Robert M. Pope was what is known as a
military brat, the son of a Naval officer who moved frequently as his father
was stationed in various naval billets.
From Newport, RI to Key West to Hawaii, Chicago to Charleston, South Carolina
to Wales, England and back to Mayport and Jacksonville, FL, Robert M. Pope
endured the good and the bad of traveling around the world as a son of the US military. An estimate of between 9 and 12 million
military brats is probably not an exaggeration, as a military brat is defined
as any person who grew up in a military family and moved frequently from
installation to installation, with one or both parents enlisted from 10 to 30
years or more.
Robert M. Pope of New London, CT
learned first-hand of the hard life of the military brat. Robert’s adoptive father was a career Naval
officer, and Robert learned the hard lessons of moving from installation to
installation, making friends and losing them, learning new schools only to move
and have to learn another one, and the fears of the danger his father faced as
he fought in the TET offensive of Vietnam.
As a child, Robert M Pope New London CT came to
understand the sacrifice necessary for a military man to provide a good life
for his children, as the life is very hard on families. Children of those in the military may suffer
more anxiety and depression as adults, due to the toll on them from the
constant moves, absence of one or both parents, and stress of being in new
situations on an ongoing basis.
