Military brat (U.S. subculture)

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" Military Boy " and various "child" derivatives describe the child of a parent or full-time parent serving in the United States Armed Forces, and may also refer to the family's subculture and lifestyle. This term refers to the present and former children of these families.

Military rogue lifestyles usually involve moving to new countries or countries many times as they grow older, because child military families are usually transferred to new non-combat tasks; consequently, many arduous military children never had a hometown. Family pressure related to war is also a common part of the life of military boys. There is also another aspect of the life of military boys who are significantly different from that of American civilians, often including living in foreign countries and/or diverse regions in the US, foreign language and cultural exposure, and immersion in military culture.

The military brat subculture has emerged over the last 200 years. The age of this phenomenon means military boys have also been described by some researchers as one of the oldest and least known and largely invisible subcultures. They have also been described as "modern nomadic subcultures".

"Military boy" is known in US military culture as a term of affection and respect. This term can also mean the experience of military boys in caring for mobile phones, and may refer to worldly sense. Research has shown that most of the former military and former boyit bandits like the term; However, outside the military world, the term "military boy" can sometimes be misunderstood by non-military residents, where the word "boy" is often a derogatory term.

Video Military brat (U.S. subculture)

Main features of lifestyle and culture

Studies show that this group is formed by several forces. The main influence is the fact of frequent moves, because families follow military parent (or in some cases, both parent who are members of the military) who are transferred from military base to military base, each movement usually being hundreds or thousands of people. miles in the distance. Other forming powers include a culture of resilience and adaptation, loss of friendships, facilities or constant skills to make new friends, never have a hometown, and a wide exposure to foreign cultures and languages ​​while living abroad or to various regional cultures. differences due to living in different parts of America. Additional influences include living in a series of military bases serving as community centers, a pervasive military culture at the base, the absence of parents because of spreading, the threat of losing parents in war, the pressure associated with the psychological consequences of war (living with veteran parents who re-exposed to war) and militarization of family units (children are treated to some degree like soldiers and subjected to military regiments, planting into a code of honor fighters and service, often exposed to patriotic ideas and symbols, free medical care experience, and military discipline ). Military city boys receive completely free medical treatment until their soldiers leave service (without full battle-related disabilities) or they reach 21 or 23 years of age (depending on the parent's service branch) if enrolled in full-time college.

While some non-military families may share some of the same attributes and experiences, the military culture has a much higher incidence and concentration of these problems and experiences in the military family than the civilian population, and by the close military community who experience this experience. as usual. Studies show that growth in military culture can have long-term effects on children, both positively and negatively.

Life on the base

Military bases are often small towns with 10,000 or more people, and are a stand-alone world where military culture is the main culture and civil is secondary. Military families do not always live in bases, but often do so. Military cities, areas that directly surround the base, are also often strongly influenced by military culture. While the general public uses the term "base" to refer to any military installations, in the US military the term "base" is especially applicable to the installation of the Air Force or the Navy while the Army installation is called "post."

Military boys grow from base to base as they follow their parents or parents to new tasks. Sometimes living in bases, sometimes inactive, bases in both cases are often the center of life of military brat, shopping, recreation, school and military communities forming a series of temporary cities for military boys as they grow older.

Studies show that the culture at the military base is felt by most of the former military brat today and is significantly different from civilian culture. This is widely experienced because it is overwhelmed by the norms and expectations of military culture, as well as the presence of military police or other equivalent military security forces, armed guards, high security zones and some degree of oversight. Some bases also contain unique features, such as air bases with many aircraft and noise officers, or seaports with many naval vessels. Balancing this is a more relaxed area in character, for on-site housing, shopping, dining, recreation, sports and entertainment, as well as a basic chapel that hosts a variety of religious services. However, military rules, laws and social codes apply throughout the base, which can be very different from local, state or national laws, regulations, or customs.

Military languages ​​also have differences from standard American English and are often flavored with military slang and military acronyms. There are many unique words and phrases for the military world and that are part of everyday conversations at the base. For example, time is measured in 24-hours rather than the 12-hour segment as in the civilian world, and distances, especially in army bases in the United States or in many US bases of all services abroad, are often depicted in meters and kilometers (or "Click" "in military slang, not yard or mile, and many military boys reported feelings of cultural identity that had a military sense and feelings of difference from local civil cultures, even in bases in the US The feeling of this difference can also be made more complex because it has absorbed different levels of foreign culture as well as different regional American cultures while living in different places as part of the military lifestyle.

Bases do form communities, but since most of them experience 100% turnover in a few years, an adult military boy can never go back and find old friends, neighbors or even former teachers, at the base where they grew up. Primary schools usually have a higher turnover rate, reaching 100% turnover in just 2 years. Due to the lifting of a basic right after reaching the age of 18 (or 23 if someone attends college), access to a base for nostalgia or reconnecting with a person's growing place can also be difficult.

