Personal Essay: How Fort Hood Changed My Life

As we arrived in Texas, I remember thinking that when things didn’t work out dad’s orders would be coming and we will move. Or that I’ll think of a nickname to go by. If they still didn't accept me, I could change my personality. I’d be funnier or more outgoing or shyer, It never worked. No matter what angle I tried. By the time that I was in the sixth grade, it was difficult. But by that time, I had gotten so accustomed to the changes happening, I was always getting myself ready for them. It never occurred to me to try to be myself; I was someone I had never met before. I was more concerned about who I was going to be next, and not about the person I was leaving behind. I had learned to keep every possibility of any permanency very much at arm's length. Fort Hood, Texas is located halfway between Austin and Waco in Killeen, Texas. At the time it was known as one of the largest military installations stateside. The post was the biggest one we had ever been assigned to. Fort Hood is a gated post, with the 1st Cavalry

What I said to anybody could be passed on to somebody who may have worked with, for, or over my dad. Even my behavior at the DYA was a reflection on my family. I knew early on about the difference between the officer and the enlisted housing, and I knew which of our friend's parent's were an officer or an enlisted person, even if I did not know rank. I knew the difference and the respect that each title deserved. Rank had its privileges. The rules, both applied and implied, that were the chain of command for my dad also applied to me. We had a sticker on our car and my dad had the stripes and insignia on his uniforms that said he was a master sergeant. We had a metal nameplate that was always on the front door, ours read “Msgt.