Personal Narrative Essay: Being A Military Brat

Being a military dependent is something I have known my whole life. My dad joined the Air Force in 1988 at the age of twenty-four. He initially joined the military to help people, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, this led him to fighting fires until 2010. I was born in the year 1999; I grew up with him working twenty-four hour shifts and then being home for twenty-four hours. My father’s time in the military shaped who I was by his instilling in me responsibility, love for people, and the core values of the United States Air Force.

As a teenager moving to a new country with a different culture, different language, and being thousands of miles away from everyone I grew up with was not an easy change, however, that was precisely what I did in January of 2013 when I came to the United States with my father. My whole world changed since, and shaped my way of thinking. From learning English, adjusting to a new culture, experiencing my first snow and finding my way in my new country, my life has been an exciting adventure.

Being in the military isolates you from the outside world, the real life. There’s not that much to do aside from always talking about wars or being trained. Maybe this is one of the reasons that sexual assaults consumes this culture. This affects the military as well as the outside world this is because

In Oct 2004, I joined the US Navy Reserves with the desire to be an Officer. I joined the Reserves under the advice that I would have a better chance of being selected coming from inside the Reserves. I applied but lacked the technical degree needed to be a competitive candidate at that time. I choose to stay in the Reserves and serve in enlisted ranks. I am proud to say that I have served in the US Navy Reserves for ten years.

Randy Neugebauer once said, “While only one day of the year is dedicated solely to honoring our veterans,Americans must never forget the sacrifices that many of our fellow countrymen have made to defend our country and protect our freedoms.” My responsibility to America is to honor our veterans and our active military members.

I started attending Fork Union Military Academy in the sixth grade and have stayed throughout my entire high school career. To me, this in itself is a large accomplishment and is something I am very proud of. Every cadet goes through many ups and downs, I know in my seven years I have seen more than my fair share of trouble, but like my father always said, it 's not how you fall, but how you pick yourself back up. I made sure to do everything I could to show those around me, and to prove to myself, that I could pick myself up and accomplish anything.

My father has been in the military a little more than twenty years, more than the 21 years I have been alive. I do not know of a life without the military influencing it, as it has played a strong role in my family. This upcoming year that I am graduating, my father will be retiring from the Marines. His retirement has been a long time coming, and there is uncertainty

The feeling of leaving everyone and everything you know behind with as little as two weeks’ notice is unimaginable. However over time I have learned that the true reason behind it is not so they can have more, but so their child can have a better life. It is very stressful for most people to just up and leave the place they call home for work.

For many, the military is a form of an escape. Whether it is financially, mentally, or emotionally, they want an escape from whatever it is they’re dealing with. For Eric Robbins, this was the case. He grew up with poor parents who were both struggling with addictions. He knew he wanted something better for his life, but he also knew there was no way he’d achieve that unless he joined the military. He joined the United States Marine Corps for served for eleven years. When he joined he left behind a child and a wife. Ten years ago, I met the child, Kiley Robbins. The Robbins are my second family. Eric Robbins is much more than a hero, he is one of the most important people in my life and because of his disparate upbringing, it made him the courageous

I Recruit Luciano was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York on November 4th 1983. I am currently 33 years of age. I am the youngest and only male out of three children. My father was born in Puerto Rico and my mother was born in Manhattan, but she is also of Puerto Rican decent. At the age of thirteen, my parents moved us to New Jersey. This was to steer us away from all the negativity and bad habits that my cousins where involved in. At seventeen, with my parent’s permission, I enlisted into the United States Marine Corps.

Ever since I can remember, I have always felt a calling to serve my country. One of the reasons for my calling of service has been the influence of my family throughout my childhood. My father was a lieutenant in the Army National Guard prior to being injured and placed a high importance on honor and commitment. In addition, one of my Great Grandfathers was a Marine Captain in the Pacific Theatre during WWII and my other Great Grandfather was seriously injured during the Battle of Guam. As a child, I looked up to my dad and grandparents because I knew that they had taken a stand to protect our country.

Growing up in Iraq in the era between the gulf war, Iran war, and Iraq war with the United state was a challenge for me, but it was not harder challenge than all what my parents went through to keep me and my siblings safe and sound. My mother is one of the strongest people that I have came cross in my life. She was and still the best mother, teacher, and my best friend. She graduated from Al Mosul University in Iraq as a Mechanical Engineer. Being a daughter of graduated mother will always push me to complete my education and go even further to earn my master degree too.

You can say that my journey with the Military started the day I was born. I was born on April 29, 1998 at the 7th Medical Group on Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. With the love and care I received from the neonatal nurses that were stationed on Dyess Air Force Base I quickly lost the title of ‘premie’. In 1999 my mother and father were both assigned to Landstuhl Army Base in Germany, I appreciated the military letting them be together. I am so blessed having my mother as a Medical Technician, I knew I was always in great hands when I was sick. I think I might even call my mom when my kids are under the weather. My parents enrolled me in the care of ABC Montessori that teaches that children learn through play and exploring their environment.

The United States stopped using compulsory military service (also known as the draft) and moved to an all-volunteer military force in 1973. All branches of the military employ recruiters to maintain and build their forces. While recruitment efforts have always focused on young people, U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan has led to criticism of the recruitment of teenagers. In 2001 a law was passed called No Child Left Behind Act, which requires high schools that receive federal funding provide information on students to military recruiters, unless the student or parent opts out. Some people believe that military recruiters should be allowed in schools because students need to be aware of career opportunities and other benefits the

Joining the military was a much-needed event. Before joining the military, I would stay out late at night with my friends and I really did not know what I wanted to do next with my life. This was of course something that I needed to change because I needed to have some idea of what I wanted. On September 11, 2001 while I was at school, I arrived to my second class of the day where the teacher was watching the September 11 attacks as they were happening live on TV. I was shocked at what was happening! When I got home and started to think about it on that day, I decided that I wanted to join the military and two weeks later I was at the