Population size

Although no definitive figures are available, the US Department of Defense estimates that about 15 million Americans are former or otherwise arduous military boys, including those who spend all or part of their childhood and/or adolescence in lifestyle. This population includes an age range of less than 1 year to over 90 years, since there have been military boys for generations. Many military boys spend all their years growing up in an active lifestyle, partially only in part, although military family issues, dynamics and influence can continue. Also, not all military recalcitrant children grow all the time, although many do.

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Study

Military boys have been studied extensively, both from the perspective of social psychology and as a distinct and unique American subculture, though less so in terms of the long-term impact of lifestyle. There are also some loopholes in the more recent military post-Cold War children study. Collectively, this study provides a fairly consistent picture of how lifestyles tend to affect the population (on average) in various aspects of life. These studies see the overall pattern and individual experience can vary widely:

Positive pattern in overall study result

Some of the strong positives that have been identified in military population brat studies are high incidents of very tenacious personality, exceptional social skills, high level of international or multicultural awareness, proficiency in foreign languages, and a strong affinity statistically for careers that require service to others. Studies show that former military children ultimately pursue careers associated with services in very high numbers: military services, teaching, counseling, police, nursing and foreign service jobs are strongly represented in military career statistics (as compared to non-military statistics occupational choice patterns). Mary Edwards Wertsch also identifies a pattern (for military boys who do not choose military service) from more self-employment (self-employment/avoidance of direct obedience to authority figures) and along those lines also supports the creative and artistic professions that offer more freedom. He also reported that for military boys who choose military service, there is a tendency to go through a bucking phase or test authority during military service, or a pattern of opposing authority, represented in the study population. However, military boys who become soldiers also tend to do a good overall in the profession.

As adults, military boys can share many of the same positive and negative traits that are identified in other populations that have a very mobile childhood. Having had the opportunity to live around the world, military boys can have vast experiences unmatched by most teenagers. Regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender, bad boys may identify more with very mobile children than with non-mobile ones. Military boys also graduate from college at a higher level than civilians and divorce to a lesser extent.

Negative pattern in overall study result

On the negative side, research shows that some former military boys are struggling to develop and maintain deep and lasting relationships, and can feel like outsiders to US civil culture. Temporary lifestyles can inhibit the potential to build concrete relationships with people and develop emotional attachment to specific places, as well as the pressures of parents placed into war zones and also the psychological consequences of war in dealing with returning veteran parents. In some cases there are also parental losses in combat, or drastic changes to parents due to battle-related disability. A military boy may personally know another child or teenager, or even some other colleagues, whose parents have been victimized by war (wounded or killed). A significant minority of ex-brats may show symptoms of Pascatrauma Stress Disorder, Avoidable Personality Disorders, Separation Anxiety Disorders, etc.

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Special study area

Mobile lifestyle preferences

Although it is unclearly positive or negative, the research also shows that many adult military boys report difficulty settling in one geographic location and also report a willingness to move (relocation) every few years; many adult military boys call this "itch". However, some adult military boys reported an opposing trend and linked rejecting any and all pressure from spouses or employers to move again.

Perfectionist trends

Many former military boys reported struggling at some point in their lives with issues related to perfectionism and learning how to let go in the field of personal performance (perhaps due to the demanding nature of military culture). Paradoxically, the majority of the same military children who report having fought with perfectionism and performance control issues also describe themselves as successful people in their lives, showing resilience that also arises in overcoming or learning to manage those issues over the long term.

Adaptability and feelings of outsiders

Overall, the majority of military boy reports have developed some kind of extra adaptability and assimilated into new situations quickly and well, as they have done with each move to a new military base, city or state. Paradoxically however, the long-term feelings of outsiders in relation to civil (non-military) cultures are common to the majority of military boys. For example, one large study showed that 32% of military boys felt as if they were only audiences in US life, and 48% did not feel as though they were important to any group.

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Military culture

A significant percentage of military boys reported difficulties in establishing strong relationships with people or places, but very often established strong relationships with (or in some cases rejection) the notion of military bases and the communities in which they found themselves. This is because knowledge, experience, values, ideas, attitudes, skills, tastes, and techniques associated with the military are sometimes different from civil culture. Military bases are miniature, self-contained, government-subsidized cities that promote conformity. Military families shop at some of the same stores, whose discount items are arranged to prevent unhealthy competition, so they can often end up in the same outfit and product. Boys, at one time, tend to get the same "military haircut" at the base, but this has changed over time. For a child who grew up in military bases, in a homogeneous culture, the individuality of civil life was once considered completely foreign. However, since each child has attended civil schools near the base and is socialized with their peers, this perceived difference may have been reduced to many levels.

