Military brat

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Military Brat (or simply Brat) is an informal term for a child with at least one parent who served full-time in the armed forces. It implies that such an upbringing is different in important ways from that experienced by those in the community at large. Mary Edwards Wertsch, the author of Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood Inside the Fortress, claims "that the particular combination of experiences adds up to a childhood that shapes and orients [brats] very differently [than civilians]."^[1] These experiences include "frequent moves, authoritarian families, extreme patriarchy, protracted overseas experiences, parental absence, the threat of parental loss in war or preparation for war, and the militarization of the family in its day to day life."^[1] While individual families may have one or more of these characteristics, military families are unique in that you have many households sharing many of these characteristics living in small mobile communities.

Contents 1 Brat as an acronym 2 Third Culture Kids 2.1 Civilian-Military Dichotomy 3 Life as a Military Brat 3.1 Military Values 3.2 Discipline 3.2.1 Brats' impact on military members' careers 3.3 School Life 3.4 Friendships 3.5 Frequent and Unexpected Moves 3.5.1 Temporary Duty, Remote Assignments and Deployment 3.6 Patriotism 4 Social Issues 4.1 Classism 4.1.1 Inter-Service Rivalries 4.2 Racism 4.3 Sexism 4.4 Homosexuality 5 Reunited 6 Statistics 7 Pop culture 8 Links 8.1 Wikipedia Links 8.2 Resources for Military Brats 8.3 External links 8.4 Works Cited 8.5 References

[edit] Brat as an acronym

While the term "brat" is commonly utilized in a derogatory manner, military communities now use it in an affirming manner; in these communities, brat is neither a subjective nor derogatory term. While the origins of the term are unknown, military personnel, which are known for use of acronyms, have created several backronyms for brat. Admiral Dennis C. Blair, Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Pacific Command, provided one of the more comprehensive explanations of the variations at the 2000 Supporting the Military Child Annual Conference:

The B stands for Brave, Bold, and Broadminded. Brats deal with new and exciting situations all the time, and learn quickly to accept people, regardless of race, color, creed, country of origin, or religion.

The R stands for Resilient, Reliable, and Responsible. Brats bounce back from the turmoil inflicted upon them by their parents’ profession.

The A stands for Amiable, Adaptable, and Audacious. Brats learn to make friends quickly in new moves, and to be daring when they have to be....

The T stands for Tenacious, Tough, and Tolerant. Brats hang in there when the going gets tough, and they also stand up for the beliefs of others. They have the opportunity to be minorities themselves, sometimes by their race, but almost always as the new kids.^[2]

As there is no official meaning, other brackonyms exist such as "British Regiment Attached Travelers"^[3] or "Born Rough And Tough."

[edit] Third Culture Kids

A Third Culture Kids (TCKs) is a person who has spent a significant portion of their developmental years in one or more cultures other than their birth culture. While primarily dealing with people who lived overseas, Ruth Hill Useem, the person who coined the term, defines a TCK as "Children who accompany their parent's into another culture."^[4][5] Military brats fit this definition of TCK having followed their parents into numerous different cultures both domestically and (80-97%) internationally.^[6] Military brats develop their identity from the various cultures where they spent their youth.^[7] The term Third Culture originates because while the children are in these different cultures, they integrate aspects of their birth culture and the new culture creating a "third culture." TCKs have been the subject of many studies.

[edit] Civilian-Military Dichotomy

The Military is more than a lifestyle, it is a culture with its own norms and expectations. Mary Elizabeth Wertsch, the author of Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood Inside the Fortress, stresses that the "f" in Fortress is capitalized. The reason for this is to symbolize the dichotomy between being part of the larger civilian community, but never truly part of that community.

Even Brats who have never lived overseas have experienced life in foreign cultures. "When you're dealing with military kids, you may be dealing with someone who comes out of a very militarized family who has to cope with a very loose civilian context in a civilian school."^[8] Brats have to learn how to relate to their civilian counterparts every time they move. One year they may be learning how to relate to their Texan neighbors, the following Californians, then New Yorkers, and possibly end up in South Dakota. Each time, the military brat acclimates him/herself to a new culture. "It is next to impossible to grow up in the [military] society without absorbing the notion that civilians are very different and sometimes incomprehensible."^[9]

At the same time that the brat is trying to adapt to the new community, The American Journal of Psychiatry reports, "Military people are seen by the nearby community as transients and are often targets of mistrust and hostility.. Not only does this further insulate the [military] family and cause them to stay within the confines of the base, it presents a difficult situation for the children attending public school."^[10] Military families are always outsiders to the local civilian community. The local community has a personality, a life, a history that the military family doesn't fit into or know.^[11]

