Many kids of service members have no other frame of reference for life outside the military world. But then there are others who had the glimpse of “regular” life before a parent joined the Air Force. Twelve year old Abigail Miller, who likes to be called Abi, remembers her life several years ago when her dad, SSgt Ben Miller 791 MXS was just a normal civilian.

In 2020, Abi and her mom, dad and two younger sisters packed up and moved to the freezing Minot, North Dakota when her dad joined the Air Force. Abi recalls not minding moving at all, and she said she wouldn’t be too sad to move again, except that she hates flying, so as long as the next base is drivable, it would be all right with her. When asked how much longer she thinks her family will live in Minot, Abi said, “probably the rest of my childhood.” But she did note that although she enjoys Minot a lot, she wouldn’t mind living somewhere warmer or maybe Pennsylvania because she has heard it is beautiful there.

Abi was born and grew up in North Carolina until age nine. Today, Abi is a thriving seventh grader at Memorial Middle School. And although she has been homeschooled in previous years, she said she really enjoys attending school here and likes that some parts are easier, but still think science is pretty hard. Abi’s favorite things to do are hanging out at the “Kite Park” (a park near Waverly Rd on base) with friends, and sketching.

When asked about what she thinks her dad does all day for the Air Force, Abi responded, “Missile Maintenance, he is in charge of a small little group of Airmen.” Abi noted that she got to see where her dad works one time and has heard that some of the Airmen and families have nerf gun wars after work sometimes. She hopes to be able to one day join in on that fun too.

The best part of military life, according to Abi, is that they get to live on base in a free house with neighbors to play with. She did also say that the worst part of life here is when friends leave. “One year there are a bunch of friends around and the next year they are gone,” Abi said.

Being a mil kid isn’t always the easiest lifestyle, but we appreciate pre-teens like Abi who look on the bright side and take life in stride! Thanks for all you do for your family and the Air Force Abi!