I never enlisted. I’ve
never been to boot camp. But I’ve been
in the Air Force my whole life.
Before I was even born, my Father had already been through
boot camp and was finishing up Officer Training School. After 21 years of moving around and missing
my Dad on holidays, birthdays, etc., I was
glad to be “out” of the Air Force. I was
living in a dorm in Salisbury University and was just about to no longer be one
of my Father’s dependents. Then my fiancé
joined the Air Force. And I never got
the chance to leave. I simply went from
being a Colonel’s dependent to a dependent of an Airman First Class.
When I was younger it was tough to move around a lot. I left a lot of friends behind. And I remember crying several different times
after Dad would tell us we were moving again. But as I got older I realized
that while there may have been some things that were difficult about being a
military brat, there were also a lot of good things about it too.
Here’s my list of why I think why being a military brat and
military spouse has been totally worth it:
1. I would
never have been to and lived in so many places all over the country.
I have lived in six states and 15 different houses,
apartments, and even an RV for eight months.
If I average 15 different places with my age (28) that’s 1.86 moves
every year. And while the moves weren’t
always that frequent, moving around became second nature to me. In fact after my husband had been stationed
in Arizona for 4 years I thought I might be going a little stir crazy. I was so used to moving around. Moving around when I was young not only
prepared me for moving around as an adult, but it’s given me a chance to see a
lot of really cool places in our country that otherwise I may not have gotten
the chance to see.
2. My very
best friends wouldn’t be my very best friends.
I’ve met several lifelong friends at the different places my
Dad was stationed. Kathleen and I met in
1992 in 2nd grade. Lauren and
I met in the summer of 1993. Brittany
and I met in 1995 in 4th grade. Chris and Jess were my husband's and my first couple friends and we met them while we were both stationed in Arizona. All these wonderful people are still my dear friends to this day.
3. I
probably would not have been home schooled.
After 6th grade my Mom decided, between some bad
experiences at school and us constantly moving, that she was going to
homeschool my siblings and me. I
absolutely loved being homeschooled! It
completely shaped who I am, in a good way.
I recommend it to everyone, and if I ever have kids they’ll definitely
be homeschooled.
4. Health
insurance
The military definitely has some perks, and health insurance
is one of them. Since fall 2007 I have
had several health issues. I had surgery
on my left knee, then my right knee, and most recently I had cervical
cancer. Jon’s insurance fully covered
and paid for all of my health issues.
I know that having been an Air Force dependent for 28 years
has definitely played a huge role in the respect that I have for every single
man and woman that decides to serve in our US Military. I know that I couldn’t do it, and so I feel
so much respect and love for those who do.
I read a statistic recently that said less than 1% of the
American population will ever be in the Armed Forces. It didn’t seem right to me at first, simply
because most of the people I know have been or are in the military. And even though less than 1% is a very small
percentage, some of the best people I’ve ever known have been in the
military. I’m glad I could a part of the
dependent club.
My husband has decided to stay in until he can retire, which
means if we ever have children then they too will have the privilege to grow up
as Air Force dependents. I only hope
that I can teach them a thing or two about this lifestyle that I seem to be
destined to lead.
If you're a military
brat or spouse what have you noticed has made the bad times worth it?
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