There’s something inherently different about growing up in the military culture. Something that is pervasive into everyday conversation. It’s not a gesture or a habit per se, it’s the very words used to carry a conversation.
There is a lingual difference between military and civilian culture. While military brats may not serve, they grow up hearing the words units use around them. We use those words without thinking about it. They’re part of our language. Then comes the transition into the civilian world, and the realization of that difference.
Starting out in the civilian world whether it’s a job off base or high school, at some point, someone asked what a phrase meant. For me, it was something like ‘cool beans’ the first time if I recall correctly.
As an adult, people do still ask sometimes when I’m speaking. I think my most common question is about what I mean by ‘tracking’ at this point. Depending on who asked, sometimes it’s even amusing to try and explain. Other times, it’s easier to just backtrack.
Never minding the different phrasing that marks my conversation, I also tend to be told that I have no distinct accent. From my experience, it’s not an uncommon side effect of so many moves to different parts of the country. More than a few have commented on that one, and not being able to place where I’m from.
Between the odd turns of phrase and the lack of accent, being raised a military brat marks the everyday conversations. In turn, I carry the words that were part of my growth out into the world. It’s a mark that doesn’t really go away with time. For myself and many other military brats, words are just some of the things we carry from our time on base.