Air Force Brat

Were I am from is a hard question to answer. My father was in the United States Air Force, so my answer to the question has been I am an Air Force brat. My reason for such a clouded answer is due to my father being assigned to a new location every three years. I have lived in seven states and one country as a child which makes it difficult to choose one location as the place I am from.

When I answer the question of ‘where are you from’ people look at me funny so I must go into a list of places I have been. I was born in Illinois, where I lived for six months. I moved to Missouri for three years then on to Montana for another three years. I then went to Texas for a year while Dad went somewhere he could not bring the family.

When Dad returned we moved to the second best place I lived which was Alaska. As an adult I do not appreciate snow very much but as a child I thought it was the greatest thing to play in. I remember building an igloo and hiding in it to escape the snowball fights. I also enjoyed sledding down the big hill in the back of complex. Three and a half years later I moved to Ohio which was not as exciting as Alaska.

After three years in Ohio I moved to the place I enjoyed to most, which was England. I enjoyed listening to the English people talk because their accent was so different then mine. It also seemed that everything was old and antique. I started high school in England which school was over an hour drive from where we lived. Due to the distance I had the opportunity to live away from my family during the week which was a great experience. Three year went by quick and I was moving to another place.

The place I do call home is Fort Worth Texas because this was the last assignment dad was given before he retired. He still lives there which makes it easier to call Texas home. Texas has made an indelible mark on me as did all the other places I have lived. I do enjoy Texas barbeque much more then southern barbeque, but I make due with what is available. I had also picked up a laid back style so I do not worry about problems just wanting to think the issue through before reacting. I have learned to take care of the important issues and the rest of life will flow.

The two other important places which have left indelible marks on me have been Alaska and England. Alaska has shown me how to play in the snow and to just let go and enjoy the moment. Nature has so much to offer and if I do not go out to nature, nature will not come to me. England has helped me to be interested in my American heritage and history. The English people have so much history and they show them so proudly to the visitors. London had so many places to see that I could not see them all in a day. Because of England I have taken the opportunity to learn about the history of America by visiting historical places like Gettysburg and Philadelphia. These places show the heritage of the American people but I wanted to go visit these places to feel the history not just read about them.

I am glad I had the opportunity to live in several places and do not feel like I missed out on being in one place as I grew up. I may not recall what one location did for me over another, but I feel privileged to have lived in such diverse places and each place has left its mark on me.