“We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us,” said Winston Churchill. Many Americans would agree there is a certain level of pride and respect that our country has for our military members who protect this country. But of course, no one respects what the military does more than the family of the military.

There is a patriotic sense that Americans have about the armed forces, but the families of course stand proud to be a part of that. There are challenges of course, there is distance during deployment, and statistics show that not all military families survive the distance apart. Kids get used to their own parents being gone for long periods of time, and even when the parent returns you have to get used to the idea of them being there again. Although it may be hard, a family with honored military members stands together.

The distance, of course during deployment, is always hard for family to deal with. “My dad is in the army national guard and he’s currently deployed in Kuwait, it’s certainly not a normal family dynamic because when I was a kid my dad was very involved in my life, and around eight years old my dad started to travel more and my mom started to seem more like a single parent,” said senior Brooke Thingvold.

Having a parent away for a long time sometimes makes it look like a split up family, which for many kids especially is hard. Keeping in contact is always important for families, especially when a family member is deployed.

“I am very close with my dad, even though he is deployed for about seven months at a time. We keep in contact by skyping every Sunday,” said junior Hannah Robles.

The military of course has a lot of influence on the public and the media, but it affects the family the most.

“My brother in law being in the military does very much influence my view of the military. I want to join the marine corps, I’m actually training right now to do it. I just think that I want to join the military because my backround is patriotic and someone has to do it so me and my brother are those people that are willing to,” said sophomore Olivia Hall.

The military, for some families however, changes their view of involvement that they want. For some families, the split up between parents and kids is hard and even more hard for others to understand.

“When I was younger I used to think the military was super cool, but now that I’m older I don’t want to be a part of the military. I don’t want to marry into military or have involvement with it when I grow up. The military doesn’t have a negative, I value the military more than the normal person does probably, it’s just that I don’t want that to be my family anymore,” Thingvold said.

The many challenges the members of the military face are a struggle. Many people do not understand the things that people will do for this country, and how it affects the family they have.

“Growing up, it was important to honor my flag, and I think being a part of that is huge with my very patriotic backround. It all has to do with me loving the country we live in. The freedom doesn’t come free, and that’s why many people do it and why I want to do it,” Hall said.

It seems that involvement in the military is honored and glorified by the public. Everyone walks this earth honoring our flag and enjoying the freedom we live in, but what people sometimes don’t think about is what the military families think about when they think about freedom of this country. “Honestly, having my dad in the military makes me happy. I’m proud to have a dad that would give his life to fight for our country,”Robles said.

In the eyes of the family, the military is hard, but certainly something to be proud of.

“I look up to my dad, and the men who are in the military remind me of him, and I look up to them too,” Robles said.

The worries and hardships come naturally to all who have family deployed.

“My mom is a mom, she worries. But my mom’s not too thrilled about me going into the marines either. I know she’ll get used it to though”, Hall said.

Above all the hardships and worries, every family agrees that their family member in the military is brave, strong and someone to be very proud of. They are proud themselves to be family with that person that serves this country and risks their own lives for our freedom. “I’m very proud of my dad. He’s come a long way, he’s been in the military for thirty years and he started from the lowest rank, started from the bottom and worked his way up to commander. He worked really hard to be where he is now, he’s gotten offered to be a general and he even declined. He’s known for being a great leader, in that aspect I’m really proud to have him as my dad,” Thingvold said. The military may be harsh for families sometimes, but it is certainly honorable and proud of the family themselves to be brave enough to deal with it in their own ways.