Quote: Quote: You might be a Military Brat if...you know what TDY means and now as a parent of teenagers wish you could be TDY for a month! If you know what both TDY & TAD mean.

Not to mention PCS, POV and ZI... And took personal offense when your Dad's orders read "Airman to report to..." when he was an officer.. until you realized that all Air Force GI's are called "Airmen."

...You learned to tie your shoes using your dad's combat boot.

...Most of the canned goods in your kitchen had no labels, just the names of the item stamped on them.

...You recall having to go inside on certain days when the trucks came around on base spraying insecticide.

...You got excited when your dad went to play golf as the swimming pool was right next to the golf course and he golfed, you swam.

... if you use the 24-hour clock and think nothing of it.

After living on an Army base for seven years, dealing with amateur radio for a couple years, then spending 23 years in the Coast Guard I tend to think in the 24-hour clock. That is what I have on my watch. Several years ago someone asked me the time and I replied, "1705". She asked "What" and I replied more loudly, "1705" ... and then realized the error.

Quote: ... if you use the 24-hour clock and think nothing of it. After living on an Army base for seven years, dealing with amateur radio for a couple years, then spending 23 years in the Coast Guard I tend to think in the 24-hour clock. That is what I have on my watch. Several years ago someone asked me the time and I replied, "1705". She asked "What" and I replied more loudly, "1705" ... and then realized the error.

U got it dude! Mike N8MNJ

Quote: [......if you go nuts when ever you see a US Flag being flown in the rain or at night without being properly lit! ...

YES!! This drives me nuts. I am now seeing more flags getting wet, and worse yet FALLING on to the ground. GRRRR!

Now... lets see some more, hmmm...

... I can remember the Cuban Missile Crisis because it caused us to move after just a month in Ft. Knox

... my dad kept thinking he was walking into the wrong house because my mother liked to re-arrange furniture, and in the Canal Zone all the housing had the same furniture

... I've actually been to Cuba... well, for a whole half hour in Guatanamo Bay while the plane refueled between Ft. Jackson, SC and Howard AFB, Canal Zone

... I had a passport as a kid, and it was maroon

... everyone in our family had their own luggage (in different colors so we knew whose was whose

... I can give out little known facts (unlike many, we were stationed in South America and the Panama Canal Zone... I find that Spanish speaking folk are really impressed when you ask where they are from, only ONE has been from Mexico --- at least two folks from Chile have been impressed that I knew who O'Higgins was!)

... your Little League coach, Scoutmaster, etc. were called "Sargeant" or "Chief", or "Captain".

... your neighborhood was separated from the "economy" by a barbed-wire fence.

... your house had a building number rather than an address.

... everyone's house had their name painted on the front door.

... some said, "Your mother wears combat boots" and you agreed.

... items of military apparel (e.g, patches, uniforms" were readily available in the local store (PX, BX, NX, uniform stores) rather than a surplus store.

Quote: Quote: [......if you go nuts when ever you see a US Flag being flown in the rain or at night without being properly lit! ... YES!! This drives me nuts. I am now seeing more flags getting wet, and worse yet FALLING on to the ground. GRRRR! Now... lets see some more, hmmm... ... I can remember the Cuban Missile Crisis because it caused us to move after just a month in Ft. Knox ... my dad kept thinking he was walking into the wrong house because my mother liked to re-arrange furniture, and in the Canal Zone all the housing had the same furniture ... I've actually been to Cuba... well, for a whole half hour in Guatanamo Bay while the plane refueled between Ft. Jackson, SC and Howard AFB, Canal Zone ... I had a passport as a kid, and it was maroon ... everyone in our family had their own luggage (in different colors so we knew whose was whose ... I can give out little known facts (unlike many, we were stationed in South America and the Panama Canal Zone... I find that Spanish speaking folk are really impressed when you ask where they are from, only ONE has been from Mexico --- at least two folks from Chile have been impressed that I knew who O'Higgins was!)

I remember dating the Chilean Counlate's twin daughters when I was stationed At MCAS, Miami... Tall, read haired, freckles and told me about O'Higgens

Bueno Dia.

Quote: I just read through this and it gave me the "warm fuzzies". I was an AF brat and then married into the Army. When I got divorced, I didn't miss him, I missed my lifestyle. It was a real culture shock to become a civilian! Quote: You might be a Military Brat if... - "move in condition" never meets your definition of clean. - you find it shocking that some Americans do not know the Pledge of Allegiance. - by the age of 10, you knew how to convert at least one foreign currency to U.S. dollars. - the church you attended during childhood offered both Protestant and Catholic services. - you always considered yourself an American; hyphenated versions were not part of your vocabulary. - it's a daunting task to obtain transcripts from every school you've ever attended. - you've fed at least 10 stray dogs and cats at each house you ever lived in. (Spay/neuter please!) - whatever you're doing and wherever you are, you stop dead in your tracks and stand straight at attention when you hear "Taps". - the term "permanent address" is an oxymoron. - not even a professional shoe shine can match your work. - before a ballgame, you stand at attention for the National Anthem, even if you're alone in your living room. - "friendship" means we knew each other at some point. - your childhood friends were Christians, Buddhists, Jews, black, white, brown, and you never noticed a difference. - you know at least one international access number and five U.S. area codes. - you stop your car on a highway and walk through mud to pick up an American flag that has blown off somebody's car. - you know what a "regulation haircut" is. - the sight of a "Bekins" or "Mayflower" truck makes your stomach turn. - your dad went on a "Med cruise" without your mother. - your childhood memories include Duraglit, Brasso, liquid starch and Kiwi shoe polish. - your dad was called into his C.O.'s office because of some stupid stunt you pulled at school. - you never got to take any second level class (i.e., French II, German II, Biology II) because it wasn't offered at your new school. - you have to fight the urge to smack the hat off the guy in front of you in the bleachers during the National Anthem. - acronyms don't confuse you. - your childhood neighborhood had a "Yard of the Month" award. - you figured out when you were eight that the U.S. ZIP codes progressed from low in the northeast to highest in the west. - the term "mess" is a synonym for "untidy" and "food". - an armed M.P. flagged you into your neighborhood. - you don't know what to say when people ask you "Where are you from?" - none of your high school yearbooks are from the same school. - you ever wrote to your dad at an A.P.O. or F.P.O. - you can't imagine having a friend for more than 3 years. - your neighborhood promoted safe driving by arranging wrecked cars with "bloody", mangled mannequins in high-traffic areas. - you don't have many momentos from your childhood because they were lost in some move or other. - you shopped at a PX. - your family's living room contained a high-tech German stereo system, Italian designer leather sofa & chair, elegent Japanese dolls in glass cases; you had a maid, and your mother's clothes were tailor made, but back in the States, your family was considered "low income". - you spent your summers at the base pool, in the base bowling alley, and playing in the sprinkler or on the "Slip 'N Slide". - "the economy" means going off-base and paying higher local prices. - by the age of 10, your shot record was more than a page long. I just read this, and it made me cry, my Father retired from the army was I was 15, and I'm 28 now and I still remember most of these. YOU MIGHT BE A ARMY BRAT IF....... *explaining to non-Army Brat how it was to move every 3 years.

