Courageous by Lila Turner

Courage is like when you’re scared but you still do something anyway, like jumping off the highest diving board or showing up at school with a totally different hairstyle. It’s different for everyone, but we all need it sometimes. Being a military kid, I’ve had to be brave a lot because life can throw some crazy stuff your way.

I was only 8 when my dad went off on a long deployment. Right after he left, a huge hurricane hit, and a tree smashed into our house. It was super scary, especially since my mom was freaking out without Dad around. Then, just a week later, our dog, Lola, passed away. She was like my mom’s best friend, and we’d had her since I was born. To make things even crazier, my mom ended up in the hospital with kidney stones. My sister and I had to stay at a friend’s house, which was scary but also kind of nice because they made us feel welcome. When Dad finally came back, it felt like everything was back to normal.

Moving to Germany was another big challenge. Leaving behind all my friends and starting over in a new country was tough. We arrived, and boom, two days later, we had to start school, even though our luggage was lost and we were exhausted from the trip. And then there was gymnastics—I’d been doing it forever, but the only gym nearby was all in German! Learning a new language was hard, but I stuck with it, and things got better.

I’ll never forget the time I broke my arm at gymnastics. It hurt like crazy, and I had to ride in an ambulance all alone because my parents were stuck in traffic. I was terrified, but when they finally got there, I felt a lot better. After surgery and wearing a cast, I was back home, feeling tougher than ever.

So yeah, courage is a big part of being a military kid. It’s about facing the scary stuff head-on and coming out stronger on the other side. It comes with its own unique set of challenges, but it also gives us a sense of resilience, adaptability, and pride. It takes a special kind of strength to navigate the sacrifices that come with serving in the military. I am so proud of my dad and the journey I have experienced as a Marine child.

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