Values ​​and patriotism

Patriotism can mean different things to former ex-military, but the figures are strong in terms of parenting, language and the thinking of many who grow up in military families. Comfort, or sense of restriction, (or both) that can be found on military bases is not limited to physical traps, but can be enriched through some consistent rituals common to them. As it moves around the world, these rituals can help the boys feel at home in their new community. Although faces and geography change, "bases" can still be recognized because the rituals are often uniform. The basic principle of this ritual is consistent: to promote patriotism.

It has been claimed by Samuel Britten on the basis of anecdotal evidence that life on the military base is associated with greater patriotic sentiment. For example, respecting the American flag is expected. At the end of the working day, on a military installation, the "To the Color" trumpet call is played when the flag is lowered. Although it is no longer universal, anyone's ex outside, even if participating in sports or driving a car, is expected to stop their activity and stand in the attention. Uniformed personnel and uniformed men put their hands on their hearts.

Until now, the Allegiance Pledge is read out every morning, and patriotic and militaristic songs may be sung in the Department of Defense Department of Defense (DoDDS) overseas and the Department of Domestic Defense of Primary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) in the United States. Patriotic ideals often form the basis for church sermons. Protestant and Catholic worship services may include a militaristic hymn. Before the movie in the basic theater, customers and staff stood for National Anthem and often other patriotic songs, such as "God Bless the USA".

Military families know that service personnel can be killed in duty, but can accept the risk because they understand the values ​​of duty, honor, and country. The mission is one in which the brat shares with extension through his military parent.

Military law requires commanding officers and those in authority to demonstrate virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination in everything they do. In the 1990s, the army officially adopted what came to be known as "The 7 Army Values", which is summarized by the acronym "LDRSHIP". LDRSHIP stands for Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. While the acronym is relatively new, the ideas it represents have been the heart of military service for generations. Similarly, the slogan "Duty, honor, state" is the US military standard. The military brat was raised in a culture that emphasized LDRSHIP, Duty, Honor, and State. Their strict (outward) adherence to military values ​​is the most distinguishable from their civilian counterparts. Children of military personnel often reflect the values, ideals, and attitudes of their parents more than children of civilians. Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview in 2006, "It is impossible, in my mind, that you can become successful in the military and have a family unless the family, in fact, appreciates your service to this country." Pace also wrote in an April 2006 letter to honor the Military Child Month: "You [military boys] are American patriots and role models for all of us."

Discipline

A stereotypical military family may have a "task list" in the refrigerator, parents' room inspections, and children saying "yes sir/lady" to adults. Eighty percent of Cold War boys described their father as "authoritarian" or wanted to exercise complete control over their lives. They describe their military parents as rigid, inflexible, intolerant to dissent, disagree about inappropriate behavior, insensitive to their emotions, and not accept personal privacy. A Cold War-era military psychologist, publishing in the American Journal of Psychology, reviewed the parents of patients who came to his clinic, and concluded that 93% of patients were from overly authoritarian military families.

Expectations of discipline go beyond military families. Family members know that their actions and behaviors can have a direct impact on the careers of military service members. The consequences of bad behavior for military boys are generally larger than those of civilian children. The career and social identity of military people can be destroyed in seconds by deliberate or reckless children. For example, when a military boy gets into trouble, authorities can contact the Officer or Commander-in-Chief beforehand, or instead call the boy's parents. If the base commander or base commander is contacted, the boy's behavior may be part of the military's records, and affect his ability to be promoted or tasks (especially abroad) leading to progress.

Research on military boys has consistently shown them to behave better than their civil counterparts. Sociologist Phoebe Price proposes three possible hypotheses why bad children behave better: first, military parents have lower thresholds for bad behavior in their children; second, adolescent mobility may make them less attention to themselves, as many want to adapt and are less secure with their surroundings; and thirdly, the normative constraint is greater, with the boys knowing that their behavior is being observed and may affect the career of military members.

The teenage years are usually the period when people build self-reliance by taking some risks from their parents. When adolescents live in "fish bowl communities", small, self-sustaining communities such as bases, challenging boundaries may be more difficult. Bad boys know that bad behavior or rebellious activities will be reported to their parents. Naughty children are sometimes under constant pressure to conform to what the military culture hopes for; this means they sometimes look more mature in their youth than their peers. If they grow abroad or at military bases, they may have limited opportunities to see various role models in various professions.

Strict discipline can have the opposite effect: bad boys can rebel or behave in a teenage manner far beyond what is normally considered acceptable. Others develop psychological problems because strong pressure is always on their best behavior.

