In the United States, no one keeps track of how many children of military services (military brats) there are. The current estimate is over 10 million though. Instead, we live our lives in either the military or civilian worlds with several marked differences in mindset, which is where the symbology of dandelions comes in.
Before I was five, we moved three times. I do not know much of anything about where I was born, though I’ve visited the area. Also, I don’t remember the second place we moved. I do remember the third move though because my dad had consecutive assignments at the same base, so we stayed for five years. Then we moved again when he retired.
I remember the last one most, primarily because I finished public school there. It is a military town, so even though my dad retired, elements of the military culture are pervasive there. With multiple branches of services and a fairly heavy rotation schedule through the bases, it only kind of felt like we’d left the military for a very long time.
I have now lived more places than many people will visit in their lifetimes. Since I turned eighteen, I’ve lived in three different states, and I am contemplating moving to a fourth now. I really can’t name a “hometown” or even really a home state for myself.
It is fitting then, that dandelions are the prevailing symbol for military brats. Dandelions don’t stay in one spot, they travel far on the winds. Dandelions are also incredibly resilient and can thrive in many places nothing else can. They are also everywhere, even when they go unnoticed.
I am an army brat through no conscious choice of my own, yet I wouldn’t trade it. Being a military brat is part of the fabric of who I am, and it taught me many life lessons before I even knew what the words “life lessons” meant.
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References
Military Brat Life. Military Brat. 2016. http://militarybratlife.com/military-brat/. 18 August 2018.