What Becomes of America’s Military Brats? (2024)

We are what could be termed “aged-out military brats.” Now in our mid-20s, we belong to a cohort of millions of other American adults who share a collectively unique experience: we grew up “in the military.” Our father served as a pilot in the US Air Force from 1990 to 1999, the Air Force Reserve from 1999 to 2003, and the Air National Guard from 2003 to 2012. During this time—which spanned from our preschool through our undergraduate college years—he had more than 20 overseas deployments.

Throughout decades of military conflict, children of service members have been called “military brats”—a label that transcends race, religion, age, military branch, and parental rank, one that silos military children into their own subculture marked by hardship and patriotism. Many of our childhood memories mirror those of other military brats: a lot of moving boxes, shopping at the base exchange for everything from groceries to jeans, always keeping a world atlas on the coffee table, having trouble answering the question “Where are you from?,” welcoming our dad home from deployment on the runway, changing friends and teachers with each new move. With all of the highs and lows, these are experiences we are proud to have.

Growing up in the military is both physically and mentally disruptive. The average military child changes schools six to nine times by high school graduation. Military children also have to cope with the stresses of parental deployment. While military families show high levels of resilience, the cycle of deployment—preparation for deployment, detachment at the start of deployment, sustaining routines during deployment, homecoming, and postdeployment reintegration—can weigh heavily on military children. Over time and after multiple deployments, resilience can wear thin. Emerging evidence suggests that military children struggle with more mental health and behavioral problems than their civilian counterparts, particularly at times of deployment.

We are no longer military children in every literal definition of the term. Military brats generally age-out of dependent status between 18 and 23 years or if their parent separates from the military before their 18th birthday. However—and perhaps this is a reflection of the difficulties of transitioning from military to civilian life for military families—a common sentiment among military brats is that once you are a military brat, you are always a military brat.

Eventually, however, all military children stop being military children. Absorbed into civilian life, we have to wonder—what are the late-stage effects of growing up as a military child? Do these experiences shape—negatively or positively—health and behavior outcomes or healthcare utilization in adulthood? And if so, are targeted interventions needed?

We don’t know—the data to answer these questions don’t currently exist. A major challenge to studying aged-out military brats is identifying them. Once military children age-out, they aren’t tracked. Our adult medical records don’t indicate that we grew up in the military, we aren’t included in any registries, we’ve never been asked to participate in a research study. The exact number of aged-out military brats is uncertain but could number in the tens of millions.

In the sphere of public health, a robust evidence base is critical to identify knowledge gaps, propose interventions, and inform policy decisions. We hope to encourage dialogue that considers whether we might be missing an important part of the health disparity puzzle by not evaluating the long-term effects of growing up a military kid. Let’s not forget that military children grow up to be adults; and with them, they carry experiences that warrant attention.

Biography

Contributor Information

Kelsey Schertz, University of Minnesota School of Public Health Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Cassidy Watson, University of Iowa College of Public Health Iowa City, Iowa.