary American family is one that shows a picture perfect lifestyle of happiness and normalcy, but this normalcy can be challenged by anything. The present war our country is engaged in is one factor that has changed the lives of many families since it began. Husbands, sons, and sometimes even mothers and daughters are leaving their homes to fight in the war with Iraq. If the traditional American family consists of a husband, wife, and two or more children living in suburbia, my family could once have easily represented it. However, when our country went to war, my dad’s military-career transferred him thousand’s of miles across the ocean disrupting almost every aspect of our once, near perfect household.