My Dad’s Fourth Deployment, By Trenton Sanders, Age 12

Our family lives overseas on a naval base in Sicily, Italy. I'm 12 years old. In my opinion, a deployment is when my dad goes with a group of people from our duty station to somewhere away from the family. He was on a humanitarian deployment to Nicaragua when I was nine months old. His second deployment was when I was six years old. He went to Iraq. The third one was to Kuwait when I was 10 years old. Soon my dad is leaving for Afghanistan on an Individual Augment or IA. We have been blessed as a military family in that my dad has only been deployed four times during his 16 years of service in the Navy. I have good and bad feelings about the deployment that is ahead for our family. These deployments have affected many parts of my life, but have made me stronger in many ways.

There are certain traditions we do before and after his deployments. First, we have a family meeting discussing our feelings about his deployment. He tells us where he is going and shows us on the map. It helps me to know where he is going to be by physically seeing the location on the map. Another tradition is he takes a picture of himself with me and writes a note on it and gives it to me the day he leaves. Then, for his return, we make signs welcoming him home. We also plan a large trip when he returns. It gives all of us something to plan for when he returns. The last deployment, we went to Paris, France and to Euro Disney. This deployment, we are hoping to go to Ireland.

Another piece of my life that is affected by military deployments is my education. During the second deployment my dad went on, my grades really fell. I feel now I have matured so I am not as emotional and naïve. I have a hard time staying on task when he leaves. My thoughts always seem to wander toward how he is and what he's doing. My mood will change to gloomy and gray. My dad is defending our country in the toughest and most dangerous places in the world while I am attending my classes, doing my homework and chores, and living my day-to-day routine here in Sigonella where I cannot do anything for him.

The separation is a pretty hard thing to get over. Then again, there are good times and bad times when he is gone. Some of the bad times are when we get reminded of his absence. Examples of this are someone asking “Where's your dad?” or thinking “What dad would do?” When he was on his last IA, I got depressed when I looked at the dinner table and saw one plate missing. My dad thinks it is very important for the family to eat together at dinner. Miranda, my six-year-old sister, would state “Where is daddy?” and “I want my daddy home!” in the evenings. When this happens, the three of us get teary and cry. Mom and I tell her that he is coming back soon and he is thinking of her, too. I believe deployments are one percent good in a way. They make me stronger and make me more responsible by assisting my family in our daily routines.

To help the three members of my family get our minds off my dad being deployed, we do fun family activities. To help us keep track of the time that has gone by, we make a paper chain that explains the highlights of each week as they passed by. Another activity is we have family fun nights where we watch movies, play games, or read to each other. Our biggest event is going back to the states during the summer to visit family and friends. Keeping busy with our many events and after school activities assists us in passing the long, hard eight months of my dad's deployment.

In conclusion, this deployment, I feel I am more mature and I have had more experience than other kids. It will still be tough because he will be in an even more unsafe area than any other IA deployment he has experienced. The areas I have talked about in my essay hit me the most when he has gone to wherever.

Living in Germany, By Morgan Stockdill, Age 11

Hi, I'm here to tell you all about the good and bad things that by living overseas as a military child may happen to you. My dad is a 1st Sergeant in the Army and I live in Schweinfurt, Germany. I am a sixth grader in Schweinfurt Middle School, home of the Golden Nights. I am not the coolest person in school, but I am smart. I am an average looking person with brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. I have one younger brother, one older sister and so I'm the middle child. I was born in Fort Polk, Louisiana in 1998 and lived there only one year and then we moved to Fort Benning, Georgia. My brother was born in Fort Benning, Georgia in 2000. We stayed there for almost two years and then moved to Germany in 2001. I lived in Germany nine years and I am still here. It's amazing— Most people move in about three or four years, but I've been stuck here forever. These are a few facts about me and what I'm about to write about. I hope you enjoy my story.

My family and I have traveled to many places around Europe and we even took an 11-hour plane flight to Japan (which gave me a headache). This is one of my favorite things about living abroad. When I go home to the states and tell my cousins about all the places I've been, their eyes like pop out. My cousins told me that they have only been to Florida, Canada, and Pennsylvania, where they live. I thought Columbus showed us that the world is not flat and that you won't fall off the edge if you travel too far. So why don't people in the USA travel on a plane and go somewhere new, so they may even learn something? I’ll bet that many people in the USA don't even leave the continent of North America. Leaving North America is only one advantage of living abroad. While traveling, you can learn about different cultures, customs, and languages. You get to see great things like the Mona Lisa in Paris, the Blarney stone in Ireland, the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Tulips of Holland, Mt. Fuji in Japan, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. All these things I have seen. Do you think that the people in the U.S.A. kind of live in a bubble? Some people think that there is nothing more than where they live and what they have seen. Traveling is my favorite thing about living abroad.