Quote: I spent ten months in Millington going to Aviation Radar School when I was in the Corps. Most people do not have clue where Millington, TN is located.

That is so true. The only people who know where it is lived there. I was living in Texas and I was wearing my older brothers band jacket from Millington Central High, and this guy comes up to me and asks if I went to school there. When I answered yes, I found out that he too was a Navy brat and had just moved from there. We've been friends ever since then.

Quote: Quote: I spent ten months in Millington going to Aviation Radar School when I was in the Corps. Most people do not have clue where Millington, TN is located. That is so true. The only people who know where it is lived there. I was living in Texas and I was wearing my older brothers band jacket from Millington Central High, and this guy comes up to me and asks if I went to school there. When I answered yes, I found out that he too was a Navy brat and had just moved from there. We've been friends ever since then.

Thanx for the reply about Millington. As a side note, my father and younger brother are buried in Ft.Sam National Cementary in San Antonio. I have a sister who works in Austin, a brother in Houston and a mother in Killeen. Best regards, Mike

Quote: Thanx for the reply about Millington. As a side note, my father and younger brother are buried in Ft.Sam National Cementary in San Antonio. I have a sister who works in Austin, a brother in Houston and a mother in Killeen. Best regards, Mike

No prob. Hey, you have alot of family all over Texas, so do I. In fact one of my sisters is living just outside of Houston right now.


D

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

. . . you remember eating watermelon seeds in a local theater while watching an American movie with Chinese subtitles!

. . . returning Stateside after a tour in Taiwan and wondering why your friend's mother had no housegirl to help with cooking, cleaning, babysitting, etc.

. . . if a trip to Chinatown in San Francisco makes you feel "at home".

you have cousins that speak foreign languages, live in different countries, and they envy you for the travelling you've done.

Pete

...you still attend AirShows and wear something from your Dad (i.e. in-country Boonie hat, fatigue hat etc...) I do!

...you point out Airplanes as they pass and can name them.

...always show respect for people in Uniform.

Quote: ...you still attend AirShows and wear something from your Dad (i.e. in-country Boonie hat, fatigue hat etc...) I do! ...you point out Airplanes as they pass and can name them. ...always show respect for people in Uniform.

Amen to the part about showing respect for people in uniform!! They are not second-class citizens; they are our protectors and heroes.

Quote: Quote: ...you still attend AirShows and wear something from your Dad (i.e. in-country Boonie hat, fatigue hat etc...) I do! ...you point out Airplanes as they pass and can name them. ...always show respect for people in Uniform. Amen to the part about showing respect for people in uniform!! They are not second-class citizens; they are our protectors and heroes.

I second your "Amen" and still snap to attention and salute every one in uniform. I guess that they think that this old man has lost it and maybe I have but would not do anything differently.

Mike

- if you have to explain to someone what a "Shoppette" is

- if you get excited about your 10th birthday because you get your first military ID card

- if you take it as a given that all the kids in your class have a ID card

- if you go into a panic and even dig in the trash when you realize your ID card is missing and worry about getting back on base/post

- if you know what "OPSEC" means

- if you're changing the radio stations in the car and settle on one because to you it sounds like English when it's actually Japanese

- if you remember listening to the radio broadcasts teaching foreign languages (i.e., "Now remember, 'thank you' in Japanese sounds like 'don't touch my moustache'...")

- if you were shocked in a public elementary school when you found out that not everyone's parents are in the military

- if you remember staying in an airport terminal waiting for Space-A

- if you remember the white walls, sometimes 100% concrete to withstand a typhoon, where you couldn't put holes in

- if you can't imagine how a person can grow up and live in one place for 20, 30, 40 years without living anywhere else

- if you heard of the words "bigotry" and "racism" but never understood the meaning because your friends and classmates were a mix of everything under the sun

- if when you cried on September 11th, you were also silently praying that your husband/wife or your father/mother won't be sent to war because you knew war was now inevitable

Quote: Quote: you park your car by the side of the road to watch the jets take off at the nearby air base many years after you used to sneak as close to the flight line as possible to watch the jets take off when you were a kid living on the base. Good one, I used to go up on the flight line at Ashia Air Base in Japan and watched the crippled planes coming in from Korea in 1950 - 1952. They would fly out supplies and fresh troops and bring in troops for R&R. Saw a lot of air disasters but we would hug that ground as close as we could get. Your comment brought back a lot of memories that I wouldn't change for anything so I guess I can really say that I was and I am and I always will be a Military Brat.

