One of my first clear memories is marching in step behind my dad singing my favorite Army cadence “Captain Jack”. I was dressed in Army mini me PT gear and my mom was filming on a camcorder from the corner. From the age of three and a half, I knew what my dad did and knew what weight that held on my life. From singing cadence, to moving houses, to saying goodbye before deployments, my name is Hannah Waters, and this is my life growing up as an Army brat.
The first move I can remember was soon after I graduated kindergarten. We moved from Fort Rucker, Alabama to Fort Campbell, Tennessee. Fort Campbell was a major deployable base. While we were there from 2008-2015, my dad deployed three times. He deployed for two twelve-month deployments and one nine-month deployment. It was always hard watching him go, but my mom made it easier. We would make paper chains 365 links long to rip off as the days passed. One of the best feelings was ripping the last few links, knowing he was almost home. My mom would also make care packages full of photos, voice recordings and arts and craft projects to send to dad. We survived off of Skype calls once a week and any photo we could get our hands on.
Our next move was right after my seventh grade school year had ended. We moved from Fort Campbell, Tennessee to Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. This was by far the greatest adjustment I had made in my life. We were farther away from our extended family than we had ever been, and the military population was not as prominent in the schools. Growing up with my dad in the military I knew how to adapt to my surroundings. In our time at JBLM, or as my family would say, “JBLAM” which may or may not have gotten me laughed at a time or two, everything was different. Dad only deployed once in our three years there. I started high school, learned what alternative boy band was top of the charts (which in 2016 was Panic! At the Disco) and learned that black and flannel were my favorite articles of clothing, queue the twilight soundtrack.
Finally, our last move was from JBLM to Fort Rucker, Alabama. It was in the middle of my sophomore year of high school. By this time my dad was no longer deploying, we moved back to Fort Rucker to make it our home. We found a church, started building a house, and my family happily settled down in the quiet town of Enterprise, Alabama. I graduated high school from there in 2020 and went to college for a few years but I still felt the need to move.
Being an Army brat I started to get “the itch” my mom calls it. The itch to move, to go someplace new, and to have new stories to tell.
After a few years I decided to join the U.S Army. One thing to note about a father who was Army for 23 years, is when going to him and saying that you are joining, he will try to talk you out of it. The day I told my dad I wanted to enlist he called three of his closest Army friends that all told me the same thing, “Join the Air Force!” Not that the Army is bad, but in my dad’s words, “The Army is great, but you’ll get treated way better in the Air Force.” So, after a little deliberation, I joined the Air Force in 2023.
Going through basic training brought me closer to my dad than I’ve ever been. We can bond over the funniest experience you aren’t allowed to laugh at. Today, I am 2600 miles away from all my family and even though I miss them, there is no place I’d rather be in this moment. I appreciate the experiences I have had as an Army brat. Through my dad’s war stories or funny work anecdotes throughout my life, I learned how to be an Army Soldier, but Army Soldiers are not Air Force Airman, but as always, I have adapted.
