For the longest Duration of my life, my only perspective on the military and how it is affiliated in everyday life, came from my father. As long as I can remember my father has always been Patriotic and militant. Aka Red White and Blue with, BDU or ACU color/patterns on EVERYTHING! Through my father's experience and pop culture I grew to learn a better understanding of how the military works, operates, and above all, how it has changed. Stories of just places my father has been, not always neccesarily in detail, amaze me, and urge me to want to see the world.  Other times its dicouraging to hear about stories involving injuries/casualties from media...»

So let's go ahead and brief on who I am. Oilfield brat through and through. We moved so much that by the time I was 13, I hadn't lived in one place more than 2 years. Sounds like an Army upbringing to me! I even affectionately refer to my father as Sarge, which I think he gets a real kick out of. He's a blue collar man that somehow got the engineering smarts to get himself a double engineering degree. So... Pastel blue, more white, collar.   When we were in the Middle East, we hosted a bunch of US sailors from the USS Kennedy (I think) for Thanksgiving. One of them even gave me a teddy bear (I was around 9). My family and our expat community...»

My  kids are born into an army life and remain so until this day and will continue until they are old enough to choose their own path of life. Since birth, they have lived a very dynamic life that their cousins cannot comprehend the challenges the Dalat’s kids faced through packing, moving, making new friends, and learning to adapt in new environments. These Army brats’ lives are not simple but over the years, they have developed the strength to deal with the complexity and diversity of an army life. They are agile, adaptive, and flexible. By the age of five, most of Dalat’s kids have crossed the vast oceans at-least three times and have...»