Living abroad is very different than living in the USA. There are many things you have to get used to. While living in Germany, I have learned how to look for certain things. For instance, if I was looking for a gift for my friend, I would have to go the Post Exchange, because over here we don't have a mall, book store, or Toys R Us. We don't get all the products that can be found in the U.S. The people here learn English in school, but sometimes are not the best at it. So when you live here you learn how to speak German also. Staying in touch with friends and family is sometimes a pain in the butt, but we make it. Sometimes I wish that we were in the U.S., but then I remember how many things I love over here.

I would like to tell you about Germany and other ways it's different from the USA. First, all the stores are closed on Sunday and on most holidays. A lot of people ride bikes around here. My dad and I have ridden from my house all the way through Schweinfurt to where my mom works on base (which most of the time takes an hour). In spring, every town makes a May Pole, which is a big wooden pole that shows the different stores that are in the town. In my town, once a May Pole split in half. Schnitzel is a common German food as is bratwurst, which is a sausage-like hotdog. If you came and ate German food, you would never want to leave.

These are a few facts about Germany. Maybe one day you could come here and enjoy these things yourself.

I hope you now understand why living abroad is so cool, fun, fantastic, and awesome. Germany is just one of the places you could be stationed abroad. Living abroad may be full of challenges, but it is worth it.

Making Friends, By Johnathan Shelton, Age 12

Because I am a military kid, I know I only have a certain amount of time to make friends. We usually move every three years, so I don't have time to wait. Making friends is easy for me. Every place my family lives, it usually takes me two or three days to make a friend. I usually ride around the area where we are living and try to find a kid that looks my age. I also sometimes hang out with my older brother's friends. The reason I jump right in and try to make friends is that sooner or later, the video games start to get to me.

The hard part about making friends in a military place is finding out how far away they are. Sometimes my friends move before I do. That is sort of hard because then I don't have as many friends left. It is also hard when I move and have to leave my friends behind. For example, when I left Tennessee, I left four friends. It made me feel sort of bad, but I knew I would get over it soon. I think I'm a very good friend because I will help you with problems.

I keep in touch with my friends through email. Sometimes we get to visit my friends in other places and it is always fun to see them. Because I am a military child, I get to meet people I wouldn't have met otherwise.

The Happiness, Pain and Tears, By Natalie Herrera, Age 13

"The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." These words were spoken by a Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu. The life of military children is hard in many ways, but as life goes on, one realizes that this is the life that they were born into and that this lifestyle will benefit them in many ways. This journey will include happiness, pain, and tears. These thousand miles can be the highlight of their lives. The most important way to tackle the journey is to take it one day at a time.


The love and happiness in a military family is so pleasant that I wish it could last forever. Whenever my military parent is coming home and has not been home in a long time, all I have to do is hear the words, "I am coming home today.” This feels like a great relief. It is such a beautiful feeling because I get to see the parent that I love so much. Another beautiful feeling is when I get to go out with my family and just have fun without worries. The joy of being in a military family shines when that military parent takes a vacation. Then they are 110 percent at home where I can play a game without worrying that it will be interrupted by a phone call or an email.

The best part about being in a military family is that I get so many amazing opportunities. For example, I get to go to a special school for military students only. This way I can interact with different kids who experience the same thing I do. It makes me feel that I am not alone in this journey.

But then devastating news comes up and takes away all that happiness and love. When I hear that a parent is going to be deployed to Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Kosovo, or any other country around the world, emotions begin rushing throughout my body. During the time that I am without my parent that I love so dearly, I have to be brave and try to keep telling myself that he will be back soon. Also, another very painful thing to endure is when your parent is deployed again to another country.

One way of trying to cope with all the feelings going on is to just find a group of friends that you can relate to and go out from time to time and just have fun. One way to do this is to go to the movies once a month, go to the bowling alley, or have a sleepover. It is basically any social activity that will get your mind off all the other stuff happening so you can enjoy yourself. This will bring out the happiness you have stored away and make you want to have fun even if you know that your military parent is away.

The role of a military child is fairly simple even though it can be hard at times. All you really have to do as a military child is to have fun with the times you get to see your military parent. Have fun with your friends. Study hard to get a good career in life. Take responsibility when your parent is away. But most important of all, make your family proud. It takes a lot of guts to come up and be the person in the house which people will rely on to clean the house, cut the grass, cook dinner and so forth.

To be a military child is scary, but living day by day will take you on a tremendous journey. On that path you will be proud to say, "I am a military child and I am proud to be one.” That journey of a thousand miles will slowly fade into a path and then fade into the nothingness. Don't worry about what is ahead in life. Look at what is right in front of your face and go with the flow of the road that is taking you through life.