Military bases often serve as a 'Fortress' keeping military and civilians separated. Generally one needs an ID to gain access to a military base. Once on base, the ID is required to take advantage of the benefits offered.^[12] Military bases are miniture self contained government subsidized towns having their own non-profit commissaries, base/post exchanges, liquor stores, books stores, beauty shops, bowling alleys, movie theatres, etc.^[13] Since the cost of goods sold on military bases can be 25% less than civilian stores usually with no sales tax, many military families will make the effort to go to base to do their shopping.^[14] Not only does this isolate the families further (because they are not seen in local stores,) but it further homogenizes military personnel. Since most military families shop these same stores, they are more likely to buy the same clothes and other products than their civilian counterparts who shop different stores. Food and clothing choices are regulated by congress to prevent unfair competition with neighboring communities. This means that the latest designer brands/labels/styles may not be available on military bases again isolating the community.^[15]

In his book The Arab Mind, Raphael Patai writes:

Marginality denotes the state of belonging to two cultures without being able to identify oneself complete with either.

'An individual becomes 'marginal' if, after having been born into a culture and acculturated into it in a more or less normal fashion, he becomes exposed to another culture, is attracted to it, acquires a measure of familiarity with it... and strives to become a full-fledged carrier of it--Marginal man is marginal, not because he is unable to acquire the intellectual thought processes of the culture to which he wants to assimilate, nor because he is unable to free himself of the thought processes of the culture on which he has turned his back. He is marginal because emotionally he is unable to identify with either of the two cultures.'^[16]

[edit] Life as a Military Brat

[edit] Military Values

By law passed by Congress, all commanding officers and others in authority are required "to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination."^[17] In the 1990's the United States Army values came to be summarized with the acronym LDRSHIP. LDRSHIP stands for Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. While this acronym is relatively new, the ideas contained therein have been at the heart of military service for generations.^[18] "The basic standard of individual and group performance of the military responsibilities is perhaps best expressed by the motto Duty, honor, country."^[19] Duty refers to accomplishing the mission. Honor refers to one's personal integrity and character. Country is the principle for which one serves. These three ideals together represent what the armed forces stand for. Military brats are raised in a culture where LDRSHIP, Duty, Honor, Country, and being a "lady/gentleman" are stressed. "Military values are the things that separate [brats] most from the civilian world," Wertsch said. "We've been raised in an environment where you do things for principle, to support an ideal."^[8]

[edit] Discipline

In his book The Great Santini, Patrick Conroy describes a military family with an abusive totalitarian father---Bull Meecham. Bull Meecham demanded exacting precision out of his children. He ran his family as a military unit and expected prompt responses from his children. Bull Meecham is the epitome of the worst stereotypes associated with a military father. Yet the character of Bull Meecham rings a bell with many military brats. Mary Wertsch says that "nearly all the military brats" she interviewed were "more than familiar with the title character; if they hadn't been raised by him, they lived next door to him. Their families were organized along the same chain of command, spoke the same script, were militarized much the same way."^[20]

In many military families one could find a duty roster on the refrigerator, parents might conduct room inspections by dropping a quarter on the bed, meals were eaten "four square," and requirements to answer adults with a "Yes Sir/ma'am" or "No Sir/Ma'am" were mandatory.^[21] Eighty percent of the brats Wertsch interviewed described their father as "authoritarian" (not to be mistaken with "authoritative.")^[22][23] Military brats often describe their military parent as rigid in discipline, inflexible, intolerant of dissent, disapproving of non-conforming behavior and not accepting of personal privacy.^[24]

Disciplinary expectations, however, extended beyond the military family. "Most military children ... grow up in mortal fear of making some stupid mistake and finding out the whole family has to pay for it."^[25][26] The consequences of misbehavior for a military brat are much greater than they are for civilian families. The military personnel’s "entire career and social identify rides on the maintenance of a certain image, which can be dashed in seconds by a willful [or careless] child."^[27]

Phoebe Price studied the “Behavior of Civilian and Military High School Students in Movie Theaters.”^[28] In her study, she concluded that military brats were better behaved than their civilian counterparts. She has three possible explanations for this. First, military parents have a lower threshold for “for inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive behaviors in their children.” ^[29] Second, the mobility of teenagers might make them less likely to attract attention themselves as they are less secure with their surrounding.^[30] Finally, normative constraints are greater. “Family members learn that their behavior is under scrutiny and that the degree to which it conforms to normative prescription can affect the military member’s career.”^[30]

