Being an Army Brat, what does that exactly mean?

Well, it means going where dad goes, even though you don't want to! Only other military brats can understand what kind of life we live. It's hearing mom and dad say, "well kids, we are going to Germany in two months."

It is knowing that you will have to say goodbye to your "best friend" of the last two years. The first thing a military brat learns is your family always comes first and your friends come in a distant second. Military families have strong ties, we have to. That's the only way we can move all the time and still survive.

Being a military brat also means living in Australia, Germany and all over the States. Learning new cultures and experiencing the World. Only we are able to do such exciting things! it also means meeting new friends and saying, hey, I have a friend that lives there. I wouldn't trade my experiences for the anything. And moving, well that gets easier and soon, you expuct it. It's just one of those things.

I am so proud of my Dad for doing what he has. I look up to him, and know that he has done the right thing. My parents have raised me to be a strong individual, and that being an Army Brat isn't half bad. Now that I am in college, I miss my family but I think I have adjusted better than a lot of my new friends. Being an Army Brat makes you be outgoing and willing to get involved with activites to meet new people.

I wouldn't change my life for anything.

Editor's Note: This article first appeared in Military Brats Online in 1997.