Do you remember stopping on the perimeter road everytime planes took off or landed?

Quote: Quote: Quote: you park your car by the side of the road to watch the jets take off at the nearby air base many years after you used to sneak as close to the flight line as possible to watch the jets take off when you were a kid living on the base. Good one, I used to go up on the flight line at Ashia Air Base in Japan and watched the crippled planes coming in from Korea in 1950 - 1952. They would fly out supplies and fresh troops and bring in troops for R&R. Saw a lot of air disasters but we would hug that ground as close as we could get. Your comment brought back a lot of memories that I wouldn't change for anything so I guess I can really say that I was and I am and I always will be a Military Brat. Do you remember stopping on the perimeter road everytime planes took off or landed?

Perimeter road in Kadena Air Base... ahh, the memories. Whenever we skipped school we'd drive around and around and around the perimeter road. We watched planes getting baths and watched the sound barrier getting refurbished (I know the Japanese construction workers were confused seeing us drive by, back and forth, over and over). Hee hee. We'd watch the pretty blue lights on the flightline at night, and think about how some of those lights ended up "missing" during AmericaFest.

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

If......... your worst nightmare is that you are in line in the bx and you dont have your id card with you.
SusanB

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

My father retired in 1954 after 24 years in the Navy. I spent 14 of those years traveling around the country with him. I have an accent, it's southern, only because I moved to the south when I was fourteen and all my father's family is southern. When I go to Hawaii, which is where my mother is from, I sometimes lapse into that accent and if I am around my cousins on that side of the family I find myself combining the two. I had to remember after he retired that the deck was the floor and the bulkhead was the ceiling and these were civilians. I remember WWII better than most because my daddy was transferred to Pearl Harbor in 1943 and since my Mother was from there we finally got passage there. I remember newsreels, gedunks and the PX. We always lived near a military base and I had an ID until I was 22. My Mother had the opportunity to go to Barksdale AFB last year in order to get a Military ID because they were changing her Medical coverage. She said she had plenty of time. I decided to get it over with. I am glad I did because two weeks later 9/11 changed the country. I can remember getting on that base with just my father's DD214. I was surprised that the sentry didn't ask for driver's licence or her ID or the letter telling her to get an ID. In my day it took an act of congress to get on a military base. My favorite TV show is JAG. And, I can still remember telling my son to hit the sack. He learned what the head was from his grandfather. It was great while it lasted.

Quote: Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III. My father retired in 1954 after 24 years in the Navy. I spent 14 of those years traveling around the country with him. I have an accent, it's southern, only because I moved to the south when I was fourteen and all my father's family is southern. When I go to Hawaii, which is where my mother is from, I sometimes lapse into that accent and if I am around my cousins on that side of the family I find myself combining the two. I had to remember after he retired that the deck was the floor and the bulkhead was the ceiling and these were civilians. I remember WWII better than most because my daddy was transferred to Pearl Harbor in 1943 and since my Mother was from there we finally got passage there. I remember newsreels, gedunks and the PX. We always lived near a military base and I had an ID until I was 22. My Mother had the opportunity to go to Barksdale AFB last year in order to get a Military ID because they were changing her Medical coverage. She said she had plenty of time. I decided to get it over with. I am glad I did because two weeks later 9/11 changed the country. I can remember getting on that base with just my father's DD214. I was surprised that the sentry didn't ask for driver's licence or her ID or the letter telling her to get an ID. In my day it took an act of congress to get on a military base. My favorite TV show is JAG. And, I can still remember telling my son to hit the sack. He learned what the head was from his grandfather. It was great while it lasted.

I still hit the sack.

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

Get very excited when you chance upon another Military Brat because you know they understand.

Feel at home and homesick all at once when you run into military personal while shopping.

You argued with your german teacher when you came stateside about the proper use and pronunciation of the words on the spelling test.

You feel an overwhelming sence of pride when you see the American Flag.

When it is of utmost importance to make your children understand hoe proud and respectful they must feel for our military personal and this Nation.

I cried when I read what everyone had posted, so much was familiar, I find the only time I REALLY feel at home is when I visit my mother and I go on base with her. Just the feel of the base tends to feel a void I allways carry.

Quote: Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III. Get very excited when you chance upon another Military Brat because you know they understand. Feel at home and homesick all at once when you run into military personal while shopping. You argued with your german teacher when you came stateside about the proper use and pronunciation of the words on the spelling test. You feel an overwhelming sence of pride when you see the American Flag. When it is of utmost importance to make your children understand hoe proud and respectful they must feel for our military personal and this Nation. I cried when I read what everyone had posted, so much was familiar, I find the only time I REALLY feel at home is when I visit my mother and I go on base with her. Just the feel of the base tends to feel a void I allways carry.

Sandra, I am an old Army brat and Marine. I felt near to you about your remarks, I feel the same way. When my mom goes into the PX in Ft. Hood, TX with me , I must admit that I get a little bit shakey. This comes from an old battle hardened (four bullet holes) Marine. I still weep when I read some of the items posted. A Military brat is totally unique in a universe unto themselves. R.S.V.P , respectfully Mike mpoo@intrepid.net.

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

I was an AF brat growing up and then married into the Army. I've lived in base/post housing a good portion of my younger years. Over 20 years ago (maybe closer to 30) there was an AFB in Topeka, KS - Forbes AFB. When the base closed, a developer/entrepreneur bought the housing facilities and began renting and/or selling the units. I live in one of those houses now which was occupied by officers and their families. Every night when I go home, I get goosebumps just thinking about the many military families and "brats" who used to live where I live now. We brats know the feeling of base/post housing - it's "home"! Somedays I feel like I'm taking a trip through an old battlefield; I can almost feel the presence of those who went before. Across the highway are many empty or renovated buildings - the old theatre is there. So are the Protestant and Catholic churches. There is a small airport for "puddle-jumper" planes and the 390th Air Refueling occupies a portion of the airfield. We hear and see the big planes as they do their touch-and-go flights. Feels like I've taken a trip down memory lane! Do you understand my feelings? Why do we hold on to these memories so tightly?