Military class

Military life is strictly separated by rank; the facilities provided to officers and enlisted personnel differ dramatically. Officers' housing will generally be more accessible for basic activities, larger in size, and better. On a larger base, officer housing can be broken down into various categories, with senior officers receiving larger and more luxurious housing; sometimes, the highest officer lives in a row of big houses often referred to as "Colonels"/Captains 'Row "or" General/Admirals' Row, "as is likely to happen.

The Officer Clubs are more elegant than the Forbidden Club. Officers have cleaner and more complex recreational facilities than registered partners. Historically, the basic chapel and cinema will have a special seat for officers and their families. For some of the 20th century, some bases had two Scouts and two Scout troops - one for the officers' children and one for the enlisted children.

These differences are not only external, but the core aspects of military life. Children of enlisted personnel often believe that the children of the officers receive special treatment because non-officers are afraid to disturb the officers. Physical separation and the difference between available activities make it very difficult. Most military boys on a personal level do not let this affect their social interactions, and in many cases are condemned to treat others with the value or rank of their parents' salaries.

Separation by rank has a purpose intended to maintain military discipline among service members. According to the US Uniform Uniform of Military Justice, it can be illegal for officers to align with enlisted men as it would erode the military hierarchy. This is often conveyed to children of military personnel. Two naughty children whose parents have subordinate-subordinate relationships can cause problems for both their parents.

To a lesser extent, military classism also includes service branches owned by military parents. If asked to name "the best service branch", military boys will almost always name the place where their parents came from. They will be able to articulate many of the reasons why their "service" branch is the best. These biases are well preserved past the time they stop being military dependents. As the boys grow up, these boundaries are replaced by a common identity based on being a military boy.

While the class hierarchy is reflected in multilevel housing structures, the military class differs from traditional class structures in several significant ways - ie, schools and access to quality health care. Children of military personnel attend the same primary school regardless of rank, create a peer culture that is not usually classroom based, and provide equal access to educational resources. Similarly, all military personnel receive the same quality of care by the same provider.

Anti-racism

In 1948, nearly 20 years before the civil rights movement swept through the non-military segment of US society, President Truman signed the 9981 Executive Order to integrate the military and oblige equality of treatment and opportunity. It prohibits segregation within the military and makes it illegal, according to military law, to make racist statements. Fifteen years later, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara issued the Department of Defense Directive 5120.36. "Every military commander," the Directive mandate, "has the responsibility to oppose discriminatory practices affecting its people and their dependents and to foster equal opportunities for them, not only in areas under its direct control, but also in "The directive was issued in 1963, but it was not until 1967 that the first non-military installations were declared unenforceable by military personnel due to discriminatory practices. While these directives do not eliminate all racism in the military, they continue to influence the culture in which children of military personnel grow.

When families go abroad, minority students rarely experience blatant racism from their foreign neighbors. This also applies to US military bases; because a more diverse and more integrated military base community is isolated from outside the base community, and seen as a major community, the outer community becomes secondary, military dependents are less likely to use racist ideas. The military community bond is usually seen by military dependents as a stronger bond than race differences. Military boys grew up in an environment that actively condemns racist remarks. This produces "not only non-racist, but anti-racist" boys. "

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Growing the military

Effect of mobile lifestyle on friendship

Because military boys are constantly looking for new friends to replace the people they lose, they are often more open and independent. On the other hand, the experience of being a continuous stranger can make them feel alienated everywhere, even if in the future they settle in one place. According to the largest study conducted on nearly 700 TCKs, eighty percent claimed that they could relate to anyone, regardless of differences such as race, ethnicity, religion, or nationality.

Typical military schools can experience up to 50% turnover each year (25% temporary graduates one-third of the remaining 75% of students move); social groups that existed one year no longer existed when new groups emerged. Bad boys learn to adapt quickly to fit this ever-changing environment. Very mobile children are more likely to reach out to a new student, because they know what it's like to be a new student.

Recent studies show that, although the average kid moves every 3 years, they are not used to moving. The changing environment and openness to others has a price. Rather than developing problem solving skills, there is the temptation to leave the problem without solving it. If someone does not like someone or argue, they know that within a few years someone will move and the problem will go away. On the other hand, when the married boys are generally lifelong; more than two-thirds of children aged over 40 years married with their first spouses. Studies show that many naughty children become very adaptable as a result of mobile lifestyle, but there are also higher-than-average incidents, among the recalcitrant minority, of Avoid Personality Disorders and Separation Anxiety Disorders.

School life

Moving during the summer can be a challenge. Courses taken by students in their old school may not meet the graduation requirements in their new school. Moving during the winter or mid-year holidays, however, is traditionally viewed as the worst time to move. Students are forced to join a class that has already begun. Social groups become more difficult to penetrate, and activities students enjoy can be prohibited for them. For example, an athlete may not be able to join his or her gym because they are not following the trial and the season has already begun. A student who excels at their old school DoDDS or DDESS suddenly feels inadequate in a larger school. Recent studies, however, show that mobility during the school year may be less traumatic than summer moves.

