Military Families Overview

Hancock+family+after+their+dad+cameback+from+deployment.

Photo provided by Victoria Hancock

Hancock family after their dad cameback from deployment.

The holidays are approaching, a time when many people travel to spend the season with their family. However, not all families are able to enjoy the experience of sharing the holidays all together. While many military members are proud to serve the country, deployment during the holiday season is one of the downsides to living in a military family. Having to spend the holiday season without a loved one is one of the more difficult obstacles to overcome. https://www.military.com/spouse/relationships/military-family-life-101.html

 

The students here at CK have experience with moving all the time and trying to make friends at a new school. It can sometimes be hard to take it all in and be part of a military family. Freshman Victoria Hancock has been in a military family for 14 years. Her dad is a part of the U.S. Navy. “Being in a military family is difficult because I have to move around and meet new people,” she said. One thing that impacts military families the most is having to always move around. She stated, “I’m always having to do new things and be around different people.” Her advice for other military families is: “You just have to deal with it, it’s not your choice.”

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Most soldiers are back in 1 to 2 years, but others could be deployed for almost 4 years. Alexandra Fortney, a freshman, is also part of a military family. Her dad has been serving in the navy for 23 years. “It makes planning activities harder because my dad is always getting calls or has a crazy work schedule,” said Fortney. Sometimes trying to plan around deployment is tough and can get stressful. Fortney said “it is really stressful when my dad is out to sea or on travel.” Being in a military family her whole life has made a huge impact on her life and she has learned how to deal with her dad being gone. She has some similar advice for other military families: “You just have to deal with it and accept the fact that it’s going to be hard.”

 

At CK, a majority of the students in the school are not currently in a military family. Of those who don’t have a family member currently in the military, the majority have been part of a military family before. The whole experience of being a part of a military family is different for many families. Some join the military for a couple years, and others join the military for 15+ years. Families all over the country have to deal with deployment and not getting to spend holidays with their whole family.