Strict discipline, however, does come with a price. Many brats rebel against the rules^[31] and others end up having psychological issues. A military psychologist published an article in the American Journal of Psychology in which he concluded, "The parents who came to our [military] clinic used three methods of dealing with their children--authoritarian, democratic, and mixed, inconsistent way. Some of the parents who felt they were democratic were actually authoritarian or inconsistent when examined. As one might expect, the greatest number of behavioral disorders, nearly 93%, came from the authoritarian families."^[32]

[edit] Brats' impact on military members' careers

Military brats are also raised knowing that their actions directly affect their military parent's career.^[33] A reference manual for Army couples warns, "The responsibility for children rests directly on the parents... Children may be usually accepted as an index to the officer's general ability."^[34] For example, if a military brat is arrested or gets in trouble at school it is not unheard of that the military member will be disciplined. This is particularly true on military bases in foreign countries where positive interactions with the native population are important. When a military brat gets in trouble, the brat's parents might not be the first person called. Oftentimes the authorities will call the brat's parent's Commanding Officer or the Base Commander before or instead of the brat's parents.^[35] If the Commanding Officer or Base Commander is contacted, then the brat's behavior may become a permanent part of the military member's record and adversely affect his/her ability to be promoted or get the prime duty assignments.

In her book "The Army Wife," Nancy Shea discusses with exacting details the manner in which the Army wife should behave and how she should maintain her house. Every aspect is measured against a rigid set of expectations. Failure to adhere to these standards had a direct bearing on the service member's career. Prior to 1987 Commanding Officers were required to comment on an officer's spouse on the officer's annual evaluation. Even though the spaces for spousal review were removed in 1987, "there is widespread feeling that a spouse's conduct is still taken into consideration and may influence a service member's career."^[36][37] Two of the criteria utilized to evaluate a spouse's fitness was how she controlled her children in public and how she maintained the house. As a result, military brats have additional pressure to behave and to maintain clean houses.

[edit] School Life

Summer is the most common time for a family to be transferred and the winter holidays are the second most.^[38] Even if a move occurs during the summer months, a transfer can have significant ramifications for students. Students may find out that the courses they took at their old school do not fulfill the graduation requirements at their new school.^[39][40] The courses the student wanted to take may not be offered. Older military brats often had to deal with transfer records getting lost.^[41]

While moving during the summer months could be challenging, moving during the winter holidays or mid-year has traditionally been viewed as the worst time to move.^[42][43] The student is forced to join classes that have already begun and might have different expectations than the student's old school. Social groups become even more difficult to break into and activities that the student enjoyed may be barred to the student. The star quarterback may not be able to join the football team because he missed tryouts and the season had already begun. Leaders and representatives to different organization may have already been determined. A student who may have excelled at their old school feels "like small frogs in a big pond."^[44]

[edit] Friendships

Dr. Frederic Medway, psychology professor at the University of South Carolina, notes that Military Brats are often more outgoing and independent than their non-brat friends.^[45] Mary Elizabeth Wertsch says that military brats "can be plunked down into any social setting and make [their] way very well. People of any class, any background, any line of work, [brats] can join right in and talk with them and be quite comfortable."^[46] "The legendary camaraderie among soldiers on the battlefields extended to military families. Their friendships were forged quickly, often before the moving van was unloaded."^[47] A common theme among literature is how resilient or adaptable military brats can be.^[48][49] Most brats believe that they can get along with anybody and are more likely to reach out to a stranger.^[50]

At a DOD or international school, new students are more readily accepted than they might be at a civilian school.^[44] "At the end of each school year, a certain number of the student body leave, not just for the summer, but for good."^[44] A typical U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) high school experiences a fifty percent turn over every year (25% graduate while a third of the remaining 75% of students move.) When half the student body changes, social groups that existed one year cease to exist and new groups emerge. The brat has to learn to adapt quickly to fit in.

The openness to others, however, has a price. Military brats "may look like they are making friends, but, for many, it's not the same depth of commitment" as nonmilitary children, says 20-year DOD school counselor Julie Coffey. ^[39] Relationships tend to be short lived. Since military families move every 2-3 years ^[51] brats tend to make friends quicker but are more ready to discard them when problems arise. Rather than develop problem-solving skills in interpersonal relationships, there is a temptation to simply leave a problem without resolving it. ^[44] Mary Wertsch summarizes it as, "If [a brat has] an enemy in one place, [the brat] may not have to resolve things because [the brat or the enemy] get transferred away. [Brats] may not know how to be a friend over the long term." ^[8]

Making friends with their civilian counterparts can be difficult. ^[44] Not only have civilians lived together for years developing tight cliques, but "mobile kids have more in common with each other, regardless of nationality, than they do with their less" mobile peers. ^[44] This is particularly true for brats who have spent time overseas. Because of their international exposure, many Third Culture Kids become frustrated with the lack of knowledge demonstrated by non-mobile children. Knowing (or at least believing) that they have a better understanding of world geography and politics sometimes leads these youths to feel superior to their less well traveled peers. ^[44] "Returning from fairly small, friendly, usually not cliquish, overseas schools to a larger more impersonal environment where students have known each other for years can be a double whammy for retuning teens." ^[44]

[edit] Frequent and Unexpected Moves

Mary Anne spoke out brightly, extravagantly, "Let's talk some more about how lucky we are to be military brats."

