Being a Military Brat you learn a lot of things; like how important a lamented piece of paper is, how to move with ease, and how to keep friendships going even when there are thousands of miles between you. Here are five of the most important lessons I learned as my 19 years as an Air Force Brat.

1. A piece of lamented paper can literally be your life source.

That little piece of paper is your Military ID. Your ID does everything, literally, you first get it when you turn 10 so it is pretty much this magic thing that lets you do things. It lets you go to the BX (base exchange) without your parents and get candy. Once you start driving this is what lets you on base when you go off. It lets you go to the gym and the commissary (grocery store), and so much more. But if you lose it then that’s where things can get tricky, so basically don’t do that.

2. Deployments are hard.

Whether it is your mom, your dad or your significant other. They are hard; a person you love is far away and in some cases in danger. Now there are multiple versions of deployment; temporary, which is a couple months on a different base. And then the one you here about on the news, where they are in hostile territory. All deployments are hard being away from those you love is always difficult especially when you are younger and do not full understand what is going on.

3. You learn to value true friendship.

With moving as often as you can it is easy to see what friendship means. A true friend is someone who you are able to just pick up where you left off, whether it has been months or years it is like you have seen each other yesterday. Now keeping up with these friends can be hard but what comes out of these friendships is worth all the effort.

4. Answering the question “where are you from?” is not easy.

Moving a lot means well you do not have a traditional home. Do you answer that question with where you were born, the state you lived in the longest, the place you graduated from, or where all your family is? Most of the time the answer is the easiest or most recent base. The honest answer to this question is everywhere and nowhere just because every new station has different memories.

5. We wouldn’t change it for the world.

The places we have seen and the things we have learned make being a Military Brat so rewarding. It is hard having loved ones gone and not being able to see them all the time. And moving gets hard, but life as a Military Brat is one of the most rewarding things that can happen.