By the time I was 8 years old, I had already flown over The Big Pond twice. By age 12, I had experienced the beaches of Normandy. Wow! This is just scratching the surface of my military brat experience. The high majority of brats can relate. Now, do I remember flying over that Big Pond or the Atlantic Ocean at the young age? No. However, I do vividly remember the visit to Normandy with my father in 1981. Less than 40 years after the infamous D-Day. One of the most recalled memories I have from Normandy is the story of Pvt. John Steele of the 82nd Airborne Division. He landed during D-Day on a church steeple in Saint-Mere-Eglise, France with his parachute becoming entangled. Dangling for hours, he was eventually taken captive by the German troops. He persevered and escaped back to his regiment. There was so much more I saw and learned on the Normandy trip. So much more in all the other excursions and escapades I found myself bonded to. Let me just say, I wouldn't give up being a military brat for anything.
A military brat? If you know, you know! What is it? Simply put, a child of a parent that currently serves or has served in the armed forces. Not to be a derogatory phrase, but rather a badge of honor and reflection of a very unique experience. For myself, my father served in the United States Air Force for 30 years. 1960 until retirement in the early 1990's. Yes, my entire childhood and then some, I was a military brat of an active duty service member.
Frequent moves, life and culture overseas, and saying goodbye to friends. But, only to develop a vast amount of more friendships. This sums it up in a nut-shell. Difficult, certainly! To leave friends behind. Difficult for families when their parent/spouse deploys away for weeks or months.
I cherish my experiences. Seeing beautiful sights and amazing history up close and personal. Interacting with people of many cultures both within the military community and outside of it. It has shaped who I am, and is the foundation that guided my life pathway. The military culture of adaptability, resilience, and discipline has influenced and led the way for most all military brats.
It has truly fostered my career path. A path of change, and seemingly service to others. I wasn't keen to staying in one place for a career. I was adapted to change. Something new, something different to learn and experience. A variety of experiences have since been apart of my adult working life. From social services, to being a business owner in my own home inspection business. Only then to take on an opportunity as a High School Teacher in Industrial Technology, or the Shop Teacher. Teaching was fun, but very challenging. I so much appreciated that experience. Through it all, I have also been a youth and high school soccer coach.
My mission now is energy-efficiency. I'm back in state government. Now as a state inspector with the Weatherization Assistance Program. A program providing service to low income households to become energy-efficient, more comfortable and safe, and save money for greater needs.
Through this blog, "The Weatherized Brat", I hope to enlighten about my military brat experiences, and provide insights on how I became a "weatherized" brat. At the same time it's my mission to provide dialogue and useful information about energy efficiency and a safe environment for your home.
Good stuff! Loved my military brat experiences.
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