"I'm so lucky that I get to go to four high schools instead of one," Ben declared with feigned enthusiasm.

[...]

"Anyway," Mary Anne continued, "I'm lucky enough to be absolutely friendless through an entire school year until the month of May. Then I make lots of new friends. Then I'm lucky enough to have Daddy come home with a new set of orders. Then I'm lucky enough to move in the summer and lucky enough to be absolutely friendless when school starts back in the fall."

The Great Santini

Military Brats move on average every three years, but this could be more or less frequent depending on the military's requirements.^[52] "One might assume that because civilians experience fewer moves, the event would be more traumatic when they move. Interestingly, a comparison study found more difficulty for military than for civilian youth who had left their old friends."^[53] Mary Wertsch describes the reasoning, "When, as children, [brats are] plucked out of one environment and abruptly set down in another, [their] operating assumption had to be that all [their] past investments in people outside the family were lost, and that the new people-investments [they] were now rushing to make would in turn be lost when the next inevitable move came about."^[54]

[edit] Temporary Duty, Remote Assignments and Deployment

In addition to numerous moves, a military brat experiences numerous separations from their military parent over the course of their lifetime generally not experienced by civilians.^[55]

Temporary Duty (TDY in the Army/Air Force and TAD in the Navy/Marines) is a short term assignment generally lasting less than a month.^[56] When a civilian travels on business s/he often returns home for the weekends. When a military member goes on Temporary Duty, s/he will rarely return home for weekends.

Remote Assignments are when the military member is relocated for a period of 6 months to a year to a location that is not appropriate for families or does not have space for the families. This might include a tour to South Korea, Cuba, or other hard to reach locations.

Deployment is when the military member is called upon to perform military services for a specific military purpose (E.g. Iraq, Post-Katrina support, a military exercise, a ship at sea, etc.)

When a parent is stationed without his or her family, the children "may experience many of the same effects as children of divorce." ^[57] But in addition to the effects divorced parents may encounter, military brats have additional concerns. When a military member is sent away, the family does not always know where they are going or when (or if) the service member will return.^[58]

When a military person is deployed, the entire family can be affected. Studies show that there are three phases to deployment and each phase has different impacts on the family. Military spouses reported the following when their spouse was deployed:

Predeployment --- Marital stress/conflict, distancing from spouse, anger, resentment, sadness/depression, negative child behavior.

Deployment --- Marital problems, isolation, loneliness, anger, resentment, sadness/depression, reduced communications, stress, less social support, assuming the role of single parent, child care difficulties, sleep disturbances, physical symptoms, home and car repairs, difficulty assessing military services, negative child behavior.

Postdeployment/Reunion --- Redefining responsibilities, marital stress, communication problems, anxiety, anger, resentment, parent-child attachment issues^[59]

The degree to which military brats were able to cope with a deployed parent is directly affected by the remaining parents ability to cope.^[60] Children often experience “sadness, loneliness, abandonment, anger, and exhibit acting-out behavior.”^[61]

[edit] Patriotism

Military Brats are generally raised to be patriotic.^[62] John Benson, PhD at Minnesota State University Moorhead concluded "That military personnel formed deeper attachments to place than their children, but still the rituals of military life have helped the children to form some attachment to the notion of a military base." ^[63] When moving around the world, these rituals help brats to feel at home in their new community. Even though the faces and geography have changed, the base remained recognizable because the rituals are consistent. The underlying principle of these rituals is consistent: to promote patriotism.