Deployments Are Hard, By Gabriella Kesterton

In the lives of military children and families, you will most likely encounter a deployment of one or both of your parents. A deployment is where your parent leaves to go to a foreign country to help out in countries like Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It can take months or even a year for your parent to return. My dad has deployed three times in two years! I really felt sad most of the time he was gone in Kuwait so let me tell you about one of his deployments.

It was late October when my dad had left to go to Kuwait. Since my dad is and has been an only father, and since I could not go with him, he had to bring me all the way to Iowa, where my family lived. We were in Rota, Spain at the time; so it was a long flight over to the states! 11 hours of brrrrrrrrrrring on a C-130 was completely annoying and miserable. I had jet lag for a couple days adjusting to the U.S. times.

I was going to live with my aunt and uncle, including my two playful cousins. They were all so helpful in making me feel better about my dad being gone. For instance, after school I would play with them, give them baths, cuddle on the couch, and other stuff. My aunt comforted me when I couldn’t hold in the sadness much longer and my uncle had helped me with school stuff. My grandma and grandpa had helped out, too. My grandpa would sometimes watch the girls and me whenever he could help. Having family there for you is important when your parent is on deployments. A pet being with you helps a lot, too. Trust me! At night, my little dog would cuddle up around my belly and sleep with me all night. He made me feel at home. I made lots of new friends and reunited with old friends from childhood. My dad had been sending gifts and letters, including e-mails and pictures of what was going on in Kuwait. Every day he made an attempt to contact me in some way. I liked that a lot.

Getting into school activities and doing fun stuff can help take your mind off of your parent being gone. I joined basketball and often went to the park, the zoo, swimming, and other fun stuff. You can also write in a diary or journal of your days. Then keep them for memories.

From what I’ve heard, children can sometimes be depressed, hyper, sleepless, and even unbearable at times. It’s usually because your parents are not there and you feel sad, mad, anxious, worried, or nervous. Everyday I felt those same emotions.

Every night I would pray that my dad would be okay, and that tomorrow he would give me a call so I know that he’s all right. Every day I would look forward to his calls, e-mails, letters, and gifts. And almost all the time I thought of him.

There were a few more months left to go and when he came back, we were going to be going to Sicily, Italy. I would have to leave my friends and family, but I would be happy to be with my dad.

When the time nears and your mom/dad comes home, you feel so relieved and anxious. Mostly, you feel joyful. Sure enough, my dad came home after fourteen months in Kuwait and I was happier than you could ever imagine! I’m glad to have him home, and I’m glad that I had family and friends there when he wasn’t. A few weeks later, we packed our bags and said good-bye to everyone. I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends with me.

I still keep in touch with family and friends through e-mail and phone calls. Life is different without your family with you, and I sure do miss them. I think it has changed my life by how much closer I am to family and friends. I said that I would be back for 10th grade when my dad retires, so I look forward to seeing friends and family again.

Deployments are hard but you get through them. Just remember that when your parents are gone, they’re still there only far away.

I hope this story has helped everyone in some way with deployments. God bless America and all of the troops out there fighting for freedom.

Moving from Florida to Germany, By Axel Delgado, Age 12

I will never forget the day when my mother asked me if I wanted to move to Germany. I thought she was joking around, so I just started to laugh. But then she gave me that "I'm not joking" look.


That made me ask, "Mom, are you really serious?"

Then she said, “Yes.”

"Why do you want us to move, Mom?"

"Because it will be a great experience to go to another country. Don't you want to go there and be able to experience other cultures?"

At that time, my family was living in Florida and I really liked it there, so I did not want to move.

My mom then showed me many old towns and cool monuments and stuff like that on the computer. She also showed me theme parks and water parks. I had that "want to go / do not want to go" feeling. It was kind of hard to know how I was feeling. I still said no, because I was trying to decide. I went to bed that night with a thousand thoughts of moving and deciding whether or not to go to Germany. The thought was like a thousand bees buzzing inside my head.

I imagined myself walking in the streets of Germany all by myself looking at signs I could not read, and talking to people I could not understand. I also had nice thoughts about it. I thought about visiting places only people thought and dreamed of seeing. When I saw it that way, my mind opened up more. I thought it probably wouldn’t be that bad. I will have to lose some friends for whatever amount of time, but it will be interesting.

The next day, I woke up and saw a beautiful day ahead of me. I made a quick sprint to where my mother was getting ready for work.

"How is my insane little child today?" she asked me.

"I'm doing great", I said, loudly. "Mom, I have been thinking about Germany. I think I have a maybe.”