Quote: ....if you have to pause for a few seconds when someone asks where you are from... -Mike Aldrich

When I say I'm from nowhere. And, they tell me I have to be from somewhere.

-David Locke

Quote: Quote: YOU MIGHT BE A ARMY BRAT IF....... *explaining to non-Army Brat how it was to move every 3 years.

You are young. Back in the old days try moving every nine months. But, yes, if you were in Europe, you tended to stay in one place for 3 years.

Quote: ....you were one of six military brats in a high school of several hundred in the deep south in 1963 ..... and you wept when President Kennedy was killed, and the other students cheered ...after all they had been taught to hate what he was trying to do for integration. It was your first lesson in the difference in how you saw the world compared to your civilian schoolmates--and how it set you apart from them.

....you were a foreigner in America.

Dave45000

Quote: went to a differnt school every two or three years. my record was three in one year. tim harwell

Never did more than two schools a year.

Dave45000

Quote: Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III. My father retired in 1954 after 24 years in the Navy. I spent 14 of those years traveling around the country with him. I have an accent, it's southern, only because I moved to the south when I was fourteen and all my father's family is southern. When I go to Hawaii, which is where my mother is from, I sometimes lapse into that accent and if I am around my cousins on that side of the family I find myself combining the two. I had to remember after he retired that the deck was the floor and the bulkhead was the ceiling and these were civilians. I remember WWII better than most because my daddy was transferred to Pearl Harbor in 1943 and since my Mother was from there we finally got passage there. I remember newsreels, gedunks and the PX. We always lived near a military base and I had an ID until I was 22. My Mother had the opportunity to go to Barksdale AFB last year in order to get a Military ID because they were changing her Medical coverage. She said she had plenty of time. I decided to get it over with. I am glad I did because two weeks later 9/11 changed the country. I can remember getting on that base with just my father's DD214. I was surprised that the sentry didn't ask for driver's licence or her ID or the letter telling her to get an ID. In my day it took an act of congress to get on a military base. My favorite TV show is JAG. And, I can still remember telling my son to hit the sack. He learned what the head was from his grandfather. It was great while it lasted.

My mother has been in and out of Wilford Hall on Lackland AFB. 911 made it almost impossible to see her the last time she was operated on. It took 3 hours to get into the parking lot and then some more time to get into the building to get a pass. At 1800 hrs, the SPs went to 100% ID check, so I never made it into the parking lot. They checked my drivers license and let me in.

Dave45000

Quote: Sandra, I am an old Army brat and Marine. I felt near to you about your remarks, I feel the same way. When my mom goes into the PX in Ft. Hood, TX with me , I must admit that I get a little bit shakey. This comes from an old battle hardened (four bullet holes) Marine. I still weep when I read some of the items posted. A Military brat is totally unique in a universe unto themselves. R.S.V.P , respectfully Mike mpoo@intrepid.net.

I went to see "We Were Soldiers" just to see the depiction of the military family. It wasn't close to being accurate. Someone told me that the writer was the commander depicted in the move. I guess, the stateside story wasn't accurate, because he wasn't there.

Dave45000

Quote: Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III. I was an AF brat growing up and then married into the Army. I've lived in base/post housing a good portion of my younger years. Over 20 years ago (maybe closer to 30) there was an AFB in Topeka, KS - Forbes AFB. When the base closed, a developer/entrepreneur bought the housing facilities and began renting and/or selling the units. I live in one of those houses now which was occupied by officers and their families. Every night when I go home, I get goosebumps just thinking about the many military families and "brats" who used to live where I live now. We brats know the feeling of base/post housing - it's "home"! Somedays I feel like I'm taking a trip through an old battlefield; I can almost feel the presence of those who went before. Across the highway are many empty or renovated buildings - the old theatre is there. So are the Protestant and Catholic churches. There is a small airport for "puddle-jumper" planes and the 390th Air Refueling occupies a portion of the airfield. We hear and see the big planes as they do their touch-and-go flights. Feels like I've taken a trip down memory lane! Do you understand my feelings? Why do we hold on to these memories so tightly?

I went back to Salina Kansas. Schilling Manor was a former AFB that housed families whose fathers were in Vietnam. The base has been sold to civilians, but the streets and the houses are still there. The family in the other half of the duplex we lived in had a father that was MIA. Years later my history professor said it was easier to write people up MIA rather than deceased. What a jerk. The families paid for that.

You played 6 man football.
You learned to drink beer at 14.

Quote: ....you cried when the Berlin Wall went up because you truly understood what it meant -- and you cried again, for joy this time, when it came down, and you were surrounded by civilians who didn't understand.

...and when it came down, you understood and were even more upset the ESFL had cancelled your meet in Berlin

...you ever wonder why the energy rapper's career never took off

...you feel related to the kid with the same last name who works for you, not because of any common family, but because his dad was in Neu Ulm while you were in Augsburg

...of all the stations you lived, only 2 are still open

...Day trips to Switzerland, after-prom cruises on the Danube, and hanging out at the Olympisch Halle were normal, but going to Lahr was weird but the Canadiens' green just wasn't right

...the biggest Dairy Queen you've ever seen is in Budapest

...berets on everybody just isn't RIGHT

...you saw movies in Garmisch WAY before they were on base

Quote: ...you ever wonder why the energy rapper's career never took off ...you feel related to the kid with the same last name who works for you, not because of any common family, but because his dad was in Neu Ulm while you were in Augsburg ...of all the stations you lived, only 2 are still open ...Day trips to Switzerland, after-prom cruises on the Danube, and hanging out at the Olympisch Halle were normal, but going to Lahr was weird but the Canadiens' green just wasn't right ...the biggest Dairy Queen you've ever seen is in Budapest ...berets on everybody just isn't RIGHT ...you saw movies in Garmisch WAY before they were on base

By the time you had finished High School, you had attended more schools than there are grade levels!!

