What It Means To Be A Military Brat | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

What It Means To Be A Military Brat

A term that many people may have heard of but one that only certain people truly understand.

193
What It Means To Be A Military Brat
Carrie Fox

Ever since I was little I have taken so much pride in being able to call myself a military brat. Many people don’t know but BRAT stands for Bold Responsible Adaptable and Tolerant. It’s a term that many may have heard of but one that only certain people can understand. As the daughter of a career soldier, I believe that the experiences my family and I have gone through have helped frame the person I have become and the choices that have led me to where I am today.

Being a military brat is so much more than being the new kid at school whose parent may pick them up in uniform. It’s more than being able to go on base or being able to post a picture of your mom or dad on Veteran’s Day. Being a military brat is leaving behind everything you’ve grown to love about your home and friends and having to get used to a new one all over again. It’s saying goodbye to your dad at the airport with tears streaming down your face, too young to know why he’s leaving but still wondering if he’ll make it back home. It’s looking to the stands after you score your first run or finish your first piano recital and realizing the person you were looking for is halfway around the world. It’s tying yellow ribbons around the trees in your neighborhood for all the soldiers deployed, and planting flags at the cemetery on Memorial Day to remember the brave men and women who weren’t able to make it back home to their families.

Growing up in a military family I came to understand the meaning of service, sacrifice, and leadership at an early age. It takes a lot of strength and sacrifice to share your parent with the nation they have chosen to serve and these sacrifices are ones that children of active duty don’t make by choice, but ones they accept.

For as long as I can remember my life has reflected the saying “Home is where the Army sends you” and by seven.

While moving around as a kid could be pretty hard, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for the military and all those moves. In order to ease the transition process my parents signed me and my sister up for many different activities from music to sports. These activities became a main focus in our family and it’s the hard work, discipline and leadership that not only sports taught us, but the military life as well and ultimately led both of us to continue on and play in college.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to travel and experience so much of life from such a young age, and I’m forever grateful for the strong men and women I was able to look up to. I’ve made lifelong friends and memories I might not have otherwise had the privilege to make if I hadn’t grown up as a military brat.

As Debbie Abrams wrote online in Military Brat, “We deal well with long-distance relationships and we also have a high cross-cultural understanding. We think that strangers are just friends waiting to happen!” And I couldn’t agree more.

Life as a military brat has been nothing short of a blessing and I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything in the world.

I am, and will always be so proud to call myself a military brat.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

4387
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments