Today, Katie Glenn, Families United’s Military Family Fellow, testified at a Congressional hearing about her life as a military child. Below is her emotional opening statement.
 
Testimony from Katie Glenn
Military Family Fellow For Families United
July 14, 2009
 
 The Army has defined my life. I am the oldest daughter of an Army colonel and in 20 years I’ve moved 11 times. While most of these moves were for 2 years, some where three and one was a mere 10 months. I’ve lived on a variety of bases, most were Army but I have had the privilege of living on Navy and Air Force bases as well. I have said goodbye to more people than I care to count; I have also watched my dad deploy twice. My family has been lucky; that’s less than many Army kids can say about their mom or dad. I began college 2 years ago and thought that the Army could no longer affect my life. However, I’ve come to realize that once you’re part of the Army family, you’re always part of the Army family.
 
This past January, I began working as a Families United Military Fellow. I’ve enjoyed working at Families United because I’ve come to realize that while the military takes care of its own, there’s always more that can be done – especially now, when military life is so different from when I was a kid. Families United fills the void when it can; and reminds lawmakers to do the same.  Some of Families United’s main goals include: providing resources for military families, honoring the service and sacrifice of military families, supporting our troops, and honoring our heroes.
 
I believe Families United does an admirable job of striving for these goals. I personally saw it in action when a family friend was killed in Afghanistan over Memorial Day Weekend. Families United helped arrange and pay for most of his family to fly into DC for his funeral at Arlington Cemetery. They also recently helped me start a Military Kids Blog through the organization. It’s a forum for all military kids, past and present, to come together and discuss things that only other military kids can really understand. Topics that are often covered include coping with a parent’s deployment and moving.
 
For me, one of the most moving blogs currently up on the blog covers a topic close to my heart. It is a blog post by my younger sister about my dad’s current deployment to Iraq.  In it, she discusses the sacrifices of military families and how we make many sacrifices.  My youngest sister was born in June 2001, she has never known anything but military life post-9/11 –including the long hours at the office and extended deployments for my dad.  He does not coach her soccer team and has often had to miss concerts and events at her elementary school.  Her life is very different from mine as I was 12 on 9/11 and my dad coached soccer, played ball in the backyard, and never missed a band concert until I was 14.   That is just one of the sacrifices my family has made so my dad can fulfill his duty to his country.
 
I’ve also seen a lot of posts on the blog about moving. As I said earlier, I’ve moved 11 times in 20 years. Moving is hard, harder than most people will ever understand because they lived in the same house or town from the time they were five until they went to college. I was twelve before I ever lived off an Army base; I didn’t know a commissary was called a grocery store and I realized I didn’t have a real sense of home. I had trouble answering when people asked me where I am from and sometimes I simply answer with “I’m an Army brat.” I also realized how abnormal my life was because I was meeting kids who had never moved in their lives.
 
Moving is probably hardest between the ages 12 and 18, because it’s the first time most military kids go to school off base. It’s already hard to be a teenager without always being the new kid. Moving is especially difficult during high school; I should know, I went to three. Moving messed up my grades, my extracurricular activities, and my course schedule. As a senior I was still taking freshman requirements since every states has different requirements for graduation. Three weeks after my high school graduation, we moved again, this time to Fort Bragg, NC. 
 
It was a long and tense summer as my mom and sisters were not happy with the move; I had made peace with it because I was about to start college, until I realized we may not get housing on base until after I left for college. This was problematic for me because I needed my stuff – not books or pencils or bedding for my new room – but my stuff. I wanted the photo albums bursting at the seams, the stuffed camel my dad got me in the Sinai when I was two; I wanted the things that were going to make my room specifically mine. We did finally get base housing three weeks before I left for American University. 
Almost three years out of high school, I’ve come to realize that, despite the hardships, being an Army kid has shaped who I am – even the hard parts of it – and I’m okay with that. Even if I can’t tell you where I’m from.
 
About Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission
Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization. We are a national organization of Gold Star and Blue Star families including some with loved ones in harm's way, Veterans, and Americans who share a deep appreciation for our men and women in uniform and support them in their efforts to make America safer by allowing them to complete their mission.