Personal Narrative: Growing Up In The Army

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

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