If you refuse to go grocery shopping without eating first. That commercial that says, "Don't shop when you're hungry - no, no, no" still runs through your head. When you tell civilian friends about it, they look at you like you're crazy.

You have to explain why you lived in Europe and when you say your mother was DOD Civilian, you have to explain even more.

Quote: If you refuse to go grocery shopping without eating first. That commercial that says, "Don't shop when you're hungry - no, no, no" still runs through your head. When you tell civilian friends about it, they look at you like you're crazy. You have to explain why you lived in Europe and when you say your mother was DOD Civilian, you have to explain even more.

Your coments bring back many memories over the years. Never go shopping when you are hungry. My mother was also a DOD mom.

Mike

Quote: Quote: ...you ever wonder why the energy rapper's career never took off ...you feel related to the kid with the same last name who works for you, not because of any common family, but because his dad was in Neu Ulm while you were in Augsburg ...of all the stations you lived, only 2 are still open ...Day trips to Switzerland, after-prom cruises on the Danube, and hanging out at the Olympisch Halle were normal, but going to Lahr was weird but the Canadiens' green just wasn't right ...the biggest Dairy Queen you've ever seen is in Budapest ...berets on everybody just isn't RIGHT ...you saw movies in Garmisch WAY before they were on base By the time you had finished High School, you had attended more schools than there are grade levels!!

- You still refer to living off base as living "on the economy".
- You miss being able to order from the Navy catalog.
- Your idea of a quick trip is a visit to another country.
- You wondered why your passport was green, but all your stateside friends had blue ones.

Quote: If you refuse to go grocery shopping without eating first. That commercial that says, "Don't shop when you're hungry - no, no, no" still runs through your head. When you tell civilian friends about it, they look at you like you're crazy. You have to explain why you lived in Europe and when you say your mother was DOD Civilian, you have to explain even more.

For the first few years we lived in Japan they wouldn't even allow kids into the Commissary. If kids were brought to the store at alll they waited in the lobby area (I recall a couple big couches there.) Since we went to Japan when I was seven, I was probably 12 or so before I even remember seeing the inside of a grocery store.

Re: That "Don't shop when you're hungry - no, no, no" commercial.

I still have that commercial going through my head as well as other
AFN generated commercials.

If you couldn't wait to get back to the States to:
- see some "real" TV commercials
- see your favorite TV show season in "real time" as opposed to being a season or two behind
- see movies on opening day instead of 3 mos later
- go to the mall for trendy clothes
- have more than one American channel
- watch HBO
- catch up on all of the new stuff

...If you knew of at least a dozen kids on base who had the same tennis shoes (used to hate that Athletic Club brand) and 3 to 4 outfits as you

...If relatives from the States periodically sent care boxes of your favorite brands of stuff/food/clothing

...If you remember counting more than a dozen BMWs, Mercedes, Alfa Romeos, or Porsches on the road every day and rarely saw Fords or Chevys

...If you played Manhunt all day across base growing up

...If it was a shock to discover how undisciplined and unorderly civilian high school was

...If you had to use gestures and sign language to fill in for the language barrier when playing with your foreign friends

...If you used to help your dad train for PT

...If you know what it's like to play darts in the barracks or basketball with the GI's at the gym

...If at least one family appliance "blew up" in a 110/220 conversion

...If you can pick up a conversation with just about anyone based on where they are from because you've lived in their region

...If you legally topped over 100 mph on the Autobahn

...If you watched XXX shows on regular access television in Germany

...If you always had computers & field trips every other month at your school

...If you had to wait on your furniture to arrive and hope nothing got lost

...If you've been on the Economy with friends from base and been called "Crazy Americans"

...If you've read the operator's manual for a tank or M-16

...If you really did go to the dentist every 3 mos as a child

...If you remember that kid who got into so much trouble at school that he had to be shipped back to the States to live with his Aunt

...If you understood COLA's well before you were of working age

& if you miss paying no sales tax on base

Quote: If you couldn't wait to get back to the States to: - see some "real" TV commercials - see your favorite TV show season in "real time" as opposed to being a season or two behind - see movies on opening day instead of 3 mos later - go to the mall for trendy clothes - have more than one American channel - watch HBO - catch up on all of the new stuff

In Japan (1959-1966) we had no American channel. Movies and shows were dubbed so in, say Combat, both the Americans and Germans spoke Japanese. Imagine Superman flying in and then spouting Japanese in a high-pitched voice. Singing was in English and cartoons were easy enough to follow though "Popeye" came out more like "Poopeye". In 1964 we watched the Tokyo Olympics on TV with english analysis coming over the AFRTS radio. One positive aspect is we probably didn't watch much TV.

When we got back to the states we enjoyed watching commercials becuase the were in English.

Don

You're a teen age girl and the MP at the gate won't let the townie boys in without calling your Dad for permission.

You're a teen age girl and go to the USA club and the guys won't talk to you because they are in your father's company.

You go to the base and see a parade and start to cry because you can picture you Dad marching the boys and calling cadence.

You go to the Cemetary at Ft. Sam in San Antonio and the markers name a lot of the parents of people you have known including your own parents, a couple of uncles, etc.

Your Grandchildren can't understand why you have chill bumps when you see a convoy while you are wondering which war they are traing for now.

Quote: You're a teen age girl and the MP at the gate won't let the townie boys in without calling your Dad for permission. You're a teen age girl and go to the USA club and the guys won't talk to you because they are in your father's company. You go to the base and see a parade and start to cry because you can picture you Dad marching the boys and calling cadence. You go to the Cemetary at Ft. Sam in San Antonio and the markers name a lot of the parents of people you have known including your own parents, a couple of uncles, etc. Your Grandchildren can't understand why you have chill bumps when you see a convoy while you are wondering which war they are traing for now.