On U.S. military bases, honoring the American Flag is expected. At 1700 hours (5:00 P.M.) on Military Bases around world the flags are lowered and "Retreat" is played.^[64] Anybody outside, even if participating in sports or driving a car, is expected to stop their activity and stand at attention.^[65] Uniformed personnel salute and non-uniformed people place their hand over their heart. Those who fail to do so may be reported and notated in the military member's permanent record (even if it was a family member and not the military member.) ^[66]

At Department of Defense schools students will say the Pledge of Allegiance and some sing patriotic/military songs. Prior to movies at the base theatre, the national anthem is played. Patriotism is even taught during church sermons. Protestant and Catholic worship services include hymns such as "The Son of God Goes Forth to War," "Fight the Good Fight with All Thy Might," "Marching with Heroes," "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "Onward Christian Soldiers."^[67]

Finally, brats are raised to respect their parents' profession. In order to do so in a military community, this means embracing the patriotism that military personnel embody.^[68] “The child in a military family gains [their family] identity from an occupational-social spectrum subsumed under the special mission of national defense… Military culture is organized according to rank, military specialty, unit membership, branch of service, and residence… all of which affects the identity formation of a child growing up in a military family.”^[69] On April 18, 2006 Marine General Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, said "There's no way, in my mind, that you can be successful in the military and have a family unless that family does, in fact, appreciate your service to the country."^[51] “Richard Bloom (1993) researched the military family and found that developing and maintaining beliefs worth dying for may be necessary for the military family.”^[69]

[edit] Social Issues

[edit] Classism

Mary Wertsch writes, "Nothing in civilian life compares to the strict class segregation found in the military."^[70] This classism center's around ones rank.^[71] The facilities provided for officers and enlisted personnel differ dramatically. For example, the on base housing for officers will be significantly nicer than those for enlisted personnel. The officers' housing will generally be more accessible to base activities, larger in size, and better landscaped. Occasionally, on larger bases, the officers' housing will be broken down into different categories. Senior officers housing may be slightly larger and nicer than their lower ranking counterparts. On the largest bases, there might be a row of opulent houses referred to "Colonel's Row" or "General's Row." In these houses the highest ranking personnel on the base reside. On the other end of the spectrum, are the enlisted quarters. Oftentimes enlisted personnel will be assigned apartments and only then if space was available.

Officers will have nicer Officer Club than the Enlisted Club. Officers may even have nicer recreational facilities than their enlisted counterparts, such as a nicer swimming pool or recreation halls. Historically, base chapels and movie theaters would have designated seating for officers and their families. Some bases even have two Boy Scout and two Girl Scout troops---one for officer and one for enlisted children.^[72]

"Class difference is not just the external structure of a military child's world, it is an invasive reality."^[72] Wertsch describes how children of enlisted personnel perceived their officer counterparts to receive specialized treatment. They believe that officer's children get away with more because people are afraid to upset the officer.^[73] The children of officer's socialized with other officer's children. The children of enlisted personnel socialized with those of other enlisted personnel. Even if an officer brat and an enlisted brat became friends at school, this friendship rarely carried over to the home life. The physical separation and differences between available activities made it very difficult.^[74]

This separation is by design.^[70] According to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, it can be illegal for an officer to become friends with an enlisted person. Fraternization with enlisted personnel is strictly prohibited because it would corrode the military hierarchy. This expectation is often conveyed to the children of military personnel. Military brats often develop a sense that allows them "to intuitively distinguish the rank of a another child's father without ever exchanging a word."^[75]

[edit] Inter-Service Rivalries

The Marine Hymn is a typical example of the serious, yet friendly, rivalries that exist between the different branches of the armed forces:

Here's health to you and to your Corps

Which we are proud to serve

In many a strife we've fought for life

And never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes,

They will find the streets are guarded,

By United States Marines.

Last verse of The Marine Hymn^[76]

While not as intense as the artificial barriers created by the rank of their parents, classism includes the branch of service the military parent belongs to. Rivalries between the branches of service carry over past the annual Army-Navy-Air Force football games. They are imbedded within the military culture with each branch having derogatory names for the other. For example, Squids (Navy), Jarheads (Marines), Flyboys or Chair Force (Air Force), and Grunts or Ground-pounders (Army.) The inter-service rivalries that military personnel are famous for carry over to their children. If you ask military brats about the best branch of service, it will invariably be the one their parent belonged to. They will have many reasons why their branch of the service is the best. Furthermore, these biases are maintained well past the time they cease to be military dependents.^[77]

But these inter-service rivalries don't just end at the end of the branch of service, each branch of the service has its own internal rivalries. The two most notable internal rivalries would be 1) combat vs non-combat roles and 2) graduates from the military academies vs non-military academies.^[78]

[edit] Racism

With strict guidelines based upon the rank in the military member, the issue of race diminishes among military brats.^[79] One participant in Wertsch's study said, "The Military is a caste system... but it's better than some, because at least you mix with all races, so it's hard to be racist."^[80] When military families go overseas, minority students rarely experience overt racism from their expatriate neighbors.^[44] This sense is also true on military bases within the U.S. Because the community is isolated and smaller than the off base community, military dependents are less likely to resort to racist notions.