DoDDS overseas schools and DDESS schools in the United States tend to be smaller than many public schools. Students and teachers often interact in a more social way with each other. When returning to a civil school, lack of friendship with faculty can be an unexpected constraint for many very mobile families.

Military brats have lower delinquency rates, higher achievement scores on standardized tests, and higher median IQs than their civil counterparts. They are more likely to have a bachelor's degree (60% v 24%) and have a higher degree (29.1% v 5%). Although this figure is higher than the general US population, they are lower than other non-brat third-generation children (84-90% bachelor's degree and 40% bachelor's degree). Children of the United States military are the most mobile of "third cultural children", moving on average every three years. Brats often move between bases in the United States and usually spend at least three years abroad.

Range of experience and international influence

Sociologist Morten Ender performs the largest scientific study to date exclusively on military career children (those who have at least one parent in the military from birth to high school). He interviewed and sent questionnaires to over 600 misbehaving children who were members of various organizations and responded to newspaper and internet advertising. His study revealed that 97% lived in at least one foreign country, 63% in two, 31% in three. They averaged eight moves before graduating from high school and spent an average of seven years abroad. Over 80% now speak at least one language other than English, and 14% speak three or more. Ann Cottrell's work with third cultural children, however, showed slightly lower results, but the outcome did not specify stubborn children. Sociologist Henry Watanabe points out that military and civil teens share the same concerns and desires, but that growing within the mobile community offers opportunities and experiences that are generally not available to stable geographically stable families. A sociological study of the American military community abroad in the German Cold War also shows some transformational effects on these communities due to foreign exposure.

Abuse and alcoholism

Two common themes in Wertsch's book are abuse and alcoholism. This is echoed in other literature of the Cold War, such as Pat Conroy The Great Santini . In the 1980s and 1990s the US military focused on issues of abuse and alcoholism. The impact on military efforts remains inconclusive. Several studies reported higher levels of violence in military families, while others reported lower rates.

Studies that conclude harassment are a bigger problem in military families than civil families connect this with long working hours, frequent disorders in lifestyle, and high levels of stress. They point out that military families may be more reluctant to report abuse problems because of the potential impact on careers of service members. However, other studies argue that military families have smaller problems than civil families because the military culture offers more accessible assistance to abuse victims. Military families have health care, housing, and family support programs that are often not available to low-income civilians. Violent family members are more likely to be ordered (by their commander or base commander) for treatment, thus reducing the recurrence of abuse.

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The current military boy

The US Department of Defense reports that there are currently 2 million American children and teenagers who have at least one parent stationed in the war zone in the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflict. More than 900,000 parents have been deployed several times.

Much of the research on military boys has been done on long-term effects on adults who grew up during the Cold War and also during the Vietnam and Korean wars. When the Cold War ended, the role of the United States Armed Forces changed. The US military realizes that there is a clear correlation between quality of life and retention and operational effectiveness. For this purpose, the military began to change the standard of living raised by most Cold War children. Military demography changed. The modern military has a greater proportion of married members of the military. Since the basic housing is designed for fewer families, more families are forced to live outside the base.

Military personnel are now equipped with more civilians playing an important role, and the introduction of large megabases linking different branches of services and cultures has also affected demographics. Finally, during the post-Cold War period, the United States has been involved in three expanded military engagements (two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan). The long-term effects of these changes are not known, but research has been done on the short-term effects of the post-Cold War period.

The war in the 21st century

Military sons today face some additional challenges. For example, it is estimated that some 50,000 military families have both parents serving in the armed forces; this creates the possibility that both parents can be deployed at the same time. Another significant difference is the speed of communication. With the advent of the Internet it is possible for family members to communicate with soldiers in combat zones. This allows the boys to keep in close touch with their military parents, but it also increases the tension as more details reach military families. All time news bureaus, such as CNN and Fox News, spread the word faster than the military bureaucracy can process the details. This meant that the military family knew that the soldiers had died before the official word reached the family. Military psychiatrist Colonel Stephen Cozza says that "fear" accompanies the death of a member of the service until confirmation that the service member is not a loved one.

Wertsch has pointed out, however, that during the Vietnam War, television news coverage was also very intense and constant, and that similar issues of military family fear intensified by television coverage were also present for military boys and couples from that era with members family in war.

Despite these facts, the study showed only a slight increase in direct stressors among military children whose parents served in the combat zone, although no studies of long-term effects have ever been done. Younger boys and children do show the greatest risk when parents are deployed, but this rarely requires clinical intervention. However, research shows that when a military member is deployed to a combat zone, family cohesion is more disturbed than when service members are deployed to non-combat zones.

