ipl-logo

Personal Narrative: Growing Up In The Army

567 Words3 Pages

I was twelve years old when the life I knew, took an unexpected turn. I was very naïve to the world. Unknowing of diseases and corruption around me. I always knew death was devastating, but I never worried about it. I just assumed I would never have to experience it.
Growing up in the military, my family was always moving. It was enjoyable and saddening at the same time. I would always be crushed when we would get our Permanent Change of Station orders (PCS) after three years and I had to say good-bye to my newly found home. It was hard to leave everything behind and start over, but I became good at it. When I found out we were stationed in Fort Wainwright, Alaska I was overjoyed. I was ready to discover this new land and take in what it …show more content…

I didn’t want to accept that he was gone. For weeks I thought I would come home to see my dad waiting for us to embrace him. I quickly became uninterested in school. I did not want anyone at school to know what happened to me. I spent my time imagining how quickly my life chanced. I would cry for hours upon hours wishing to reverse time and have my dad back. I also wished to disappear somewhere else where no one knew my name. I lost my interest in almost everything. My mom my noticed detachment from reality I was expressing and she decided to enroll us in taekwondo a few years later. I knew nothing about the sport, but was eager to try something new. Thorough every punch and kick I practiced, I did it for my dad. I tried my hardest each day I was there knowing he was watching me grow into a stronger person. After three hard years of getting kicked in the face to dodging punches, I earned my first degree black belt. I always had my dad in the back of my mind, dedicating everything I did for him. I wasn’t the span of three years in taekwondo, I was able to grow more as a person. Despite my early transition from childhood to adulthood, I started to become an even stronger person. Not only did I learn how to protect myself in forms of danger, but also how to channel my sorrow and anger into something more

Show More
Related
227 Words | 1 Pages

Late 2005 I was assigned to 2-35 Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, HI. I re-enlisted into the Army after almost a three year break in service. On my previous enlistment, I served in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment from the 82nd Airborne Division. All the new soldiers to include myself were standing in formation waiting on the Battalion Command Sergeant Major (CSM) to speak to us. I was the only Private First Class with a Combat Infantryman Badge, an Expert Infantryman Badge, and a combat deployment to Afghanistan.

Read More
516 Words | 3 Pages

Growing up in Iraq in the era between the gulf war, Iran war, and Iraq war with the United state was a challenge for me, but it was not harder challenge than all what my parents went through to keep me and my siblings safe and sound. My mother is one of the strongest people that I have came cross in my life. She was and still the best mother, teacher, and my best friend. She graduated from Al Mosul University in Iraq as a Mechanical Engineer. Being a daughter of graduated mother will always push me to complete my education and go even further to earn my master degree too.

Read More
697 Words | 3 Pages

When I was young, I was raised in poverty and never lived in the same place for more than 15 months. I have said of my difficult childhood, "I never was a child. I never was cuddled, or liked, or understood by my family. " I grew much taller that my peers.

Read More
662 Words | 3 Pages

Military children are faced with many difficult challenges throughout their childhood. Most end up with many quality traits, such as loyalty, and resiliency. It is a life filled with constant change. Many things, including parenting attitude can help them transition along the way. It is this life that makes them into what they are, strong kids, full of pride for their country.

Read More
287 Words | 2 Pages

He was inside his battalion’s vehicle, heavy, armored, and cramped, navigating across a hot sandlot with shredded metal, bomb craters, and bodies spread throughout. The vehicle, an M2 Bradley, armed and ready-to-fire in a moment’s notice. His guardian. Two silver-colored, vertical bars, his insignia, a captain. “Rangers lead the way,” his comrades would say.

Read More
306 Words | 2 Pages

My dad works for the Air Force, making me a military brat. I have been in places such as Washington, D.C. and Oklahoma City because of his job. Every time I had to leave behind friends, family, and everything I knew to be home. Every move I have gone through has taken me cross-country to places that I thought I wouldn’t enjoy.

Read More
2095 Words | 9 Pages

I've attended the ball numerous times some while on active duty, at times with dates, at times with friends, but today it is with someone special. Today, November 10th, is the 240th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and I am anxious. I've been planning this for weeks, and two days ago I visited my favorite spa at Nordstroms in preparations for today. I had a full body depilation, and a body wrap as well. This morning I returned for a french manicure/pedicure, and deep tissue massage.

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

It was hot. I stood on the side of a dusty gravel road of southeast Texas feeling the sun press down on my neck and back. Underneath my helmet, sweat was slowly collecting on my forehead and moving down my cheeks as if to escape from the sweltering heat. The sweat left streaks in the camouflage paint that covered my face. From a distance, I thought my face must look like river tributaries, such as those seen from space.

Read More
625 Words | 3 Pages

I believe in the act of paying it forward, and treating others the way you want to be treated in the midst of it. Ever since I was a little girl, I always had a heart to help anyone that I was able to. I hated seeing others down, making it seem as if I was higher than them when I had nothing. I believed that if I was in their shoes, I would want someone to help me. Seeing homeless people on the side of the streets sad, hungry, desperate for just a bite of a sandwich or even a couple dollars to get them by for the next few days, made me realize how much I want to help people who are in need.

Read More
543 Words | 3 Pages

I didn’t even get to say bye to Papa or Mama. Is that how you got here too?” The fragile-looking boy next to me whispered “Similar.” It looked as if he was afraid to speak. We sat in a room of only around 50 boys, all of them looking scared to death.

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

I also learned I wasn’t cable of doing just anything dad could do. I would have to work towards it I might be able to make a change, but I couldn’t drive a car, or go to college I still couldn’t do a lot of things, but I could work hard now and be able to do everything my dad does in the future. I knew I would make mistakes, but everyone does. You can learn many new things by making

Read More
1113 Words | 5 Pages

Once upon a time, there was a small town in Wyoming. It may sound like I’m going to emphasize how great of a place it was, but this town was as ordinary as any other town. With only a population of approximately four thousand, five hundred and seventy-three, at its highest point, it was a steady place to call home. Each morning, the roosters on the farm would crow, and the people would wake up. They would do their morning routines as they have always done and go to work at eight-thirty sharp.

Read More
1575 Words | 7 Pages

A Vietnam vet? Where am I going to find a Vietnam vet for this assignment? When I first learned about this interview assignment, I did not know what to write about of who to interview. Until I remembered that my grandfather name Felix Ruiz went to the Vietnam War. My grandfather was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico in 1938.

Read More
1223 Words | 5 Pages

Being a military brat means there is never stability in you home because you could move across the country any time, or your parent could come home one day and say they are deploying soon. As a military kid you really don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, yes I have been lucky, I was born in Hawaii, and have lived in a number of states including: Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Wisconsin. I was lucky because when I was alive none of my parents were deployed but even then sometimes it felt like they were because they would work super late and then early and I would get to see them maybe once every couple of days. It’s not just that though, as a military kid you never have the same friends for more than a couple years, yes you stay in touch with them after you move but a lot of the times when you say goodbye

Read More
1879 Words | 8 Pages

I don’t really enjoy picking fights, or committing any acts of violence. Truthfully, if I got into any type of conflict, my lanky body would probably give up on me halfway. That’s what my wife told me after I said I was going to be joining the US armed forces. “Mark, are you an idiot? You can’t even walk without limping, how will you serve our country?!”

Read More

More about Personal Narrative: Growing Up In The Army

Related Topics

Open Document