The Military Brat Blog: Recent Comments

Comment on Memories and Words

lisa james — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:55:24 GMT

wow. BRATS !! army words b.m.h.-u.k i was born in singapore as there was'nt a b.m.h in malaya, where we lived with wait for it....our arma in times of trouble./ we went to germany when they built the berlin wall,/ we lived in cyprus (larnica) and had to flee to dekhalia /we finished up back at singapore as well as been stationed in bramly, bister and belgum. (please excuse the spelling i blame it on my army education i;e for two years only going to school in the mornings pass a pang jang junior school, as the malays and chinese had the school in the afternoons !)any one remember the armas market, car'nt you just smell it, wonderful !!, we would come home and go away allways having to start again making friends i dont really know what blogging is but am happy to join in !!

Comment on Cultural Amnesia

Scaffold boards — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:48:12 GMT

Very nice blog.

Comment on Memories and Words

Ruth Owens — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:23:52 GMT

Mary

I have been reading your book which I can only do in small doses as the memories come flooding back in all to vivid color. Thank you! Thanks to your book I realize that I am really strong to have come through all I did as a kid without being a complete basket case and to realize that because of my youth I am the strong independent woman I am today. In many ways I am grateful for being a military brat. I am nearly 60 and still can't live in one place too long, when people leave or move on I let them go forever, and I can walk away from all my possessions without a single thought. Somethings last a lifetime. I am grateful to be reading your book and am sharing it with all my siblings.

Ruth Cochran Owens
Former USAF Brat and Recruit

Comment on Toys in the Attic

Judily — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:24:09 GMT

Dear Mary,
I love to move, too! Now that I am retired I am thinking about where to go and I realize now, I can go anywhere! We moved all through our careers because we are teachers and can go anyplace to teach. After three children came into our lives and we finished advanced degrees, we finally settled down in Alaska. But 25 winters mean it's time to move now. But where? Two siblings stayed in California where Dad retired so long ago. They have never moved once since their first jobs/college. One brother was in the air force, then an airline captain, so he moved all the time. He finally settled down in the south. The california two think we are weird to move so much, and we wonder why they don't. :) I want to join the Peace Corps, I want to live in Europe, I want to live near my granddaughter, the ocean, old haunts from college and my 20s.....My two stay-at-home siblings make fun of us two who have made many moves, but we have learned so much by living in new cultures and stretching ourselves and our children. My children thank us for the opportunities they have had. It's strange to talk to my aunt who still cannot grasp our lives. There is almost a hint of resentment in there against this western offshoot of her family. We all used to thank our parents for remaining in California after dad retired. We grew up with so many fantastic adventures just in our own state in the 1960s and 70s. But, now what? Tempted to go back to California to play, return to those familiar hikes, museums, city life. Hmmm, time will tell.

Comment on Memories and Words

Mary Edwards Wertsch — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:13:56 GMT

Hello, Anne! I think just missed each other at Garches, but we certainly would have some memories in common. I was there for one year, fifth grade (Miss Kane's class) from Sept 1961 to May of 1962. I transferred to SHAPE school, which was really a French public school, and went there for the equivalents of 6th and 7th grades. But...do you remember Miss Lindo, the music teacher at Garches? I don't remember any other teacher names, but I remember the cafeteria, the playground (esp the jungle gym and the monkey bars), and the library.
It sounds like you had a terribly lonely time of it in France. I'm sorry to hear that, although kids who lived in less isolated situations than yours did not necessarily have great social lives.
The best way I know of to track down military kids from childhood is through Marc Curtis's Military Brat Registry, at http://www.militarybrat.com/. I think that's what you've probably done. Of course it's all a matter of luck as to whether the friend in question is also registered there. I suppose you have already tried Googling him? You might also try searching for any other kids whose names you remember from your time at Garches. It may be that one of them knows more about him or where he went after Garches.
You've mentioned that you did not live on bases, but that does not mean that your childhood was entirely different from that of other brats. I recommend that you read my whole book and not just excerpts, because you are bound to find both simlarities and perspectives that will help you understand your life. It's a long book, there are stories from a great many brats, and there's a lot of food for thought laid out there.
Feel free to write me anytime, at my publishing email address.
Good luck with your search!
Mary