Military members can be deployed for days, months, or even years without their families. When parents are placed without their families, children experience the same emotions as the children of divorced parents. In addition to the divorce effect, military boys have additional concerns. When a member of the military is expelled, the family does not always know where they are going or when (or if) the service members will return. Studies show that there are three phases for deployment, and each phase has a different impact on the family. Military pairs report the following when their spouses are deployed:

• Predeployment - Marital stress/conflict, distance from partner, anger, hatred, sadness/depression, negative behavior of children.
Deployment - marital problems, isolation, loneliness, anger, resentment, sadness/depression, reduced communication, stress, lack of social support, assuming single parent roles, difficulty of child care, sleep disturbances, physical symptoms, home and car repair , difficulty accessing military service, negative behavior of children.
• Postdeployment/Reunion - Redefine responsibilities, marital stress, communication problems, anxiety, anger, hatred, parent-child attachment issues

While separation produces stress, according to the US military it strengthens children by forcing them to take on additional responsibilities when parents are absent, encouraging independence.

A Pentagon study released in June 2009 reported that children of combat troops showed more concerns, anxieties, and behavioral problems. According to the study, couples report that when service members are sent to combat zones, that their children begin to experience increased anxiety. One in four parents says their children respond poorly or very badly, and one-third experience academic problems. Another study conducted by the University of California Los Angeles showed that a year after the parents returned, 30% of children "showed clinical anxiety levels." The Pentagon study found the most prominent effect in children between the ages of 5-13 years, while the UCLA study found conflicting evidence that the problem is the strongest in children under 8 years of age.

"Suddenly Military" Naughty Boy ("Bad Boy Reserve" or "Brat National Guard")

The "suddenly military" family (reserve troops and the National Guard) faces additional challenges, related to exile from other military family friends, and isolation within their hometown community, which is not faced by traditional military families.

With increasing demands on the US military, reserve troops have been called in for active duty. The children of this reserve army, suddenly called to extend active duty, are technically military children, but they may not identify or share all the traits of traditional mischievous children (although in certain specific areas , such as issues related to war, they can share a lot). In an effort to help integrate "suddenly military" children, groups such as "Operations: Military Kids" and "Our Military Children" emerged. Operation: Military Children is a program designed to help children "suddenly military" understand the military culture in which they are now, and Military Children We provide grants of money that support guidance, sports and other extracurricular activities of the Guard National and Children Reserves, whose parents sometimes create a revenue margin when called upon for active duty.

The National Guard family is not familiar with military culture. They are physically separated from other military families, which means they may have less emotional support during wartime, and may not be emotionally ready for active duty mobilization. Both formal and informal support structures available to regular military families are not available to backup families. Surgery: Military Children teach the military's "suddenly military" about military culture and hope.

Children of the reserve army also do not share the very mobile aspects of the "mediocre" military brat life. They may, however, still develop feelings of difference or isolation in relation to non-military or juvenile children in their home towns, due to pressure relating to war-spreading and post-war issues that non-military counterparts they may not be able to fully understand. As a result, it may be more difficult for teachers and health care professionals to identify and address the problems of children, youth or families related to war, unless they are specifically screened. Although families may not be fully immersed in military culture, the individual reserve parents may still affect different levels of militarization of the family's social environment and parenting. Some children born to active duty veterans who are inactive may also experience some of these problems.

Death of parent in battle

The influence of having parents killed during military operations has not been specifically studied. Studies limited to children who have lost parents show that 10-15% are depressed and some experience childhood traumatic sadness (inability to remember any positive memories from deceased parents). Military psychiatrist Stephen Cozza speculated, in his experience, that the long-term effects of having parents killed during the war would be more traumatic and difficult to deal with than the cause of death of parents.

Peaceful military death

Training and preparation of war also involves significant dangers, as do other military duties. As a result, many military boys live with the reality of risk to one or both parents even when there is no active war. Peaceful military accidents claim life every year at a much higher rate than accidents for civilians; some service professions such as military pilots, paratroopers and other air soldiers, deck aircraft carrier workers, Coast Guard coast rescue, weapons or ammunition officers, Navy firefighters, and training or drilling in live ammunition exercises all experienced annual deaths the higher the tariff. Such victims are difficult, if not impossible, to remain hidden from children or adolescents in small base communities.

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Military Child Month

The US Department of Defense has established April as the "Military Child Month" with special programs, educational activities and public support coordinated during this time each year. The Department of Defense also uses the term "Military Boy" in several studies and literature on military children.

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Community for former military boy

As adults, military boys sometimes try to reunite with the legacy of their brat.