In 1948, President Truman "signed an executive order integrating the military and mandating "equality of treatment and opportunity." Shortly thereafter, military children began growing up in closely confined and integrated schools and neighborhoods, where it was actually against military law to make a racist remark or not intervene when someone else does."^[81] This meant that even if one did hold racist ideas, they kept them to themselves or risk their careers. Military brats thus grew up in a communities that actively condemned racist comments, even in the South, 20 years before Martin Luther King's assassination. This results in, according to Wertsch, military brats "aren't just non-racist, but anti-racist." ^[8]

[edit] Sexism

The military remains one of the few places where institutional sexist attitudes still prevails. Mary Wertsch points out that when female brats look at their surroundings, what can they learn about the role of women?

[Women] are there in numbers, to be sure: wives, civilian employees, and to an increasing extent, women military personnel. But all are there to support men, who are the 'real' warriors, the one's who will see combat and realize the purpose of the community. The professional military woman---no matter how sharp---is a second-class citizen in this world of real or potential combat.^[82]

Wertsch goes on to discuss how military daughters often feel insignificant or invisible in the male dominated world of the military. They, however, know that their mother's adapted to military life,

and that, in a nutshell, is the most powerful lesson the daughter will learn from her [mother]: The example of her adaptation to life inside the Fortress, a world inherently alien to women. The ways of adaptation are many. Passive dependence. Rigid authoritarian imitation. Sly manipulation. Infidelity. Alcoholism. Spinning of family myths.^[83]

Many female brats responded with these lessons in different ways:

Low Self-Esteem

Perfectionism

Difficulty in dealing with male authority figures

Extreme fragility

Passivity

Eating disorders

Self-destructive behavior

Warrior woman^[84]

[edit] Homosexuality

Prior to President Clinton's issuing the Don't ask, don't tell policy in 1993, one's sexuality could be investigated and used as grounds to separate a service member from the military. In 1981, the Department of Defense issued a statement on homosexuality:

Homosexuality is incompatible with military service. The presence in the military environment of persons who engage in homosexual conduct or who, by their statements, demonstrate a propensity to engage in homosexual conduct, seriously impairs the accomplishment of the military mission. The presence of such members adversely affects the ability of the armed forces to maintain discipline, good order, and morale; to foster mutual trust and confidence among service members; to insure the integrity of the system of rank and command; to facilitate assignment and worldwide deployment of service members who frequently must live and work in close conditions affording minimal privacy; to recruit and retain members of the armed forces; to maintain the public acceptability of military service; and to prevent breaches of security.^[85]

Unlike Truman's order making it illegal to discriminate against African-American soldiers, Clinton's mandate did not make discrimination against homosexuals illegal in the armed forces. In fact, one's sexuality can still be used to dishonorably discharge a soldier from the military.^[86] The 2005 Army Officer's Guide states,

The armed forces must maintain personnel policies that exclude persons whose presence would create an unacceptable risk to the armed forces' high standards of morale, good order, discipline, and unit cohesion, which are the essence of military capability. The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to those high standards.^[87]

Many military brats grow up in a culture where they are not only never exposed to homosexuality, but where homosexuality is actively discouraged. Many male brats are forbidden to play with dolls, including G.I. Joe's because only girls and "sissies" play with dolls.^[88] Military "culture can be expected to promote a more exaggerated version of male stereotyping than that prevailing in civilian culture. Warriors pride themselves on sons who are tougher, more aggressive, more tenacious than their civilian peers."^[89]

[edit] Reunited

As adults, Third Culture Kids are trying to reunite with their old friends. According to Morten Ender, this desire to reconnect has been so strong that the topic of “military brats, global nomads, and the TCK have helped sustain publishing houses… Many of the resources distinguish the comparatively unique demands of the experience relative to ‘civilian’ life.”^[90] Karen Williams and LisaMarie Mariglia studied the need of military brats to reconnect with their brat peers. They identified five reasons why Military Brats, as adults, try to re-establish connections with other brats and joined brat organizations:

• 1) "Keeping Up as Staying Connected" --- Even if they returned to where they grew up, there would be nobody there that they knew. Thus, joining/participating with other brats becomes their way of staying connected to the past.
• 2) "Others Like Me" --- Creating Safety: Military brats seek out other military brats because they want to meet others who shared a history of experiences since they could share a history of location. In other words, in the words of one quoted brat, “The only real ‘home town’ I hve is my cohort of military Brats who grew up in the military culture and moved around a lot.”
• 3) "Lack of Social Hierarchy" --- While their youths were very structured around their parents rank, as adults that social hierarchy is replaced by a stronger sense that Brats share “common memories and life experiences during their life as children [that] separated them from non-Brats.”
• 4) "Disconnected Adults" --- Adjustment Issues --- Some adult brats had difficulty dealing with civilian life. They seek out other brats as a way to “reconnect to the known” and to help with the adjustment process to civilian life.
• 5) "Impact of Military life on Feelings about Family" --- Brats want to share their experiences with others who understand where they have been. .^[91]

