Being a military child can be difficult and takes a lot of courage. Changes such as moving, being separated from loved ones, and making new friends are challenging. It is important to be prepared for the big changes ahead and having courage can help you. As a military brat, it is important to be emotionally strong so you can persevere through hard times.

I am a military brat, so I have experience and have become more courageous as I have gotten older. For example, moving has had a big impact on my life. The big changes of moving have made me worried about what would happen next. Moving has made me feel sad, scared, lonely, and angry. My friends have also had to move, which has made sad. Times that I didn’t want to say “goodbye” to the people I loved I had to lean on my parents and siblings for support. I also had to find strength and courage within myself to get me through these hard times, and I was able to move on.

My dad has also had to leave me for long periods of time to work in other places (TDY). Sometimes he was gone for six weeks, other times just one, but no matter how long, I missed him so much. As the oldest, I had to set a good example for my little sisters, meaning I had to be courageous. I also have had to live far away from grandparents and cousins which is hard. I miss them a lot and military families often don’t get to see their extended family often. During times when my dad was gone and we were far away from extended family, I had to have hope and courage to get me through missing them and staying positive.

With my dad in the Army, I often had to try lots of new things. When I have moved, it has been hard to make new friends and change schools. I had to be resilient and friendly in order to make new friends. Living over seas has required me to play on a German soccer team. All of these took courage and grit, but I got through these tough times.

As you can see, the quality of being courageous has helped me overcome many challenges. It lead me in the right direction when I was feeling sad or scared. As a military child, courage has shaped my life in a new yet wonderful way and has given me hope for the future.