I know I am posting this late but Happy Veterans Day everyone! Growing up, the military played an integral part in my family and as weird as it sounds, I literally wouldn’t even be here without the U.S. Navy. My dad met my mother in the Philippines when he was a sailor in late 1970s. Without the military, my dad wouldn’t have met my mom. As a result, they would have never gotten married and my sister and I wouldn’t have been born.

Here’s a photo of my parents from 1981 in the Philippines. Don’t they look so stylish and cool? I know the photo is from the 80s but it totally reminds me of “That 70s Show”.

The military also was a big part of my life because I grew up in Gateway Housing, a military housing in Point Loma. When I was in elementary school, I went to Dewey Elementary School, which was a school that was located right next to the housing so everyone I knew from school were also my neighbors. What was great about growing up on military housing was that the neighborhood was safe and everyone was really close to each other. As a result, many of my neighbors who I grew up with became family because we shared similar experiences and backgrounds and to this very day I still keep in touch with many of them.

The following is a photo of my family in front of our old place in Gateway Housing. It’s not there anymore as these buildings were torn down and newer buildings were built in their place. Also, streets were renamed so Gearing Drive, the street I grew up on, is no more. This was probably one of my favorite places I ever lived at and I still miss it.

What I loved about my childhood was that the military in a strange way brought stability for my family. Most military families end up moving around to other places but for some reason, my dad was always stationed in San Diego so I never had to move. For part of my childhood, my dad worked out of NTC, the old Naval Training Center which is now Liberty Station, and my mom worked there too so my sister and I were fortunate enough to always have them around. Of course there were exceptions like when my dad went on deployment where we missed him on birthdays, holidays, and school recognition ceremonies but for the most part he was always there for us when we needed him.

Being a high school teacher, I am happy to share my experiences of growing up as a military brat with my students who are interested in joining the military and want to know how the military would not only affect them but also their future families. Many of these kids want to join the military but do not have firsthand experience with the military. Though I can answer some of their questions I always encourage them to reach out to a veteran, like my father, or an active military member so they can get an accurate depiction of what their life will be like when they are actually in the military.

One of the coolest things that I got to witness this year was at a Career Day event at my work when my dad got to come in and talk about his time in the Navy. I loved seeing him talk and interact with the students. He had a captive audience as he spoke of his experiences during the Persian Gulf War as well as his travels around the world. The kids loved asking him questions and I could tell that my dad enjoyed sharing his firsthand accounts with them as he candidly answered questions. Some of the stories that he shared were even new to me so it was great listening in while he was speaking with the kids. What I felt was significant about this interview was not only that they learned more about military life in general but that afterwards the students were able to develop a greater appreciation for the men and women who made many sacrifices to help protect our country.

The following is a great photo of my dad rockin’ some sweet aviators on one of the ships he was on. This year I actually painted this photo on a canvas and gave it to him for his birthday.

This Veterans Day weekend, I want to encourage everyone to pay their respects to those individuals who fought and served in the military. These individuals risked their lives to keep us safe and it’s significant to recognize, remember, and thank them for their service.