A recent study, "Military Brats: Problems and Associations in Adulthood," identifies several reasons why some arduous military children, as adults, look for brat organizations. Military boys can feel a "sense of euphoria" when they discover that other boys share the same feelings and emotions. According to research, children share bonds with one another through common experiences that transcend race, religion, and nationality. Another common theme behind their fraternal organizations is to stay connected or reconnect with their old friends. With all the focus on veterans, children are allowed to grow in an environment that is sometimes violent, usually very strict without recognition and no help. With the huge differences between military and civilian children, one might think that there will be an investigation of its impact, but few can be found easily. Mary Edwards Werstch writes about her experiences, as well as the experiences of the people she has interviewed, in her book Brats: Growing in the Citadel. Pat Conroy also highlights the difficult situation growing in his book (then the film), The Great Santini .

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Military brat and famous fictitious example

There are many famous military boys, as well as many representations of fictional military boys in literature and film.

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History of the term

The Origin of "military recalcitrant children"

The origin of the term "military boy" is unknown. There is some evidence that it originated from hundreds of years into the British Empire, and originally stood for the "English Memory Attached Regiment". However, the acronym is a product of the 20th century and all attempts to trace this theory have failed to find a legitimate source. There are 200-year-old American military children to the birth of the United States. Military pairs and their children have been following troops for thousands of years, perhaps during organized warfare. The term "Little Travelers", used to describe the journey of a soldier (following his father's army from one place to another), also appears in the literature as early as 1811.

In the Dictionary of Johnson in 1755, "child" is defined as "child, which is called an insult" or "offspring, offspring". Examples are quoted from Spenser The Faerie Queene , published in 1590; Coriolanus and The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare (1564-1616); and two works by Swift (1667-1745).

Modern perception

The famous military researcher Mary Edwards Wertsch surveyed 85 former military children, whether they liked the term "military boy", and only five respondents (5.9% of the study group) objected to the term.

The term is now widely used by researchers and academics and is no longer just a slang term, but the name is clearly attached to the segment of US culture that is recognized and well-studied: "The vast majority of professional research on growing up in military families has contributed to the label's' , "sociologists and experts noted in the study of military boy Morten Ender wrote. "It's not surprising that the label is enduring and popular as ever."

Linguistic reclamation is the use of a dubious nickname by its target, to turn insults into positive terms and deny the ability of others to define them; Non-military personnel can find the term "child" insulting if they do not understand the context. Sociologist Karen Williams used it reluctantly in her research, with a disclaimer, "to follow the wishes of the participants.This is a term they use and feel comfortable with."

There is evidence that a professional military culture has also reclaimed ownership of the term. Admiral Dennis C. Blair, former Commander-in-Chief, US Pacific Command, and former US National Intelligence Director, said, "There is a standard term for military children: 'Bocah.' Although it sounds patronizing, it is actually a great term of affection. "This trend is also seen among prominent and influential civilians: Senator Ben Nelson, member of the United States Senate Committee for the Armed Forces, writes," when the word 'boy' is used to depicting a person is not meant to be a compliment, but when preceded by another word and being a "stubborn child" it becomes a term to cherish. "Congressman Carol Shea-Porter said," I married what is known as an Army boy. " Senator John Cornyn identified himself as a military boy, and also identified Judge Janice Brown as one, in a confirmation hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Justice. Military culture has created many positive backronymes for "boys", such as "Born, Brought and Transferred" or "Brave, Resilient, Adaptable, and Trustworthy". Although some people may not like the origin of the term, most feel comfortable with it.

By the end of 2014, two authors of civil children's books advocate the use of the acronym "CHAMPs" - "Children's Hero Attached to Military Personnel" - in lieu of "boy". The adult military boy community clearly rejects this change.

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History of research effort

Drawing up the term "third cultural child" and initial research

In the 1970s, sociologist Ruth Hill Useem coined the term "third cultural children" (TCK) for a child who follows his parents "into another culture." Useem uses the term "Third Culture Kids" because TCKs integrate aspects of their birth culture (first culture) and new culture (second culture), create a unique "third culture". Globally, descendants of military households cover about 30% of all TCKs, but they are almost exclusively from the United States.

Starting from Department of Defense research

Systematic research on individuals in such environments has been done since the 1980s. Responding to the social and psychological issues noted in military and community families, the United States sponsored research on the long-term impact of growth as a military dependence. Outside the US there is no significant literature on the impact of growing as a military dependence. Because the Department of Defense does not track or monitor former boys, every research on adult recruits is based on self-identification. Thus, although the study was conducted using a scientific sampling method, they may be biased because of difficulties in conducting epidemiological studies across a broad-based population sample. Some researchers use referrals, Internet, and newspaper articles to identify military boys.

