It’s been forty plus years since I gave up my status as a military kid. Back in those days we moved more often. There were no yellow ribbons, and welcome home videos. We were Military Brats, trained to stand at attention during colors, not walk on the grass, and suck it up.
Now I am a grandmother with my own Military Brat grandchildren. Their parents deploy and I am taken back to the days when my father left me behind. Thankfully it is a new day when researchers are beginning to look at the impact of military service on the littlest warriors. Because it is finally being acknowledged that they also serve. Everyone who loves a member of the military serves in their own way.
This is the Month of the Military Child. It is a time to honor those who were born into service. A young Military Brat, Michaela Coplen, shared this inspiring speech and I was so proud of her. She speaks for me and for the thousands of my fellow Brats throughout the generations. It is not easy to love someone in the military. We all carry something in this backpack of ours-even the tiniest members have their own pint size versions to shoulder.