[edit] Statistics

• Military children have lower delinquency rates .^[92]
• Higher achievement scores on standardized tests than their civilian peers.^[92]
• Higher median IQ than their civilian peers.^[92]
• 29.1% possessed an advanced degree^[93]
• 27.5% served in the military^[93]
• Average number of moves: 8^[93]
• Average number of years overseas: 7 (But the mode was 4)^[93]
• 97% reported living in one foreign country, 63% in two, 31% in 3.^[93]
• 80.9% reported speaking at least one additional language than English, 27.9 two languages, 14.3 three languages.^[93]

[edit] Pop culture

• The Great Santini by Patrick Conroy is a story about an authoritarian Marine father and his family.

• In the 2004 Disney Channel movie, Tiger Cruise, the daughter of the Commander of the USS Constitution feels dejected by being constantly referred to as a navy brat. In the end, she later embraces the term by proudly witnessing her father's work while on high alert during September 11.

• Child of Vietnam Veteran and military brat, Michelle Ferguson-Cohen, wrote and illustrated the first children's picture books to help military brats coping with the deployment of a parent. She created the Books for Brats TM series, which released "Daddy, You're My Hero!" and "Mommy, You're My Hero!" in 2003.

• Doug Masters from the movie Iron Eagle knew how to fly fighters because of his father and did what he did because it fit the honor code he had learned as a brat.

• A 1986 movie called The B.R.A.T. Patrol detailing the adventures of military brats on a United States Marine Corps base. The term "B.R.A.T." stood for "Born, Raised And Trapped".

• Margaret Houlihan from the MASH film and TV series is the ultra-pro-military/pro-American child of a career officer.

• Gregory House from the TV series House attributes his becoming a doctor with an experience from when his Marine pilot father was stationed in Japan. Because of his travels, House speaks (or understands) at least four foreign languages (Spainish, Mandarin, Hindi, and Portuguese.) House hates his father, who he describes as having "an insane moral compass".

• Brian Moreland from Taps (film) lead the academy to revolt out of a sense of duty that he learned from his father and the cadet academy.

• Jill Taylor from the TV series Home Improvement is routinely talking about her experiences grown up.

[edit] Links

[edit] Wikipedia Links

• List of Famous Military Brats
• The Great Santini

[edit] Resources for Military Brats

• Military Brats Online is a free resource designed to reconnect military brats with each other.
• Military Brats Registry is a free resource designed to reconnect military brats with each other.
• Operation Footlocker Three footlockers crisscross the country, going from one gathering of brats to another.
• Third Culture Kids for a discussion on not only military brats but other "third culture kids" including Missionary Kids, Diplomatic Kids, etc.
• Overseas Brats is a free resource designed to reconnect U.S. citizens who have attended school overseas.
• The Camp Adventure program provides summer camps for children of military personnel, both within the United States and overseas.

[edit] External links

• You Might be a Military Brat If
• 12 Steps for Military Brats
• Military Brats are Special Breed
• Conference Looks at Education for 'Military Brats'
• Terrorism and Children
• Sacrafices of Military Children Aren't Forgotten A message from the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff
• Your Children And Separation
• Comparison of different types of Third Culture Kids
• Interview with Mary Wertsch

