Being a brat is an endearing term for a child that has grown up in a military family. You know this to be true regardless of what branch your family hails from. I have a mixed military family. My father, whom I refer to as Papa, was in the United States Marine Corps, and my grandfather on my mother’s side was in the United States Army. I also have had uncles over the years in both the USMC and the US Army.
One aspect of military life that many outsiders do not understand is that while your family member is serving, you are also serving on the home front. When your relative is overseas, you are left at home to live the best life that you can while they are away from home. My Papa was overseas a considerable amount when I was younger, but I know that he was off doing his job. Granted, that did not make his absence any less difficult.
As a military family, you have to learn to function as a unit despite the fact that your family is spread out across the world. I have such respect for military husbands and wives that are left at home while their spouse is away. My mother is such a strong example of this. They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I can safely say that this was the case with my parents. It takes a strong kind of bond to stay close thousands of miles apart, but military families do it well.
Another aspect of the military family dynamic that is quite interesting is the environment of living on a military base. My family spent a considerable amount of time at Cherry Point, North Carolina. A military base is an interesting place. You have a common bond with all of your neighbors, and should something ever go awry, you are in one of the safest places you could ever be.
Despite all of the pride that you have in your family as a military brat, there is always a very negative force looming in your heart. You go day to day as best you can, but there is always this constant, underlying fear for the worst. You have to keep your head up and hope and pray that your loved one returns from wherever they may be safely, but the harsh reality is that sometimes they do not come home. I never experienced this growing up, but my heart absolutely breaks at the thought of military families that will forever be missing a piece to their puzzles because a brave life was cut too short.
You hear people say that individuals in the military strive to serve their country or to fight for freedom, but this is rarely the case when it all boils down to it. When you are thousands of miles from home, you aren’t fighting because you are doing this for the good ole US of A… No. You are fighting because you want to get back to you family alive. You fight for your buddy next to you in the thick of things when situations get hot. You fight for that other buddy of yours that has a young wife and a baby on the way. You fight so that you don’t have to know that your buddy is going home in a casket to a weeping mother.
This is all a rarely spoken but widely-known truth. Being in a military family is a huge identifying aspect of my family’s history, but in all seriousness, it is a battle all around for anyone in a military family. My Papa joined the USMC to provide a better life for his little family many years ago. I am proud of my Papa, Papaw, and Uncles for their efforts. Most of all, I am thankful that they are okay. Being a Marine Brat and the daughter of an Army Brat has its benefits. I have learned how to be thankful in the most stressful of circumstances, and I have gained an undying respect for the many individuals who risk their lives daily.
God bless each and every one of you.
