We were not blown about by the wind. We simply made our own.

What Is A Military Brat?


A Military Brat is someone, who, as a child through young adulthood, grows up in a family where one or both parents are "career" military. This unique life is typically marked with moving from base to base (or post to post), and often leads to life experiences in many places in the U.S. and often exposure to different cultures in different countries around the world.



Some Military Brats think that once they give up their I.D. card and after they are grown up and away from the life they knew, they are no longer a Military Brat.



The reality is that growing up on bases and being subject to the many rules and the culture of the military is actually life changing. Most Military Brats' values and first experiences of other cultures formed during our early years through young adulthood, and will remain with them for the rest of their lives.



Military Brats also identify strongly with the the branches of our U.S. military forces: Air Force, Army, Marines, Coast Guard, and Navy. While each branch of service is different, the experiences of Military Brats of being part of something larger than the sum of it's parts is the same.



Many Military Brats live on Military bases, and find there are many around them who are very much like them growing up. It is only after living off base or after a Military Brat "joins" the civilian world that they realize how different they are.



There can be no doubt that the discipline and patriotic values instilled upon us as children wlll last a lifetime.



About one in five Military Brats, growing up in a military family leads to service in the U.S. military, and it is estimated there are between 9 and 12 million U.S. Military Brats today.