[edit] Works Cited

• Association Press (June 30, 2005). “Conference Looks At Education for ‘Military Brats.” http://www.militarychild.org/pdfs/press/ConferenceLooksMilitaryBratsJuly05.pdf
• Benson, John PhD (2004). “Emplacing Our Lives: Executive Study” Presentation at the FIGT 2004 Conference. http://www.incengine.org/incEngine/sites/figt/information/emplace_lives_summ.htm
• Blair, Admiral Dennis, Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Command (Prepared for "The Military Culture as an Exemplar of American Qualities", Supporting the Military Child Annual Conference, Westin Horton Plaza Hotel, San Diego, California) (July 19, 2000) (http://www.pacom.mil/speeches/sst2000/milchild.htm).
• Bonn, LTC Keith, (2005) Army Officer's Guide: 75th Edition, Mechanicburg, PA:Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3224-X
• Britten, Samuel L. (June 17, 1999) Britten, Samuel L. (June 17, 1999). An Interview with Mary Edwards Wertsch (http://www.tckworld.com/mwertsch.html )
• Britten, Samuel (November 30, 1998) “TCK World: A Comparison of Different "Versions" Of TCKs” Third Culture Kid World. http://www.tckworld.com/comparisons.html
• Cline, Lydia Sloan, (1995) Today's Military Wife: Meeting the Challenges of Service Life, Mechanicburg, PA:Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2580-4
• Deployment Center (Undated). “Your Children and Separation” Military.Com http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Deployment_Family_Children,00.html
• DOD Directive 1332.14 (Enlisted Administrative Separations), January, 1981
• Eakin, Kay (1996). "You can't go 'Home' Again" in Strangers at Home: Essays on the effects of living overseas and Coming 'home' to a strange land. Edited Carolyn Smith, Alethia Publications: New York. 1996
• Eakin, Kay (undated). “ACCORDING TO MY PASSPORT, I’M COMING HOME.” U.S. Department of State. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/2065.pdf
• Ender, Morten, "Growing up in the Military" in Strangers at Home: Essays on the effects of living overseas and Coming 'home' to a strange land. Edited Carolyn Smith, Alethia Publications: New York. 1996
• Kelley, Michelle (2002). “The Effects of Deployment on Traditional and Nontraditional Military Families: Navy Mothers and Their Children” in Morton Ender, “Military Brats and Other Global Nomads”
• Kidd, Julie and Linda Lankenau (Undated) “Third Culture Kids: Returning to their Passport Country.” US Department of State. http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/rsrcs/pubs/4597.htm
• Lewis, Leslie “Third Culture Kids” http://wanjennifer.tripod.com/
• Marine Hymn http://www.marines.com/page/usmc.jsp?pageId=/page/Detail-XML-Conversion.jsp?pageN
• Morten G. Ender, ed. (2002). Military Brats and Other Global Nomads: Growing Up in Organization Families, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. ISBN 0-275-97266-6
• Musil, Donna, “Brats: Growing Up Military > Project Overview > Integration.” http://www.tckworld.com/thebratsfilm/index.html
• O’Beirne, Kathleen, (January 2002). “All I want for the New Year is ……” Military Child Education Coalition. http://www.militarychild.org/PressArchive1-1-02.asp
• Pinzur, Matthew (Feb 19, 2000) “Adult ‘Brats’ Wander: Military Lifestyle Becomes Ingrained.” The Florida Times-Union http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/022000/met_2186291.html
• Price, Phoebe. (2002). “Behavior of Civilian and Military High School Students in Movie Theaters.” In Morton Ender, “Military Brats and Other Global Nomads,”
• Rutz, Paul (28 April 2006) “Kids of Deployed Military Parents Need Consistency.” American Forces Press Service.
• Quigley, Samantha (25 April 2006). “Author Explains Culture for Fellow Military Brats.” American Forces Press Service.
• Carolyn Smith (ed) (1996). Strangers at Home: Essays on the Effects of Living Overseas and Coming 'Home' to a Strange Land, New York: Aletheia Publications. ISBN 0-9639260-4-7
• Truscott, Mary R (1989). BRATS: Children of the American Military Speak Out," New York, New York: E. P. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-24815-3
• Tyler, Mary (2002). “The Military Teenager in Europe: Perspectives for Health care Providers.” In Morton Ender, “Military Brats and Other Global Nomads,”
• Useem, Ruth et al (undated) “Third Culture Kids: Focus of Major Study” International Schools Services http://www.iss.edu/pages/kids.html
• Van Reken, Ruth and Paulette M Bethel, “’Third Culture Kids: Prototypes for Understanding Other Cross-Cultural Kids,” (http://www.crossculturalkid.org/cck.htm http://www.crossculturalkid.org/cck.htm)
• Walls, Judith (Sept 2003) “When War is News” in Terrorism and Children Predue Extension. http://www.ces.purdue.edu/terrorism/
• Wertsch, Mary Edwards (1991). Military Brats: Legacies of Childhood Inside the Fortress, New York, New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-58400-X
• Williams, Karen and LisaMarie Mariglia, “Military Brats: Issues and Associations in Adulthood“ in Morton Ender “Military Brats and Other Global Nomads
• Williams, Rudi, (August 20, 2001) “Military Brats are a Special Breed” American Forces Press Services. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug2001/n08202001_200108203.html
• Wilson, Elaine, (April 4, 2006). “Military Brats Thrive while Coping with Challenges.” American Forces Press. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2006/20060404_4703.html
• Wood, Sgt. Sara (April 18, 2006) “Sacrifices of Military Children Aren’t Forgotten, Pace Says.” American Forces Press. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2006/20060418_4858.html

[edit] References