Have you ever wondered how a military family really feels about moving? Curious about the places we’ve lived, or our outlook on some things?

Sure, military families typically adjust well, and we do enjoy our adventurous lives.

You might, however, be surprised by some of our genuine thoughts, and the not-so-glamorous parts of military life. 

1. Military families must memorize their new addresses quickly, especially their zip codes.

One of the most frustrating things for a military family is standing at the gas pump right after a move, when it prompts us for a zip code.

We first have to remember whether we already changed our address with our credit card company, and if we did, we then have to quickly come up with the new five digits. 

2. We reference time by the locations we have lived.

When a past event comes to mind, and we’re trying to remember at what point in our lives that happened, we don’t tend to use a date.

Instead, we say things like, “Oh, that was Georgia” or “That was our first year in Korea,” and immediately we connect the timeframe or date. 

3. Every member in a military family household has more than one patriotic outfit in their closet. 

Along with government holidays like Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veteran’s Day for which we may attend special events.

We also have numerous military events and ceremonies to attend on an annual basis.

Going in red, white, and blue is always a solid choice of wardrobe options. 

4. We actually detest moving! 

Don’t get me wrong, we love the adventure of moving on and getting to know a new place.

But the process of moving somehow gets harder and harder each time. It’s exhausting packing up a house for the third time in three years.

And it’s difficult closing things out, saying goodbye, and restarting once more.

That’s when we say things like, “I am never doing this again!”

But two years later, we’re right back at it! 

5. Young military children think all families in the world move often like them. 

A couple of years back, one of my children was trying to make simple conversation with a new friend and asked, “So how many houses have you lived in?”

The new friend looked at my child blankly and could not formulate an answer.

Her mom overheard and finally chimed in, “Oh, we’re not in the military. She’s lived in the same house her whole life.”

My child was dumbfounded and could only respond with a “WOW!” 

6. Military spouses have a love-hate relationship with the military. 

We are proud to serve alongside our service members, we love the adventure, and we are grateful for the many unique opportunities we’ve been given.

However, we can experience a lot of loneliness as we leave friends behind and try to make new ones, or as our servicemen and women are working long hours or deployed.

We can sometimes feel angered or bitter about spontaneous changes, the demands put on our service members, which force spouses to pick up all the loose ends, or how difficult it is to find our own employment every time we move. 

7. We are “homeless” for awhile almost every time we PCS. 

Many military families are not able to secure housing before moving to a new location.

We may wait to house-hunt in person once we get a feel for the new area, or we must wait for our new rental or on-post house to open.

It was a little awkward when one day our military child told her new friend she met at a museum that we are homeless. 

8. The question we most strongly dislike is: “Yeah, but the military moves your stuff for you, right?”

Yes, the military contracts moving companies to complete the packing and transporting of our household goods, but there is SO MUCH MORE that military members have to do to prep for the move.

We gut out, we sort, we pack suitcases for the items we need right now, and we have to label the items that stay with the house.

If moving overseas, we have a non-temporary storage pack-out, we have an unaccompanied baggage pack-out and then our final household goods pack-out, all for which we’ve had to sort and organize throughout our entire household.

Sometimes we have to drive six hours one way to drop off the vehicle to be shipped overseas.

It’s most definitely not as easy as every non-military person thinks it is. 

9. Military families will always stand for the National Anthem.

We continually serve and fight for all that is represented in this beautiful, national hymn.

Whether we’re attending a special event, or at home watching a football game on television.

When we hear those first few notes, we will stop what we’re doing, stand tall, put our hands over our hearts, and look at the flag in reverence. 

10. HOME is where the military sends us. 

Military families may have lived in England, Japan, or some really cool places in the United States.

We have had opportunities to vacation in Hawaii, Italy, or the best beach towns near our installations.

But the places that are most special or feel like home are determined by the people we meet.

We may sometimes dislike where the military sends us at first.

But after meeting the kind, new neighbors, finding our new best friend at PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel), or joining the other soccer moms on the sidelines, we love the people we do life with and then we never want to leave them. 

Military families live unique lives, and we love to share our experiences.

Most times, we’re very understanding of all the silly questions and don’t mind clarifying.

We do have to navigate many challenges, but many of us feel all the pros to this lifestyle outweigh them.

It’s always fun to receive the news of where we’ll be next…then we start daydreaming about all the new friends we’ll meet, all the fun we’ll have, and all the memories we will soon make there!

*For more from LaVaughn, check out her M:M Author Page.