Your "babysitters" were usually the single G.I.'s who worked for your father.

Quote: ... on September 11, 2001, you desperately wanted to enlist for infantry -- even if you're a female, nearly 40, and couldn't possibly finish one PT.

Hallelujah!

You wore combat boots to high school before it was cool

You found it odd that other children didn't fly their remote controlled airplanes on the airstrip

You now brag about how much fun you had at Oktoberfest when you were 8

You have to repress the urge to run up and hug anyone you see in uniform

You find typical American stereotypes of other cultures odd

Your first set of flash cards was a deck of armored vehicle regognition cards

You had more than one stuffed animal dressed in fatigues

Other people find it difficult to pronounce the names of things you own

Quote: Quote: You're a teen age girl and the MP at the gate won't let the townie boys in without calling your Dad for permission. You're a teen age girl and go to the USA club and the guys won't talk to you because they are in your father's company. You go to the base and see a parade and start to cry because you can picture you Dad marching the boys and calling cadence. You go to the Cemetary at Ft. Sam in San Antonio and the markers name a lot of the parents of people you have known including your own parents, a couple of uncles, etc. Your Grandchildren can't understand why you have chill bumps when you see a convoy while you are wondering which war they are traing for now. Your "babysitters" were usually the single G.I.'s who worked for your father.

Quote: Quote: You thought the "babysitters" were SO old then come to find out they were only 18. Quote: You're a teen age girl and the MP at the gate won't let the townie boys in without calling your Dad for permission. You're a teen age girl and go to the USA club and the guys won't talk to you because they are in your father's company. You go to the base and see a parade and start to cry because you can picture you Dad marching the boys and calling cadence. You go to the Cemetary at Ft. Sam in San Antonio and the markers name a lot of the parents of people you have known including your own parents, a couple of uncles, etc. Your Grandchildren can't understand why you have chill bumps when you see a convoy while you are wondering which war they are traing for now. Your "babysitters" were usually the single G.I.'s who worked for your father.

-Everyone knew who your father was.
- you got upset when the price of a movie went up to 85 cents.
- If you can no longer stomach the sight of Hamburger Helper.
- You were shocked to find out that the Flintstones weren't really Spanish

. . .it seems like bedtime when you hear "Taps," and you feel both safe and sad when you hear it!

...you still call the airport runway a flight line, and can't understand why everyone is worried about being close to them--because you went to more than one school built at the very end of the flight line!

...you remember being more worried about the language of a new kid (and Dad's rank) than the color of his/her skin.

...you still reach for the back of your head when you hear a siren--trying to "duck and cover."

How about, you know what APO and FPO mean!!!

Quote: Quote: I just read through this and it gave me the "warm fuzzies". I was an AF brat and then married into the Army. When I got divorced, I didn't miss him, I missed my lifestyle. It was a real culture shock to become a civilian! Quote: You might be a Military Brat if... - "move in condition" never meets your definition of clean. - you find it shocking that some Americans do not know the Pledge of Allegiance. - by the age of 10, you knew how to convert at least one foreign currency to U.S. dollars. - the church you attended during childhood offered both Protestant and Catholic services. - you always considered yourself an American; hyphenated versions were not part of your vocabulary. - it's a daunting task to obtain transcripts from every school you've ever attended. - you've fed at least 10 stray dogs and cats at each house you ever lived in. (Spay/neuter please!) - whatever you're doing and wherever you are, you stop dead in your tracks and stand straight at attention when you hear "Taps". - the term "permanent address" is an oxymoron. - not even a professional shoe shine can match your work. - before a ballgame, you stand at attention for the National Anthem, even if you're alone in your living room. - "friendship" means we knew each other at some point. - your childhood friends were Christians, Buddhists, Jews, black, white, brown, and you never noticed a difference. - you know at least one international access number and five U.S. area codes. - you stop your car on a highway and walk through mud to pick up an American flag that has blown off somebody's car. - you know what a "regulation haircut" is. - the sight of a "Bekins" or "Mayflower" truck makes your stomach turn. - your dad went on a "Med cruise" without your mother. - your childhood memories include Duraglit, Brasso, liquid starch and Kiwi shoe polish. - your dad was called into his C.O.'s office because of some stupid stunt you pulled at school. - you never got to take any second level class (i.e., French II, German II, Biology II) because it wasn't offered at your new school. - you have to fight the urge to smack the hat off the guy in front of you in the bleachers during the National Anthem. - acronyms don't confuse you. - your childhood neighborhood had a "Yard of the Month" award. - you figured out when you were eight that the U.S. ZIP codes progressed from low in the northeast to highest in the west. - the term "mess" is a synonym for "untidy" and "food". - an armed M.P. flagged you into your neighborhood. - you don't know what to say when people ask you "Where are you from?" - none of your high school yearbooks are from the same school. - you ever wrote to your dad at an A.P.O. or F.P.O. - you can't imagine having a friend for more than 3 years. - your neighborhood promoted safe driving by arranging wrecked cars with "bloody", mangled mannequins in high-traffic areas. - you don't have many momentos from your childhood because they were lost in some move or other. - you shopped at a PX. - your family's living room contained a high-tech German stereo system, Italian designer leather sofa & chair, elegent Japanese dolls in glass cases; you had a maid, and your mother's clothes were tailor made, but back in the States, your family was considered "low income". - you spent your summers at the base pool, in the base bowling alley, and playing in the sprinkler or on the "Slip 'N Slide". - "the economy" means going off-base and paying higher local prices. - by the age of 10, your shot record was more than a page long. I just read this, and it made me cry, my Father retired from the army was I was 15, and I'm 28 now and I still remember most of these. YOU MIGHT BE A ARMY BRAT IF....... *explaining to non-Army Brat how it was to move every 3 years.

