Military Child, By Beatrice Greeson, Age 12

As a military child, I believe I have a broader perspective than most children my age. Here in Europe, I've been to many places including Paris, Rome, London, and Venice. I've had experiences that many other kids won't have for a while or might never have; such as seeing Da Vinci's Mona Lisa in person or applying the Italian learned in school and using it the next day in the boisterous food markets to buy fish, bread, and fruit. There are many benefits to being a Navy kid, and some of these benefits are that we are all very close and our experiences prepare us to be successful in the world. Being a military child is hard sometimes, but it has made me a better person.

Naturally, I'm an introvert. I'm usually only my talkative self when I'm around people I know really well. At the Naval base in Sicily, Italy—where I live now—one third of the population moves per year. This means I meet loads of people. It makes me have to work really hard at being more outgoing. Ever since second grade, I have wanted to be a political leader of some kind. Being outgoing is definitely a trait that a politician—or leader of any kind—should have. I try to be a leader in as many ways as I can; at school, in swim team, and during church. I think this helps prepare me to be a leader because as a leader, whether you are the President of the United States or a Red Cross volunteer, you will probably have to go outside of your comfort zone.

Take former Secretary of State Madeline Albright as an example. She learned how to hold onto herself even when she was uncomfortable. That is a very important quality in a leader. Leaders should not be phony, but themselves, or as much as themselves they can be in public.

Being in a military community brings people closer together. I had a friend who was sick and in the hospital. Of course, her best friends and family were concerned, but people who she had talked to all of twice would come up and make sure she was okay and give her flowers. This proves that living on a base is like living with your whole extended family. They all care about you, and especially overseas in Sigonella, where there aren't that many people, they all know you, at least by sight. When I was in Kindergarten and first grade, and my dad was deployed to Iraq, my teachers were really supportive and knew how I was feeling. When my friend's dad was deployed, the base gave their family a packet with things like vouchers to the bowling alley in it.

If you compare me to the average American kid, I have a huge advantage as a Navy dependent. I have so many benefits. Military children are much more outgoing, because we have to move every couple of years, and always meet new people. This prepares us for the outside world. Also, we have strong ties with our peers. People in the military are very close because we have all been in similar situations to each other. There are only a couple of hard aspects, such as facing people with stereotypes against us. My message is this: being a military child is hard, but it is definitely worth it.

About Beatrice Greeson

Beatrice Greeson is currently living at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily with her mother, father, brother and two hateful cats, Tinkerbell and Stella. She loves to read and swim, preferably at the same time. This avid reader devours just about anything she can get her eyes on. Beatrice spends too much time swimming for the base swim team, which competes all over Europe. She has traveled to many different countries and cities in Europe. Her favorite location across the pond is London, England, where she has been spotted exploring everything from cool vintage shops to plays at the Bard's Theater. Beatrice loves fresh white bread and potatoes of any kind (baked, mashed, sweet with marshmallows). Her favorite color is teal, especially when it is accented with gold. Reluctantly playing the clarinet for the past two years, Beatrice would kill to play the oboe. This petite military chick can be found in her cluttered room singing or writing stories and poems for an anthology of her writings she plans to publish.