My experience as a military brat and other things...

CoffeeWC

One of the worst things you can ask a military brat is "where are you from?". This is an extremely difficult and question because this could mean a lot of different things. It could mean where they were born, where they last were, where they spent the most time. For military brats, home is wherever they go to bed at the end of the day.

Cool fact: Most military brats tend to not have an accent.
Cool fact: Most military brats tend to not have an accent.

For me, this was New Jersey. This answer may surprise people because I don't have a New Jersey accent. That's because I wasn't around 3 years old when my family left.

3 years in Aviano AFB
3 years in Aviano AFB

I was almost 3 when we moved to Italy because my dad was stationed there. I learned to speak Italian quickly and I even attended an Italian preschool. My younger sister was born during the time we spent in Italy so she has Italian citizenship as well as US citizenship. We spent 3 years total in Italy then we moved back to the US.

This is only the beginning
This is only the beginning

But we didn't go back to New Jersey. This time my dad was stationed in Oklahoma. Spent 3 years here as well. Then we moved to Colorado and my dad became a professor at USAFA. (military brats probably don't need to look this up). My memories of Colorado are not too fond.

Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado was the place where everything went downhill. My parents divorced, and I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. (keep in mind that I was still 9 years old when all this happened) The usual child custody battles were fought and my siblings and I were left stressed out. My dad eventually retired from the Air Force.

So many places, so many boxes
So many places, so many boxes

Although my dad was retired, the moving didn't stop there. I spent my freshman year in 3 different high schools and ended up in Florida with my mom. A few years after retiring, dad moved from Colorado to New York. and I was sent to spend my high school senior year in NYC because of family problems in Florida. Since then, I've been moving back and forth between Florida and New York.

Something to consider next time you encounter a military brat
Something to consider next time you encounter a military brat
My experience as a military brat and other things...
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