Courage as a Military Child

Charles Anderson

It is another first day, at another new school. It is the seventh new one in nine years. The teacher asks what middle school we came from. When it is my turn, I take a deep breath. “I just moved here from North Dakota.” No one says anything. I am not sure if they care, if they are interested, or if they even know where North Dakota is. It is just another awkward first day of school for this military kid.

It takes courage to be in situations like this. I have needed courage countless times while moving. In my most recent move, I had to leave Minot, North Dakota to go to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This was one of the hardest moves I have ever had. I had to switch from a class size of 18 kids in Minot to a class size of 650 kids in Oklahoma City, and on top of that I would be starting high school. In Minot, I had a K-12 school where I knew everyone. It felt like I was part of one community there. I needed courage to leave my small class, where I knew every person, to my new high school where I still have not met a quarter of the students in my grade. Without courage, I do not know that I would have been able to do that. Courage is a value that has been persistent through my life as a military child and has guided me in adapting to unfamiliar places. Without courage, moving would be a nightmare. Imagine being afraid every time you move. Being scared going to school, meeting your neighbors, and leaving your old home. Even with courage, these fears remain. But it allows you to conquer them and have the bravery and determination to make new friends, meet the people around you and know that despite leaving everything behind, you will be okay. Courage also has another effect on a military child: without it, almost no one would be brave enough to join the military in the first place. Your parents needed to courage to join the military and devote their lives and future to the United States. Without courage, none of us would be in the situation we are in right now. Courage has shaped my life and will continue to shape my future because even though the future is uncertain, I know that I will always be okay.