It was sometime in the afternoon. The theater was packed and everyone is sitting there restless. We were all waiting to see whatever exciting movie came out back then. All of a sudden, the audience grew quiet. Children, parents, and different people of all different ages stood up and put their hands over their hearts. The National Anthem played as a flag appears on the screen. We all sat once it finished and prepared for the previews. Is this weird?
Not for me. Not for any child who grew up on a military base, and went to the cheap movie theaters on base. For me, and probably for most military children, it is completely normal to stand for the National Anthem before a movie starts in the theaters. We also would get picked on for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance at school, whereas most public schools no longer even require children to stand.
For us, all this is normal. Having our military parent working weird hours and being gone for months at a time were just things we knew. We learned so much from growing up surrounded by military people and family members.
We learned to accept everyone from all different walks of life, because our little base schools were full of different people from anywhere in the world. This taught us a lot about different cultures and about acceptance. We knew we were all different, but we were all kind of the same. We made friends with these people. We lost friends just as soon as we made new ones. Things were always changing and people were always moving. We quickly learned to just live in and love every moment as it came.
As hard as it got at times, I think I speak for us all when I say I would not trade it for anything. We learned bravery and strength from a very early age. Our military parents were brave. They put themselves in danger to protect a country full of people they didn't even know. We learned strength from our parent that stayed home to take care of us. This parent was equally strong for getting the job done and never showing defeat in front of us.
Our families were different from most, but they loved all the same. We just learned to take advantage of the time we had when we were all home. Being a military brat taught me that family always comes first. It taught me respect. It not only taught me to respect my family, but to respect everyone else, including myself.
I grew up watching men and women salute each other. They shook hands. They joked. They never showed each other disrespect. It was a camaraderie that I loved growing up close to. We must support each other, not fight. Everyone has their moments, and I'm sure these brave men and women didn't always find it easy to get along, but they never showed it in front of others if they could help it. The good always outweighs the bad, especially when your friends are people you'll be fighting for your country with.
Growing up a military brat taught me countless lessons that I will be forever grateful for. Many people think it would be boring or scary to live on base and be the child of a military member, but they would be mistaken. I had some of the best times in my tiny base house. I made friends I still talk to almost twelve years later. Growing up a military brat was one of my favorite childhood memories wrapped into one chapter of life. And I'm sure all of us military children would agree.
Many children I grew up with ended up joining the military as well, including my brother, and I couldn't be more proud of any of these people.
To conclude, I just want to thank everyone who supports our troops, who has served in the military, and those still serving. You inspire me with your bravery and dedication. I also want to thank family members and friends of those noble individuals. It takes a lot of courage to stay strong knowing a loved one is overseas fighting for our country. Your strength does not go unnoticed.
