2024/Julia-

Being born into a military family has changed my life in many different ways. Although my dad retired when I was only five years old, I still dealt with the same emotions and changes throughout my life. When my family was stationed in Iwakuni, Japan, my dad was often away from home. My mom, brother, and I barely got to spend time with him due to his job.

When I was five years old, my family and I moved to Okinawa, Japan where my dad retired from the Navy. This new change was exciting to me since I could spend more time with my dad, but also nerve-wrecking. Growing up, I was extremely shy, making it difficult for me to make friends. Being the new kid at a new school terrified me. Over time, I had learned to be comfortable with m surroundings and with the people around me.

Even though I knew that I would be in Okinawa until I graduated high school, I didn’t realize that the people around me would move away. From elementary school through high school, nearly every close friend that I made along the way would eventually move, leaving me to feel alone most of the time. Constantly having my friends move away from me made me feel like there was no point in creating close connections with new people, in fear that they would also have to leave the island.

As I got older, I realized that being a military child doesn’t only include having a parent as an active duty member, but being surrounded by a military environment and facing similar changes. Even though this affected me when I was younger, I grew to make peace with what was going on around me. I decided to enjoy the time that I had with people, rather than dwelling on the past and being afraid of the future.