Quote: . . . you rememember having K or C Rations around the house in case of emergencies, or WW III.

You are old enough to remember the housing shortage after WWII. We were stationed in Ft. Knox and the housing was so bad the Army turned the training barracks over to the married men to convert into apts. I don't think I have ever seen such midnight requistioning since then. The best of all was the community showers/ The ladies got them one day and the men got them the 2nd day. I will never forget my mother's kitchen sink was something that cam out of the mess hall. Really huge and she could do a whole weeks laundry. Never mind the army cot beds, etc. What a time in out lives. It all seemed like an adventure to me. It still does when I look back on it.

Quote: Quote: Quote: You might be a Military Brat if... - "move in condition" never meets your definition of clean. - you find it shocking that some Americans do not know the Pledge of Allegiance. - by the age of 10, you knew how to convert at least one foreign currency to U.S. dollars. - the church you attended during childhood offered both Protestant and Catholic services. - you always considered yourself an American; hyphenated versions were not part of your vocabulary. - it's a daunting task to obtain transcripts from every school you've ever attended. - you've fed at least 10 stray dogs and cats at each house you ever lived in. (Spay/neuter please!) - whatever you're doing and wherever you are, you stop dead in your tracks and stand straight at attention when you hear "Taps". - the term "permanent address" is an oxymoron. - not even a professional shoe shine can match your work. - before a ballgame, you stand at attention for the National Anthem, even if you're alone in your living room. - "friendship" means we knew each other at some point. - your childhood friends were Christians, Buddhists, Jews, black, white, brown, and you never noticed a difference. - you know at least one international access number and five U.S. area codes. - you stop your car on a highway and walk through mud to pick up an American flag that has blown off somebody's car. - you know what a "regulation haircut" is. - the sight of a "Bekins" or "Mayflower" truck makes your stomach turn. - your dad went on a "Med cruise" without your mother. - your childhood memories include Duraglit, Brasso, liquid starch and Kiwi shoe polish. - your dad was called into his C.O.'s office because of some stupid stunt you pulled at school. - you never got to take any second level class (i.e., French II, German II, Biology II) because it wasn't offered at your new school. - you have to fight the urge to smack the hat off the guy in front of you in the bleachers during the National Anthem. - acronyms don't confuse you. - your childhood neighborhood had a "Yard of the Month" award. - you figured out when you were eight that the U.S. ZIP codes progressed from low in the northeast to highest in the west. - the term "mess" is a synonym for "untidy" and "food". - an armed M.P. flagged you into your neighborhood. - you don't know what to say when people ask you "Where are you from?" - none of your high school yearbooks are from the same school. - you ever wrote to your dad at an A.P.O. or F.P.O. - you can't imagine having a friend for more than 3 years. - your neighborhood promoted safe driving by arranging wrecked cars with "bloody", mangled mannequins in high-traffic areas. - you don't have many momentos from your childhood because they were lost in some move or other. - you shopped at a PX. - your family's living room contained a high-tech German stereo system, Italian designer leather sofa & chair, elegent Japanese dolls in glass cases; you had a maid, and your mother's clothes were tailor made, but back in the States, your family was considered "low income". - you spent your summers at the base pool, in the base bowling alley, and playing in the sprinkler or on the "Slip 'N Slide". - "the economy" means going off-base and paying higher local prices. - by the age of 10, your shot record was more than a page long. I just read this, and it made me cry, my Father retired from the army was I was 15, and I'm 28 now and I still remember most of these. YOU MIGHT BE A ARMY BRAT IF....... *explaining to non-Army Brat how it was to move every 3 years. ... if you have never flunked a geography course and know exactly where Chester and Glascow, Montana are

Mike - That's Glasgow,Montana (g).... from MB Maria, daughter of RET Lt.Col Roger A LaFond, native of Malta, MT.[rivals of Glasgow), and Beverly A. LaFond (RET WAC). Maria was "issued" while her parents were stationed in West Germany and still loves to call Malta "home" since she was able to spend six years there.

Quote: . . .it seems like bedtime when you hear "Taps," and you feel both safe and sad when you hear it!

when you tell your kids to "hit the sack" or "bedtime at the zoo" and "don't let the bedbugs bite" because that's what your dad said to you.

Quote: ...you still attend AirShows and wear something from your Dad (i.e. in-country Boonie hat, fatigue hat etc...) I do! ...you point out Airplanes as they pass and can name them. ...always show respect for people in Uniform.

Dittos - I ALWAYS go up to Veterans with my children and shake their hands one by one and thank them with tears in my eyes. Last Veteran's Day, the vet apologized for shaking my hand with his white glove on! Teach respect for them in all you do and say!!

Quote: Quote: you park your car by the side of the road to watch the jets take off at the nearby air base many years after you used to sneak as close to the flight line as possible to watch the jets take off when you were a kid living on the base. Your Father turned on the lights in the bedroom at 0455 hours & came back at 0500 hours and turned over the bunks.

If even after your Dad retired - he got you up at 0600 and you were dressed, fed and on your way out to the ranch at 0615 according to the local National Bank sign!!! (love you Daddy)

Quote: Quote: ... on September 11, 2001, you desperately wanted to enlist for infantry -- even if you're a female, nearly 40, and couldn't possibly finish one PT. Hallelujah!

AMEN, SISTER!!

Quote: The only question you can't answer is, "So -- Where are you from?"

I struggled with this one for so many years...in college, I was so sick of it that I finally said,"From my mother's womb! You too? We must be 'womb-mates'" They left me alone after that. No place feels like home unless it's a base with uniforms on it...and I don't have a card anymore.

...you meet someone - anyone - who's been in the military and they feel like "family" and you immediately feel safe. In fact, when you say to someone who's been in the military, you know, when you meet someone who's been in the military they feel like..." and they finish your sentence with, "family".