Mary Edwards Wertsch: Identification of military cultural identity brat

In 1991, Mary Edwards Wertsch "launched a movement for the errant cultural identity of the military" with his book Military Brats: Legacy of Childhood in the Citadel . In examining his book, Wertsch identifies the common theme of interviewing more than 80 descendants of military households. Although this book is not intended as a scientific research, subsequent research has validated many of its findings. In the introduction to the book, former military boy Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini writes,

His book speaks in a clear and stinging language and is instantly recognized to me [as a naughty boy], but it is a language I do not even realize I am saying. He isolated the children of the American military as a new indigenous subculture with our own customs, transitional rites, forms of communication, and folklore... With this book Mary [Wertsch] surprised me and introduced me to a secret family that I did not know i have.

Brats: Our Home Journey

In 2005, military boy and filmmaker Donna Musil released the first documentary made exclusively about military boys, Brats: Our Journey Home . To date, the documentary has won six film awards. Musil put forward the premise that military boys form a different American subculture with a commonly held identity identity that is actually a different American ethnicity. The documentary also uses many research interviews of researchers, counselors, and psychologists, along with interviews with a number of former military boys.

Unseen insights from culture and experience

The Musil documentary also highlights the feelings among many military boys that the culture and lives of military children are largely invisible to most Americans. Some rare and superficial aspects of the life of military boys may be known, but the wider awareness of one of America's largest (and oldest) subcultures is largely absent. The documentary begins with country music singers and former military boy Krisdayanti calls the military boys "invisible tribes" covering 5% of the American population.

The documentary concludes with another quote from former military boy and author Pat Conroy, who writes,

We spent our childhood to serve our country, and no one knew we were there.

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See also

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References

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Note

Further reading

Books

• Bonn, Keith. (2005) Army Officers Guide: 50th Edition, Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Book. ISBNÃ, 0-8117-3224-X
• Ender, Morten G. (ed.) (2002). Military Brat and Other Global Nomad: Growing in Family Organization . Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. ISBN: 0-275-97266-6
• Ferguson-Cohen, Michelle (2001). Dad, you're my hero! and Mommy, You're my Hero! Brooklyn, NY: Redhaired Girl Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9729264-4-7 and ISBN 978-0-9729264-3-0
• Lawlor, Mary (2013) Princess of the Fighter Pilot: Growing in the Sixties and the Cold War, New York: Rowman & amp; Littlefield. ISBN: 978-1-4422-5594-4
• Smith, Carolyn (ed.) (1996). Foreigner at Home: Essays on the Effect of Living Abroad and Coming 'Home' to a Strange Land . New York: Aletheia Publications. ISBNÃ, 0-9639260-4-7
• Truscott, Mary R (1989). BRATS: American Military Children Speaking Out. New York, New York: E. P. Dutton. ISBN: 0-525-24815-3
• Wertsch, Mary Edwards (1991). Military Brat: Inheritance of Childhood Inside the Citadel, New York, New York: Harmony Books. ISBN: 0-517-58400-X. Also, Saint Louis, MO: Brightwell Publishing, 2006, ISBN: 0-9776033-0-X.

Articles

• Cottrell, Ann (2002) "The Choice of Occupational Education and Occupation of Third American Adult Culture" in Ender (2002)
• Eakin, Kay Branaman (1996). "You can not go 'Home' Again", in Smith (1996)
• Eakin, Kay Branaman (not dated). "According to my Passport, I'm Home" (PDF) . Ã, (666Ã, KiB) , US Department of State. Retrieved on October 17, 2008.
• Ender, Morten, "Growing in Military" in Smith (1996)
• Ender, Morten. "Beyond Adolescence: The Experience of Old Adult Military Children" in Ender (2002)
• Jordan, Kathleen Finn (2002). "Identity Formation and the Adult Third Culture Kid" in Ender (2002)
• Price, Phoebe (2002). "Behavior of Civil and Military School Students in Cinemas" in Ender (2002)
• Tyler, Mary (2002). "Military Youth in Europe: Perspectives for Health Care Providers" in Ender (2002)
• Watanabe, Henry (1985) "Self-Image Survey of Family Members of Rejuvenation" "Journal of Youth and Youth Vol 14 No. 2 April 1985
• Williams, Karen and LisaMarie Mariglia (2002). "Military Brat: Problems and Associations in Adulthood" in Ender (2002)

External links

• Military Brat Life - an online magazine "This website has articles, essays, poems, and blogs about growing up as a child in a military family.
• "Brats: Our Journey Home" Won Documentary Award on Military Brat Funded and Produced by Nonprofit Organization, "Brats Without Borders"
• Military Brats Registry Podcasts Military Brats Registry sponsors a series called "Every Brat have a story." This is an interview with famous and not-so-famous military boys.
• Military Brats Registry Genesis [2]
• Famous Military Children [3]
• Brats: The House of Our Journey - Teleconference Interview with Donna Musil

Source of the article : Wikipedia