"That's good, honey. Anyway, if we do decide we want to, we have until December.”

After that, I slowly jogged over to my friend's house thinking, What will Germany look like? The weather? The people? Will there be the same type of cars? Will the language be hard to learn? All these questions would be answered in time.

When I arrived, I found my friends sword fighting in the front yard. The red and purple colors of their light sabers turned into a blur as they continued to fight.

"Hi Brandon and Daniel!" I yelled in great excitement.

"Hi Axel," they yelled back. They both were brothers. The one with the purple light saber was (at that time) nine-year-old Daniel and the one with the red light saber was (at that time) 12-year-old Brandon.

"I have something to tell you guys," I said.

"What?" they asked.

"I might be moving to Germany."

They, of course, said I was crazy so I just told them all the great things that my mom had told me.

"Wow, so they actually have a Lego Land?" asked Daniel.

"Germany has mountains?" asked Brandon.

As I arrived back to my house, I asked my mother how long we would stay if we went to Germany. She said it would be three years. I also asked my mom what job she would have. I found out that she would be a doctor for the Army. She would work there in the day and come off post at night to a house out in the local community. I thought that we would live on the base with the Americans, but we were going to live off base with the Germans. I was very excited by this to know that we were going to live in Germany.

When summer ended and school started, I told my friends and fellow pupils that I would maybe be moving to Germany. They at once all started to laugh their heads off. Then, when they saw what kind of face I was wearing, they all just backed up. Their eyes grew wide as if they were being pinched through the skin.

Soon, a few months later, after all the laughs, the byes, and the cries, which I treasured dearly, we departed. The ride on that plane was the longest ever ridden by me (literally and emotionally). There was some period of time when I hated living in Germany and everyone living in it. I was mad. I wanted go back to Florida to the hot, humid weather and not be in the cold, dry weather. I wanted to see my old friends again. I had no friends here. I thought that no one liked me.

Soon, little by little, I started forgetting my friends and Florida. I started getting used to the weather. I started to get used to being surrounded by military kids. I now see the world as a better, clearer world. All because of that “old” Axel sacrificing friends and everything he knew to come to Germany. That is how I see the world—through the eyes of this new "military-living-abroad" child.

The Voice of a Military Child, By Darian Merritt, Age 13

When I first found out that my family and I were moving to Germany, I was shocked, happy, and confused all at the same time. I had never lived abroad. In addition, I never really lived anywhere but Texas for most of my life. My father joined the military just after 9/11 and our first base was Ft. Hood, Texas. My dad was deployed three times from there and asked for orders to Germany, so that we could visit new places. However, that isn't what this paper is about. It is about my life as a military kid.

Being in a military family, a lot of things are expected of you. I grew up doing, feeling, and seeing things some people don't even think about. My father goes to war. At movies we stand for a minute to pay respect and these things become normal to some of us. They became normal to me.

When a parent is deployed, you are expected to step up a great deal more than you're used to. When my dad deploys, for example, I'm expected to do more work around the house, help with my little brother, and anything else that could make things easier for the rest of my family. I, personally, like to keep up with the news wherever I am and where my dad is serving his deployment.

Being in a military family, you grow up learning some not exactly ordinary things. For example, growing up I learned a number of acronyms, like MIA (missing in action), ACU (army combat uniform), and PCS (permanent change of station). We also learn respect for the flag and the United States, and other countries. For instance, before a movie plays on base everyone there stands as the national anthem plays.

Another part of growing up in a military family is that you learn from good examples. The soldiers are dedicated, on time, organized, well-dressed, and wear their uniforms with pride. The military life is also strict. When you get in trouble you aren't the only one who gets the blame. Your parents get the blame as well. You don't just hold your reflection, you hold the reflections of your duty station, your family, and the entire military, too.

School can also be hard at times. Between deployments, moving, and everything else I have going on, it can be hard to think about school work. Sometimes my grades slip because I can't keep on task or keep my mind on topic. It will drift to something completely off topic and ruin my concentration. My mind will drift to my dad in Iraq, or a friend's parent.

Another part of being a military kid is that you get some opportunities other people don't get. One benefit is that when shopping at military shops we don't pay taxes. An additional advantage is educational benefits. Some scholarships are awarded specifically to military families, and a G.I bill could pay for our college experience. In addition, military kids can go to camps specifically for military children, to meet other military children. We also have opportunities to move to places all over the states and places in foreign countries.

Being a military kid can be tough at times, but I think it's worth it in the long run. Military people will always hold a special bond with one another, no matter how far apart. That bond is caused by the unity of us through one common factor that makes such a huge difference in all of our lives, and everyone else's.