Quote: Quote: ....if you have to pause for a few seconds when someone asks where you are from... -Mike Aldrich When I say I'm from nowhere. And, they tell me I have to be from somewhere. -David Locke

That's my life, too! I used to say I'm from nowhere or I'd say I'm from America, to which I'd get funny looks because that's not the kind of answer people expect to hear while they're standing in America. I now tell people I'm from all over America, sharing how I never lived in one place longer than 3 years until after college (I moved twice during college - & my dad was retired!). My husband and I lived for 8 years in Arizona (in 2 places); people can't fathom that we moved there just because we wanted to. If I'm somewhere not near my home, I might add, "I live in Oregon now."

I had a great time reading through all of the posts on this board. Some comments brought tears to my eye, others conjured laughter. Now I'm compelled to add a few of my own.

...if when you see a military sticker on a parked car you have to take a closer look to see if it's for a base you've been to or at least know where it is

...if you watch military movies and are really critical of the way people act, their uniforms, attitudes, the way they hold their rifle, the way they salute, etc. (and have to remind yourself to cut them some slack because they are just actors)

...if you watch military movies that were shot in a place you lived and try to identify the landmarks you remember

...if you cannot imagine how a child made it to adulthood without learning how to play Kick the Can

...if you know what year something happened by where you lived and who was your best friend at the time

...if you don't know where more than 3 of your "best friends" are

...if your brother, sister, (or you) also joined the military

...if you know the difference between ports and forts

...if your dad's idea of learning about history is to go to the historical site, take the tours, listen to the lectures, walk on the battlefield, and actualy calls it a family vacation

...if you put your hand over your heart during the pledge (Why don't people do this? Even my husband doesn't do it!)

The accent thing totally holds true with me! After spending a few hours with someone, I start to adopt their accent. My husband even makes fun of this phenomenon. I almost have to fight the urge not to! This happened recently when I spent a day with my friend from Texas. I didn't realize this is normal for a brat; I'm so glad others are posting about this. My sisters have both lived in the south since 8th/9th grades, so they've got that accent and don't adapt like I do. I'm the oldest and have moved more times, maybe it's more ingrained. I can talk like my cousins from DC, or my sisters in the south, and picked up on the subtlties of Canadians during a week in Canada. After 5th grade in Hawaii I spent a week at a local summer camp and came home talking pidgeon; the rest of my family could not understand me! So glad I'm not alone in this!!

Quote: Quote: ... you remember things by knowing where you were then. LOL That is SO true. My friends sometimes look at me strange when I start doing that...Well let's see, we were living in Millington for the last time, so it took place between '83 & '85. LOL Oh, my yes! My wife and I are both Brats, and we confound our friends by doing just that: "Well, let's see, that took place while we were at Ft. Hamilton" or "We were at Ft. Lee when Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show"! D

I struck me just how much of a military brat I was when, after spending so much of my life (up to college) on military posts and then 4 years in the Marines, I finally gave up my military ID. I could no longer hit the commissary or PX (BX). I felt a sense of both loss and outrage! Here were these "youngsters", newly initiated into the military, going onto MY bases, and yet I (who spent my life on them!) could no longer do so.

I still feel a sense of belonging to the military, even though it has been 30 years plus since I got out. I felt at home again when I visited Parris Island a few years ago - just a visitor. But was it grand to pass the MPs at the gate!

Semper Fi

Quote: I struck me just how much of a military brat I was when, after spending so much of my life (up to college) on military posts and then 4 years in the Marines, I finally gave up my military ID. I could no longer hit the commissary or PX (BX). I felt a sense of both loss and outrage! Here were these "youngsters", newly initiated into the military, going onto MY bases, and yet I (who spent my life on them!) could no longer do so. I still feel a sense of belonging to the military, even though it has been 30 years plus since I got out. I felt at home again when I visited Parris Island a few years ago - just a visitor. But was it grand to pass the MPs at the gate! Semper Fi

I went to PI in January '55. The closest I ever came to going back was at the train station in Yamasee with the red brick sidewalk. Mike, USMC '55-'63 active duty and '63-'85 Special Ops.
Semper Fi!

P.S. I was born in Ft.Knox, Ky and grew up on Army posts all my life all over the planet.

Quote: Quote: I struck me just how much of a military brat I was when, after spending so much of my life (up to college) on military posts and then 4 years in the Marines, I finally gave up my military ID. I could no longer hit the commissary or PX (BX). I felt a sense of both loss and outrage! Here were these "youngsters", newly initiated into the military, going onto MY bases, and yet I (who spent my life on them!) could no longer do so. I still feel a sense of belonging to the military, even though it has been 30 years plus since I got out. I felt at home again when I visited Parris Island a few years ago - just a visitor. But was it grand to pass the MPs at the gate! Semper Fi I went to PI in January '55. The closest I ever came to going back was at the train station in Yamasee with the red brick sidewalk. Mike, USMC '55-'63 active duty and '63-'85 Special Ops. Semper Fi! P.S. I was born in Ft.Knox, Ky and grew up on Army posts all my life all over the planet.

Maybe I should explain my feelings. I Could smell PI from Yamassee. My wife and daughter were with me in my motorhome an our plan was tour PI. I remember the M.P. sergeant who met us at the train station and what he did to us recruits on that red brick siding at the train station.

I broke out in cold sweats and started to shiver. It scared the hell out of my family. I spent 13 weeks in boot camp and was sent back for 4 more weeks becauses I was in the top 2% of the graduating platoon for special duty... I never learned; I kept volunteering.

I just can't go there and I can't touch the Viet Nam War Memorial. I guess that I am only an American patriot with with
a humble upbringing and basic values.

... you even know what a hospital corner is and use them. (Actually I learned it in the Coast Guard but still automatically make them when (on rare occasions) I make the bed. Just did it the other day; my side has them, my wife's side does not. Hmmm.)

Don