Month of the Military Child

I feel like I find a way to work in the fact that I'm a military brat into every post I write. It's in my Twitter bio and my LinkedIn profile. There's an entire section of my Facebook profile dedicated to it. And most importantly, it's in every breath I take.

Being a military brat is a great deal of who I am and even though I'm no longer a child, it's one of the things I work into a conversation when I'm first meeting someone. It's been who I am for as long as I can remember and it sums up my childhood so phenomenally, that it's hard to not use it as my primary identifier.

April is the month of the military child. I don't know when it started, but I'm ever so thankful that it has. When I was growing up, my friends and I used to joke with our parents about how we've "served" too. I remember my father laughing and saying, sure you do kid. But it's true . . . we do. We're shipped off with their boots every two to three years. We represent America every where we go, especially overseas, and our lives are also controlled by the government. We're there waiting for them to return home when they deploy. Yes, we do serve too.

For the record, those were the best years of my life and they are the ones that defined who I am. I'd gladly do it again and then again. It was a great honor to be a military brat and even though I'm no longer a child, I know that deep inside I will always be a military child.

If you know a military child, take time to honor them this month. Even a small thank you - just two simple words - can mean so very much. They sacrifice so much every day, alongside their military parents. Without them, the troops could not do what they do.

To all the military brats out there past, present and future we will forever be united. While the nation honors you this month, we will honor you always.