Military Letter To My Father

In the second grade, children are usually learning how to read more fluently, write stories, add or subtract two digit numbers, or about the metamorphosis of a caterpillar, not learning that there’s a chance of your dad dying if he’s deployed to the Middle East. From a very young age, military children learn that parents aren’t forever. I realized the danger my dad was facing, shortly after he was first deployed. Being only eight years old at the time, I was terrified for my father. I cried myself to sleep for the first two months and only slept on his side of the bed the entire deployment. Now that I’m older and have experienced three deployments with my family, the subject of deployment is still very sensitive, especially now that my dad is older. My uneasiness towards the subject is so strong that I’m unable watch movies related to war because I know that my dad could experience or might have already experienced the same scenario as the characters in the movies. Even though, it’s difficult growing up in a military orientated family, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The army has shaped me into the person I am today. That’s why I would feel as though my application would be incomplete without mentioning it, because growing up as a military child has made me a more positive, independent and stronger as a person.
This taught me nothing is forever and positivity was the only way to get me through bad days. I remind myself on bad days that it could always be worse, so I should live today to my full capability because there’s always tomorrow. If I do my best on my bad days, I will do greater on good days. Nothing is forever, so I have to do my best today, in hope that tomorrow will bring me something I’ve been waiting