Reason #7: Raise the meaning of education

The U.S. Department of Defense operates a special unit called the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The purpose of this unit is to develop and administer curricula and schools for the children of military families living on bases in the U.S. and serving in foreign countries. The standards of the DoDEA are not surpassed by any state or public schools, in my opinion.

Notice the photo, taken by me in Southern France, as my class enters the walled city of Carcassonne. We were on a four-day field trip. We were required to connect history to the present, to experience what we were learning, and to put it in a context that carried meaning into our future.

Military families have the opportunity to expose their children to the best resources in education. Education is paramount in all branches of the military, and anyone who takes advantage of the many resources offered, is rewarded with rank and responsibility.

Children can learn much more that is truly valuable than what they are exposed to in schools today. Of course, in DoDEA schools, parents are expected to be involved in their children's school activities. The best education I received during all my years of studying, including earning a masters degree at an Ivy League school, were the two years I attended a DoDEA school in France.

Anyone who wants the best for their children would be advised to consider a military family life that exposes the children to the DoDEA system throughout their education.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #6: Observe community and personal discipline

When I was growing up in a military family, one of the most noticeable difference between our military community and many other communities was the discipline that extended from base life into family life. I still remember vividly one time as a very young pre-school child when we were in the car on base at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, where my dad was stationed, and I rolled down the window and threw a small piece of paper out of the window. My mom was driving and we were on our way to pick up my dad at work. She had a conniption fit when she saw the paper fly out of the window.

Once we were parked in the lot to wait for my dad, she explained to me that we could not throw any type of paper or trash on the ground on the base or else my dad would be out picking up trash for hours as a punishment.

Why would he have to pick up trash, if I was the one who threw it out? I wanted to know.

She explained that in the eyes of the military, my dad was responsible for what he and his family did, and it was his responsibility to ensure that his entire family knew the rules of conduct and obeyed them. Otherwise, she said, he would be the one who would be punished.

"Oh, okay," was my immediate response, and I hoped that nobody saw me throw the paper out of the window. I did not throw paper or trash out of the window again, and the lesson stayed with me forever.

Even moreso, as I grew older and was in late elementary school in Chateauroux, France, I learned more about how this military family discipline thing worked. The story was among us youngters was as follows, whether true or not: Since we attended American government schools, we believed that the chain of command for our discipline took a different route than in public schools in the states. The first call for discipline problems in the classroom went to the parent's commanding officer, who in turn, summoned the military parent to inquire as to why there might be a discipline problem in that family. None of us children wanted to go home to find out the our parent had been chewed out by the commanding officer because of something we had done at school.

I have no idea if that process was indeed official or not, but perception was paramount. We believed it to be true, and it worked. Discipline and respect for rules of conduct, standard operating procedures, and cooperation were instilled early in life.

It's good to learn that sort of discipline and how the box of community is established. That way, when we want to think or act outside the box, we know exactly what we are doing.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #5: Expand food horizons

The U.S. military family environment requires living in different regions where the food changes with the culture. Imagine being nine years old and tasting French bread and French onion soup prepared by French chefs. We used to go to the French school twice a week and we ate with our French partners in their school cafeteria. It was exquisite! This is a photo of my French partner, Pascal, when I was in the 4th grade and living in Chateauroux, France. He and his mother visited in my home, and in exchange, we visited in their home as well. It was another way to share food and experiences together.

Even living in different parts of the U.S. exposes children to different cuisine. That's a good thing. From purple hull peas and cornbread to South Philly cheesesteaks.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #4: Learn new languages out of necessity.

This is a photo of me, Sheila Witherington, when I was 9 years old and on a class trip to southern France. I had asked a friend of mine to take a photo of me, and one of the French boys, Phillip, on the trip stepped in front of the camera at the moment. Needless to say, a young girl has to learn to speak the native language at such exasperating moments. Growing up in the military provides many opportunities for children and families to learn new language skills as the families are stationed at various locations around the world. I believe the other boy in the photo is Eddie Scott, an American boy in my bilingual class at Touvent Elementary School in Chateauroux, France. As kids, we went on a class trip for four days and nights to southern France. In school, we studied with French students two days a week. One day the French kids would come to our school, and another day we would go to the French school. We each had French partners and were encouraged to exchange visits with their families outside school. What a wonderful experience. We lived in France for two years. What a wonderful way to raise a family.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #3: Make lifelong friends around the world.

When military families live in different locations throughout the world, they interact with the people in the native cultures. One of our dearest friends when we lived in Chateauroux, France, was a French couple named Jean (John) and Marie Cassanova. Pictured at left is my mom, Sue Witherington (right) and Marie Cassanova (left). They became close friends while we were stationed in France. Jean worked worked with my dad Bill Witherington as a local civilian on the base. His wife Marie helped my mom with household chores at times when she need the extra money. I can remember going to their peasant home out in the countryside several miles from Chateauroux. They had no heat in their house, the floor was dirt, and they raised their own food. They invited us for dinner on one occasion, and it was tremendous event for them. They killed one of their chickens and roasted it. You could see where the feathers had been plucked even after it was cooked. It was the first time any of us had tasted wine. They had purchased a bottle for the dinner, and since it was such an economic strain on them to entertain us, my mom and dad gave us permission to sip our small glasses of wine. My little brother was only four years old, and he loved it. My dad and Jean Cassanova wrote each other until they died decades later.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #2: Experience the World...literally.

Not only are military children and families exposed to global sites and cultures, but they get to experience living with strange smells, customs, sounds, and movements. Pictured at right is St. Andre Cathedral in Chateauroux, France, where we lived for two years. This is not just a cathedral to me forty years later. I remember the engagement with it. My class was taken on an art field trip to this city center where we each found a chosen spot to draw charcoal drawings of what we saw. I also remember my French piano teacher who was the organist at this Catholic church. Behind this cathedral, the flea market flourished every Saturday. I still remember the smells, sights, sounds, and movements. It instilled in me an early appreciation for diversity and a sense of longing to see more of the world. That's a good thing. Military life does that to a child. That's a good thing.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington

Reason #1: Build Amazing Extended Military Family

Growing up in a military family means living among a community of other military families who bond and create a unique type of environment. Neighbors living in military housing are much more open to getting to know each other and helping each other. U.S. military bases offer families a wide variety of recreation, educational, and spiritual types of activities. Pictured at left is a group of women in military families singing hymns around the piano in our home when we were stationed in Chateauroux, France when I was a child. I knew that any of these women and many others helped look after me and considered me to be a part of their extended family. In the military family community, there is a strong bond that last over lifetimes, even though families move periodically to different areas.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington