A Military Life, By Ruth Burgess, Age 12

Life in the military is supposed to be hard, they say, but I don't agree with them. Maybe it's because I've spent my whole life in a military family, and that I don't know what it feels like to settle down and stay in one place for the rest of my life. Maybe it's because I'm so used to barely seeing my father, or because I'm accustomed to saying good-bye every two or three years. Maybe it's because I'm so used to moving to different places, always being the new kid. But to me, life in the military is exciting, and if I mess up, I can always start again in a new place. My freedom is much larger than any normal child because overseas I live in a protected, safe community. The expenses are surprisingly low where you can buy cereal for two dollars, or a loaf of bread below a dollar.

I've visited places that no child has ever dreamed about going. I've been in China and climbed the Great Wall! I've been to Egypt and have walked in the pyramids! I've visited and lived in so many places, and experienced so many wonderful events. It's hard to believe all of this could fit into a twelve year old. I cannot deny that social life is hard, leaving the friends you have been with, and thinking you might never see them again. It might be hard to adjust to the people around you, who are not talking in the same language, or maybe in restaurants you are thinking, “Squid with fries? Where can I have a decent American meal?”

In my opinion, it's worth it. If I had a chance to settle down and stay in one place forever, I wouldn't want to take it. Why? Because I enjoy having more responsibility than other people. I love how I get to go and live in exotic places and see different cultures. These opportunities that I have, these experiences, are things that I treasure. And I would never, ever, want to 1eave.

Life as a Military Child, By Payton Buss, Age 11

There are many places with many different qualities that can be alike or different, but no place is exactly the same. America is extremely unique. So unique, that it has formed its own defense system called the military. Many countries have allied with the country. So, the U.S. has asked if they may send some of their people to the places that they will accept for the Americans to live. Now many people respect and live for their country. The influence it had on their children made them want to join, too. For doing that, the citizens of the U.S.A. give them their respect.

The first place I ever lived (where I was born), was Washington state. I'd love to tell you about it, but the thing is that I can't really remember it. The reason behind that is because we moved before I even turned one year old! What I can gather, though, is that I was born there when my sister was practically three years old. I lived on an island, and that's it. Not much. After that, I can remember a little of the other places.

Next, we lived in Iowa. We stayed there until I was five and my sister was eight years old. Our dog, Snooter, is a white Westie. She was a lot of fun to be around, but we had to keep her on a leash outside, because we didn't have a fence. We were very close to my father’s family. I used to think that the drive to my grandparent's house was super long. My favorite tree was the old weeping willow with the long leaves and the way the bark twisted around each other. For my backyard, we didn't have a pool, we had a playground, and not just a playground, but a built in playground. In the winter, when it snowed, we'd climb up the little hill that separated us from our neighbors dragging our sleds and speed down the hill. Mom drove me to preschool and then went off to dental school, while my sister rode the bus. I was jealous because I wanted to ride the bus like "all" the kids did (my preschool didn't have a bus, I'm referring to Big kids). Then after I had a happy five years in Iowa, it had to end all too soon.

We then move to Camarillo, California—a place five hours north of San-Diego, very sunny. I absolutely loved Camarillo. There was nothing not to love. I remember my best friend, Jessica Mertez. She lived right next door and was pretty sporty so I didn't see her very often, though we did have lots of fun. The other friend on my block was Jeffery Westover. He told me scary stories until I was afraid of the dark, but otherwise he was a good friend.

We had a really big house. It had enough rooms for us to have our own rooms and a guest room! We had a decent-sized kitchen, along with a pool. The pool was positioned right below the hot-tub and, from the pool, the outside of the hot-tub had little¬ rocks. Once a duck tried to nest in our pool, but dad scared it out. Jessica was the only one who let the duck stay in, so the duck produced ducklings! You haven't heard everything, the duck and her family lived right in her pool! They died though; you can't expect them to survive when they're diving in a pool. Anyway, it's time you see the next destination.

This time it's only five hours south, San-Diego. Mom and I always walked to a nice little shopping center for our Saturday breakfast. The best part about where we lived was that we were approximately five minutes away from Sea World. Oh, and be sure to get wet on the two rides. My school was Creekside Elementary School, part of the Poway district, but was actually in San-Diego. That's where I had the best teacher ever! Mr. Parker. We were Parker’s pupils. If I had got him in fourth grade, he wouldn't have been the best teacher ever. Best teachers ever are reserved for third grade. I seriously suggest that Mr. Thomson teach third grade, then he could be a best teacher ever. I came here over-prepared for fifth grade. Now, All Aboard!

I am now in Okinawa, Japan. I am enjoying my time here as much as I would anyplace. The Japanese are very nice, courteous, and caring. I know that myself because my nanny is Japanese. I spend so much time on base, sometimes I forget I'm in Japan. This is my first time overseas, and I thought it was going to be like any other move, any other place, but I was dead wrong. In Japan, people aren't impolite, and the move was much more stressful, box-filled, and complicated than any other move that happened to me. I didn't like the way we had to wait to get onto a plane to San Francisco, to get to Tokyo. I hope you enjoyed learning about my life.

Moving, By Tyler Mosley, Age 11

When I found out we were moving, the pressure was on for me. It was hard enough just to tell my friends that I was leaving. It was even harder just to tell my best friend.

I was extremely sad in many ways. What made me even more sad was that I could only bring a little amount of my stuff on the plane. We gave most of our belongings to our relatives. Then, when the sign was put up for our house to be sold, we left for the airport.

When we left the house, it broke my heart to leave my friends and family behind. The way it broke my heart was that I had played with all my friends since I was just two years old.

Just to get to the airport was about two hours long because of the traffic. As we drove to the parking lot, there were many cars parked outside the airport. Most of them were mini vans and regular sized vans. As I went into the airport, it felt like the world was smaller because of how many people were at the airport. Many people spoke of where they were going or where they came from. People spoke different languages, which was weird to me because I only knew English back then. What I thought was even weirder was when I tried to talk like the other people, I would get tongue twisters or it would tickle my lips. I tried to speak like the other people who did not speak English. Standing in line, I said my last good-byes in person to my relatives. As we got on the plane, I sat right next to the window to wave to my relatives getting into their car, but unfortunately for me they didn't wave back. The plane was crowded with many people and the only thing that satisfied me was that I got to sit next to the window and my family. To me, it was boring on the plane. I tried my best at entertaining myself. I looked out the window and thought about the animals and plants and what they look like from the air. After what felt like an hour, but was really only thirty minutes, I got bored again. I got up to stretch my legs and other body parts, and then I sat on the chair and went to sleep.

As soon as I fell asleep, they announced that we had arrived at Tokyo, which got me pretty mad because I was tired. As we got off our plane, they checked our passports and stamped them. When we were inside the airport in Tokyo, we did the same thing we did before—just sit and wait for our plane. My parents thought that I would ask if we could see the sites or see the shops, but I was too sleepy to even move. So I went to go sit next to the window where the planes took off.

Ten minutes into watching the planes taking off, I fell asleep. I snoozed for an hour. I could have slept even longer, but we had to get in line to go to Okinawa. We were served food on the plane to Okinawa. I only ate a little amount of food because I was sleepy. The ride was at least three or four hours long.

When we got to Okinawa, I felt like a cheetah running at one hundred miles per hour, but somehow I still felt sad inside. I tried to forget about the past, but it was almost too hard. I tried my best to forget about it. We went to get our bags and I saw many different faces and people. I felt very weird. I tried my best to blend in, but the more I tried, the more I felt weird.

When we got out of the airport, it felt like a totally different world to me. As we got outside, I saw some words. They were hard to read, but I found out how to say them. They were pronounced "Naha Airport.” After that, we got a cab to go down south of the island. There were many new things that I had never seen before. We got a room in a hotel on Camp Foster. The room was just the right size for me. When I got off base to see some of the Japanese culture, I met some Japanese children and American children just my age. That made it easier to live there and let go of the past. I will always remember my friends and family members in America by heart. I was happy to be living in Okinawa. I'm still happy living in Okinawa to this day, but I will never forget about my homeland, America!

Moving, By Emily Parrott, Age 11

Being a military child is unique and has its advantages and disadvantages. We get to have special identification cards at age ten while most non-military have to wait until they are older. We know more about the world than most and can adapt to new situations easily. While most kids usually never set foot outside of their hometowns, we travel all over. But with traveling, comes another experience. That experience is moving. That is what I am going to talk about in this essay.

There are quite a few negative things about moving. But it is part of being a military kid. It is hard to look at it that way, though, when you are actually moving. Sure, you are going somewhere beyond your wildest dreams (or nightmares), but you are leaving friends and possibly family. It is really hard to leave the community that you have worked so hard to fit into. It is a highly frightening experience. "You will make friends when we get there," your parents say, as though you are just walking down the street to visit a family. "It is an adventure!" they declare, "and whether you like it or not we are going!" Yes, moving can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but it isn't going to change anything if you whine.

Though there are lots of bad things about moving, there are also lots of good things about moving too! It is usually fun to move to exotic places. If you happen to move back, you already have friends!

Also, have you ever heard the song that goes "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold?" Well, that song is true. You can still keep in touch with old friends. And new friends are always out there! In school, in the neighborhood, and at activities, new friends are everywhere, waiting for you to discover. If you put yourself forward, anything is possible!

