2024/Tyler-

For most of my life I have been a part of the DODEA education system. While most people move away with their families to all the different parts of the world, I have stayed in one place called Okinawa, Japan. I lived on this beautiful island for all 18 years of my life and gladly call it my home.

Being in one place is very nice as you meet all sorts of people and find comfortability as you’re used to the culture and the respectful people especially in Okinawa, but a struggle with being a part of the military system is seeing all the people you build bonds with leave. I have seen many of my friends come and go with people I met in school or sports seasons. It’s hard restarting when people leave out of your life as you want to find new people and make more bonds with the likelihood of new friendships you make, can PCS as well. Even though it is tough seeing friends go, I cherish the moments and memories I made with them as that is what I look back on, and in this day and age you can still keep in touch as there is all sorts of social media to contact them through.

Personally though, I feel the education provided for military kids is very good and one of the unique aspects about being a military child is all the unique ethnicities people are from as it is like a melting pot of countries in one place and you learn the little things about people and their culture. Being in Okinawa there are a lot of people who are half Japanese as I am one myself and the way the education system has programs that help kids transition from offbase school into an American education with language classes along with the ESL program to help learn english and become apart of the big melting pot which is american based schools.

I would say being a military child does have its ups and downs but taking the positives out of your experience will definitely outweigh the negatives of the constant change.