Daughter of an American Hero

Today I'm sharing a more personal post. As my dad gets ready to officially retire from the military after 31 years of service, I’ve found myself reflecting on what that means.  31 years of my dad’s life were dedicated to serving our great country, through the Army National Guard for 10 and the Air Force for 21.  There has never been a moment that I have not been so proud to be my dad’s daughter. And as I get older, my respect and pride for him only grows.  I’m so thankful for my dad’s service to our country and to my family.

My dad’s retirement has also got me thinking about what it’s been like growing up as a military brat.  Being a college student, I often get asked, “Where are you from?” However, for a military brat, this question isn’t your simple city, state answer.  It’s usually, “I live in ______, but I’m not really from there. I’ve also lived in _______, ________, __________, etc. etc. etc.  I’m a military kid.”  Often, the follow-up question is: “Wow, is that hard?” Is it hard to leave behind friends? Sure. Is it hard to not have a place that you can call your “hometown”? Yeah, sometimes, I guess. Is it hard to pick up and leave as soon as you finally feel settled? I suppose.  But the thing is, I love it.  I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being a military brat has given me so much.  I would never in a million years trade the way I grew up for anything.  

Yes, it can be really difficult to leave behind the great friends I’ve made in one place and move to another.  But how many people can say that they have friends in so many different places?  Sure, I don’t have a typical “hometown.” But each place that I have lived has a piece of my heart…some places have more of my heart than others but each place that I called home holds something that was good for me.  Moving every 1-3 years can make it hard to feel settled but I’ve experienced so much and adapting to new places and people has helped me embrace change as it comes (although I will always love tradition and the sense of nostalgia).

Growing up as the daughter of a military man means a lot of moving and therefore, a lot of adjustment. However, I am blessed enough to have the most wonderful family in the world.  Moving so often has only made us more close-knit.  Even if the next place that we would move to was awful, (thankfully I don’t consider any place I lived that way) we knew we had each other.  And that might sound cheesy or cliché but it’s more than true.  My heart aches for those that are not close with their families because I can’t imagine that.  I am so blessed. My family is my built-in group of best friends.  I think that is what made growing up a military brat so much easier and so much fun.

It’s weird to think that now that my dad is retiring and I’m in college, this chapter of all our lives is transitioning to a new chapter.  It’s kind of scary.  But I know that God has a plan for my family and myself and I can’t wait to see what our new chapter holds.  Through faith in God and reliance on one another, my family and I have experienced the military’s gypsy/nomad way of life.  Although it’s weird and a little sad to move on from this, I know that there are other great things ahead.  I’m so proud of my dad and all that he has done for this country.  He will always be my hero and my best friend. I am excited to see what he accomplishes as he does new things.

Thank you Daddy!  

And as always, thanks for reading y'all. Hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know what you think in the comments below and have a wonderful weekend! xoxo