Personally, I have moved five times in the last eleven years. All of those moves have been really helpful to me. For example, moving has taught me how to easily cope with changes like switching houses and making new friends.

The experiences that military kids have give us advantages that don't seem like advantages to non-military kids, like flexibility. Flexibility is important to learn as a child because it helps you cope as an adult. I have learned to love moving because it is something I do every two or three years. For instance, when I moved from Maryland to Sicily, Italy, I was excited to move to somewhere exotic. Plus, I kept in touch with my old friends until I found new ones.

Moving, as I mentioned before, is part of being in the military. It is fun sometimes, but the ups and downs are tremendous. I write this essay in hopes that it will help other kids in the military. I personally think moving is exciting after all the boxes are gone. It quickly becomes a piece of cake and a stroll down Easy Lane with a picnic basket full of fun in your hand.

Though the military is tough, it is part of your life. Just think of all the advantages you have over other kids! You have everything better off than them. You can use your vast knowledge to help! When it all comes down to it, the military life is the choice I would choose to have as a kid. You get to see new places and other new things! The military life lives through thick and thin. So go and get those new experiences!

Assuming New Responsibilities, By Efranys Rodriguez Calvo, Age 13

I was born into a military family 13 years ago. One might wonder what it is like to be a military child. Well, it has been excellent on one side, but on the other hand, it has been difficult. Dealing with my dad leaving and returning, and doing my house chores, too, is not an easy thing. There is a good side, and that is to have the opportunity to be in a military school system, as well as other advantages such as: having discounts, having the opportunity to meet new people, going to the Post Exchange, and traveling.

I won't say it has been too hard, because my family has always been there for me, but there have been difficult days. Being in a military family is hard because the family separates as a consequence of all the assignments the soldier has to do (in this case my dad), but when he comes back home there is more of a connection among all the members of the family. We also have the time to share special moments as a family.

When my dad was away each member of the family lived in his/her own bubble. There were not as many happy times as before. In my case, I have to deal with many things every day. Last year, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and from that day on she has not been the same as she was before. This has made the situation at home even more difficult. In addition, my dad works in Ceiba. Therefore, when I get home I have to take care of my younger siblings because of my mother's condition. I have to help them with their homework and other school related things, plus I have to do my own homework and extracurricular activities. Although we have many hardships, I must acknowledge our blessings too. We can enter the base, receive a good education, and have the opportunity to travel around the world.

When my dad was deployed, I felt unsafe because we were four women and a young boy in the house. My dad was the one that if an accident occurred, he was there to solve any problems. He also was the one that was watching the house every night; the one that went outside to check why the dog was barking. But when he was away, my mom and I divided the responsibilities and the chores of the house. When my dad was deployed, the connection between us broke apart because we could not talk so much. When we talked, it was only about how I was and how he was. We did spend time together when he was back, but it has never been the same as before. Now, every time he says that he has to go, it is normal to me because I am used to hearing those words.

Since the day my dad came back home, I realized that I had matured very fast. Now I take care of my younger siblings as if they were my own kids. I do all of the chores and responsibilities I had to do when dad first left, but now I feel it is something normal. In addition to all these things, since he returned, I do not talk too much with him. We only talk about daily situations because he is always working and taking care of others.

Something that has concerned me is that people always thank the soldiers and I understand that, but what about their children? We should get an award and a prize, because we give a lot of our time taking charge of responsibilities and working diligently so life goes on when our parents are not home. This affects so much that there are days I want to see my dad, and there are others that I get tired of not even seeing him even though I love him.

A lesson that I learned from these experiences is that I should help the person beside me. I should always spend some time with those kids whose parents are away and ask them if they are okay and if they need anything. But most important, I need to tell them that I am there for them at any time. I know that these words give a little hope during those gloomy days that we feel alone and do not want to talk to anyone.

The experiences of a child in a military family can be bittersweet. It is difficult, but at the same time we benefit. There are those awesome days and also days that you hate, but little by little you get used to them. I do have to say that being a military child has made me stronger and wiser in my short years of life. I am still a child with a loving heart because I have tasted sorrow and I can appreciate the sweetness of happiness.

Deployments, By Raven Tomas, Age 11

Being a military child is a great honor, even though we have to face hard trials, like our dads being deployed to different places. One of the hardships that I have faced is my dad deploying to a different place for three months. We lived in Yokosuka, Japan in a tower. We had to say goodbye to each other when my dad left for the ship and sailed off. While my dad was deployed, I mostly played with my little brother, Ryan Kirby, playing the PlayStation 2, which is broken right now, and also sending emails to my dad. When my dad was deployed, I helped my mom do the groceries, helped her toss the trash into the dumpster, helped her clean the car, and many other chores that she told me to do. I also went to school every weekday when my dad was deployed. I had to do my homework before we went to church. My dad said when Ryan Kirby and I were good boys, he would give us a surprise when he returned from the deployment.

