Personal Narrative: My Dad

My dad served in the United States Navy for 24 years. In the spring of 2009, my dad was deployed to Afghanistan. To be specific, he left on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 5:00 in the morning. I woke up that morning, dreading what was about to happen. My dad had been with me all my life, to think that in a few short hours that my dad would be on a bus to the airport was heartbreaking.

One memory I distinctly remember of my dad was when he took me to the daddy daughter dance. It was a couple of months before he left for Afghanistan. I remember getting all dressed up in a lime green dress with pretty pink flowers on it. I felt like a princess in it. My dad was wearing his US Navy uniform. I remember never dancing. I was always being held by my dad

We spent two whole days there. My dad went on all the rides I wanted and was allowed to go on with me. Both of my parents were by my side the entire time. The time I spent there, I conquered my fear of costumed characters. My dad told me that they were real people in a costume and it made me not be scared of them anymore. The two days we were there, I was smiling the entire time.

When my dad got on to the bus that would take him to the airport, my mom and I could not stop crying. To be honest, my mom and I could not stop crying for the rest of the day. I remember going to look at all the picture we had around the house of us and crying even harder. But I knew I had to be strong for my mom, knowing it would only be us for the next 7 months.

The day my dad left for Afghanistan was the day I had to realize that I needed to appreciate everything in my life more because that thing could be taken from you. Having to realize that as a 6-year-old made me more mature than most of the people my age. I’ve always had to act older than I am. Starting school when I was 4 and everyone else being 5 was hard because I was always the youngest. Now I am realizing that being more mature for my age is a good