Comment on Memories and Words

Anne — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:35:07 GMT

Hi Mary,
I don't know why, but today I googled "military brat" and found your blog. You are the first person I have ever found who attended the American School at Garches. I was in school there from 1962 until 1965. I was in 1st grade when we got there and was ready to start 4th grade when we left. My father was in the Air Force stationed at Orly Field, and we lived in Paray Vieille Poste, a Communist village. I rode a bus for an hour to get to school and an hour home each day and felt like I was going to another planet. The only time I saw my classmates was at school. My experience being a military brat was extremely hard for me and has left me scarred. Even though I was very young I have vivid memories, some of which seem more like memories of a bad dream, and make me wonder if the whole thing really happened... I'm in my 50's now and it seems like such a long time ago. The hardest part of being a military brat for me was making friends. For some reason we never lived on base, so I never had the luxury of a ready-made group of friends who shared the same lifestyle. And, since I only saw the other American kids at school, I didn't have English speaking kids my age to hang out with or play with in the evenings or on weekends. I had an older brother and a younger brother, but no sisters. There were only a few French boys on the street where we lived that my older brother played with, but I had no girl friends. When we got back to the states I had a hard time making friends. I spent many hours in my room by myself. I didn't want to make friends because I knew that before long we would move far away and I would never see them again. I have always wondered about the kids in my classes and what became of them - especially one boy who was artistic and shared my love of art. We would do drawings of Sci-fi martian landscapes and martians. He would start a drawing, then pass the paper to me and I would add details and pass it back. We would pass the paper back and forth all day during class. It made my existence bearable. I became a studio artist and now have my own studio. I would love to find him to see if he remembers.
I was able to read some excerpts from your book on the web and want to read more. I have a different point of view. Even though I was a military brat, I had no idea what the "Military" life was about. I knew my dad had been a navigator in the war and was an officer and wore a uniform, but never really knew what he did all day. I also knew that once in a while my mom would get all dressed up in an evening gown and my dad put on his dress blues and they went to big parties at some place called the "Officer's Club"! Sometimes I wish we had lived on a base!
I just joined a site called Military Brats.com hoping to locate anyone who went to school with me at Garches. If you know of any other way of locating others, please let me know.
Thank you for starting this blog and writing a book about your experiences, it really means a lot to me!
Anne

Comment on Toys in the Attic

Toys — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:04:50 GMT

I come from the culture that moves the most in North America. I understand the "got-to-move" impulse. Some of us just need to change scenery once in a while. But as you said, some things should keep you where you are right now. Why don't you change the colors of your rooms, buy new furniture, move it around? Transform that attic in a usable room for crafts, or reading, or whatever. Just add a little new, and you might feel relieved.

Comment on Another Reason to Be Proud

Judy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:19:25 GMT

Mary,
I just found your website, although I have had your book for years. I even bought it for my brothers and sister! Is this blog still working, there are no new comments since last year. Hoping to hear from you, Judy

Comment on The Past Revealed

Mike — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:46:11 GMT

try www.abebooks.com

great site for used books, found 24 copies available on 3/1/10

Comment on Quest or Consequence

Thomas Brooks — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:15 GMT

It is easy to relate through the social lubricant of pain; people do this at bars and in dirty alleys each day and night. Whether comparing organ size, material sucess, succour or scars, pride plays an integral role here, regardless of the peripheral motive of "commonality". A perpetuation of the sick cycle that is government based and places gain and blood money over family is the only aim, however unintentional, that is met here. It is easy to try to wrap one's arms around another wounded animal or around the world for that matter; it is another thing to reach out to what lays right in front of you. The unconditional love and affection and forgiveness you failed to attain in your childhood that you now still dwell on and process will only overcast the emotive weatherfront of your child/childrens minds, if you have any. John lennon was a great artist who spoke for and helped many; but he, above all, in his first and foremost duties, failed as a substandard father.