I miss playing with my dad. I miss playing with a remote-controlled car with him. I miss playing golf with him after we had done our homework and had some spare time. I miss laughing with him when we or he cracked jokes, and also eating with him in one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. My favorite Japanese restaurant is Ringer Hut, because it has Ramen, fried rice, gyoza, and some of my favorite sauces. My next favorite restaurant is Yakitori, because it has my favorite delicious chicken barbecue. I also like Bamiyan Chinese Restaurant, which has my favorite fried rice, wonton soup, and my favorite chicken.

When my dad was deployed, my aunt sometimes came to stay with us and play with us. My brother and I have a toy that flings a ball into a hoop, which is fun and exciting. My aunt comes to visit us once a month. She helps me get my mind off of my dad. When my aunt is not here, I use my mom's email account to send my dad emails while he is gone. I sent him messages about how I am doing, what I am doing, and how I am doing in school.

After two months, my brother and I could not wait for dad to come back home, because he would be home in one more month! I was so excited. So my brother and I made our Welcome Back Home poster. We also did a countdown when he was almost coming back, from the beginning of the month through the day he came home. My mom, my brother, and I discussed what to do when our dad comes back after deployment. We decided that we would go home and get our presents from our dad first. Then we would go to one of our favorite restaurants and eat one of our favorite Japanese foods that I definitely love to eat. After that, we planned to go home and stay up late, because we don't have school on Saturday. We also planned that we would play and play with dad all night until we felt tired and sleepy. After discussion of what to do when our dad comes back from deployment, we went to bed and fell right to sleep.

When I woke up from my wondrous sleep, I went to school as usual, but today was a very special day. It was Friday, and also the day when our dad came back from deployment! At the end of school, I ran and ran to our home in the tower. Suddenly at the seventh floor, my dad waved to me from the porch! I was so happy to see him! I kept on running until I reached the elevator. I clicked the seventh floor button and waited for the elevator door to open. Once it opened, I ran to the back, and opened the door, and I ran to him and hugged him once I dropped off my backpack! Then my dad said, “I missed you son! I’m glad to see you!” After my dad said that, he gave me the mysterious gift that I was dying to know! The present was a DS Lite, a red colored backpack, and a game called Pokémon Pearl that came with the game. I was very happy to have the presents that my dad gave me! My brother got a blue backpack and five Hot Wheels cars.

I will never forget the day when my dad came back from deployment and gave my brother and me presents and we ate at one of our favorite restaurants. I will never forget anything that happened that day. Once again, being a military child is an honor, and we will no doubt face more challenges and hard trials in the future. Have a great wonderful day!

Being in a Military Family, By Jalynn Poindexter, Age 10

Hi, my name is Jalynn Poindexter and I am going to talk about being in a military family in the Air Force. I have experienced the sad, good, and exciting times. I love the good times and exciting times because they are so fun. I like those times because we celebrate. When we celebrate, we go out to eat then either go home or to a fun place. Those days are super fun.

Being in a military family is kind of a challenge because of deployments, moving, and making new friends. Sometimes the military takes away from your family time, because your parents either get home late or have to work night shift, so you only see them in the morning or when they are about to leave.

It is such a privilege to be in a military family because you go to places other people have never been. It is a very good experience for me. Then you get to teach them something new and maybe even a new language if they want to learn it. The hard part is departing. Leaving behind friends though makes you grow as a person. But when you get to the new place, you get to make all new friends and maybe you can keep in touch with old friends if you are not too busy when you get settled in.

Being in a military family is fun when you get to take those military family pictures and you get all dressed up for them. Also, when they make a higher rank, you get to take pictures with their new rank on. IT IS SO FUN! I love taking pictures when I am dressed up fancy.

The house the military gives you depends on your rank. Some houses are nice and big, others are either medium or small. I am about to move because my father put on E-7 so we are also looking for a four bedroom house, because when you have a child age ten or above, they get their own bedroom. I want my own bedroom because I have to share a room with my sister and our room is a mess, but normally it is because of her.

If you are in a military family, most of the time you go to a DODEA school. I am in a DODEA school because they are marvelous, fun, safe, and big. Next year I will be changing schools and I hope I get to go to the one they just built. Sometimes the food is nasty and sometimes it is good. The teachers are kind and very helpful. The specialist teachers are very polite. I am so happy that I get to go to all these magnificent schools.

My goal for being in a military family is to have courage. I love being in a military family because you have so many different advantages and privileges that other people don't have.