My friend (oldest friend I have and we met her Junior year of high school ) posted a similar list on her blog. In honor of Memorial Day and Flag Day and Army Birthday (6/14 for you civilians), welcome to my life. . .
You know you're a Military Brat if you...
- All your former very best friends are as long gone as your last move.
- Always wish you were back at the last place you were stationed even 20 years later.
- Answer the question "where are you from" with "I'm kinda from all over the place"
(My dad just questioned my "hometown" on Facebook for that reason)
- Are able to imitate others speech patterns easily
(people sometimes think I'm making fun of them)
- Are amazed at people who have lived somewhere more than three years.
Still can't believe I've lived in Rock Hill for 18 years.
- Are amazed at people who have never left their hometown.
- Are amazed at people who have never seen foreign currency.
- Are amazed at people who think Frankfurt is a some kind of hotdog.
This can't really be true. . .
- Are asked is it hard always moving around when you don't know anything else.
- Are brought to tears by military music.
(tears)
- Can call up actual memories of a country while you're in Geography class.
- Can talk to anyone and everyone from anywhere and everywhere.
- Do not understand why many of your friends are afraid to be in an airplane.
I just had that thought yesterday . . .
- Don't feel quite right seeing military personnel younger than you.
- Don't really know how to answer the question "what is your hometown."
- Don't remember the names of your childhood friends.
most of them
- Every room you've ever had was stark white and you couldn't put nail holes in the walls
you mean it doesn't have to be?
- Everyone complains about your name being the most scratched out in their address book.
you're not supposed to write addresses in an address book in pen!
- Feared turning 21 because they would take your id card away.
- Feel more at home on a military base than in town even though you've been a civilian for 26 years
- Felt like a part of history that was happening around you.
- Find that you can easily amuse yourself for hours at airports, train or bus stations.
- Graduated from a high school you only attended for a year.
2 years, but who's counting
- Had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in a mess hall.
No, but with lots of "big brothers" who were too far from home
- Have been asked just where in NY is APO.
- Have forgotten how to speak more languages than most people ever learn.
Do dialects count?
- Have USAA as your insurance company.
- Know exactly how horrible AFN commercials are.
- Knew the rank and name of the kid next door's father before meeting the kid next door.
- Know the words and tune to military march songs.
- Left school frequently for bomb scares.
- Listened to Armed Forces and VOA radio for the 1st 10 years of your life.
- Most of your Scout camping equipment had US instead of BSA stamped on it.
I didn't know that you could buy glow sticks until I had been married several years.
- Munched on hot brotchen and gummies on the way to school.
No, but I remember the bakery truck in Augsburg
- give someone a break because they are in the military.
Everybody should
- Never quite finished decorating your place because you knew you'd be moving soon.
- Notice Tom Cruise in uniform, outside with no hat and having a non-regulation haircut in Top Gun.
- Stand up for the National Anthem at the start of a movie in a theater.
Shame they don't do that anymore.
- Thought all pens had "US Government" printed on them.
- Thought vacations meant going to visit the grandparents.
- Went into hysterics when your grandparents thought of selling their house.
- You went on week-long field trips to England, France and Italy.
- You'd been to every Gasthaus in Germany before you were 18.
- Your ssn, home of record, state of residence, and place of birth are far from matching.
- Know PCS meant pack your toys and say see ya later.
- have been hit on at the young age of 13 by men in uniform
- tell everyone you are from a town that you haven't lived in since you were 4 years old.
- woke up to F-4's zooming overhead.
- the oldest friend you have is from your senior year of high school.
freshman year but we only just reconnected via Facebook - Chris is in touch with people he knew in elementary school!
- you make things up about where you are from avoid the headaches of telling the whole long story.
