Being a member of the military, although valiant, can and does affect the whole family. It is not simply an individual effort of the service member but a family affair as well.

Children, in particular, are affected most by the military life, in which they have no say or control.

From a young age, children see first-hand the effects of military life. Because the impacts are personal, they are more sensitive to what they experience.

Freshman Angelyne Loiselle, whose father is in the Navy, said, “When I see people use the flag the wrong way, for example, as a clothing item, I am extremely irritated. People die to have that flag raised. I find that I’m a lot more sensitive when people disrespect things like the flag or the name ‘America.’”

Freshman Shannon Smith, whose father was in the Coast Guard, agreed. “My family and I are definitely ‘Team U.S.A!’ I think that to be able to live in America is an amazing thing. People are fighting for us to live, and it brings me such joy that people are willing to put their lives on the line for others.”

Being stationed in different areas nationally and internationally provides unique experiences for military children.

Freshman Megan Mattison, an Army brat, said, “I love being in the military because I get to experience other cultures when we get stationed in different places. For example, I’ve lived in Germany and visited most countries in Europe, and I’ve seen how the European cultures are different.”

Because of frequent moves, children in military families, oftentimes, are either very extroverted or very introverted, depending on how they adapt to new environments when reassigned.

Mattison said, “Making friends is really hard, and people who have lived in one place their entire lives don’t understand how difficult moving to a new place is. For a while, I was afraid of showing who I really was because I wanted to make friends. I know now that there are people who will accept you, and I am thankful to the military for that because I have become more outgoing.”

Because of the difficulties of moving frequently, children often gain deeper relationships with their siblings. Children may leave their friends behind but are with their siblings for life.

Smith said, “I definitely have gotten a lot closer to my siblings through moving. Although it may sometimes be hard to make new friends when we move, I know that I always have my family to fall back on and that I will always have people who love me.”

However, such constant moves can have their disadvantages.

Sophomore Joanne Villanueva’s father is in the Navy. She said, “We used to live in Florida and my brother started to go to college there. However, when we got stationed in Hawaii, he continued to go to school there. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep in touch with him because of the time differences.”

Although being in the military can have a positive impact on a service child’s life, the hardships can be equally severe.

Among most families, deployment of a family member is one of the worst aspects of military life. Deployment can last anywhere from a few months to a few years, and depending on where the serviceman is deployed, communication may be limited.

Villanueva said, “When my dad was in the lower ranks, he’d be gone on the ship for 17 months at a time. However, when he got into the higher ranks, he’d be gone only at a month at a time and get month-long breaks in between. It’s hard to see someone who you rely on so heavily be gone for that long.”

Life in the military can be difficult. While there are advantages, there are also hard sacrifices made by gallant military officers and their families, all done in the name of freedom.

Mattison said, “After my dad deployed, I came to the realization that war is not only fought on the battlefield but that there are also sacrifices to be made at home.”