Bigger than me

  • Published
  • By Danielle Fulton
  • Military family member
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  People always ask me what it feels like to have a parent in the military, as if that was a question I should be able to answer off the top of my head.

It used to annoy me, but then I took some time to really think about the question.

I came up with an answer that was inclusive enough to encompass everything I had ever wanted to say about the subject, while still being simple enough to explain to a complete stranger.

Having a military parent meant belonging to a community bigger than anything else I would ever otherwise be able to belong to.

It meant being sick with worry, agonizing over every bit of information, being so proud it hurt, and through all of that knowing that the person you care about belongs to something bigger and more important than most people could ever hope to feel a part of, and through support of your loved one you are also contributing to the global community in your own small way.

Through a family member's military service, everyone they have ever loved or who has ever loved them gives their part to the country as well.

Some of us do not do it willingly, some of us have always wanted to join the military ourselves.

Some of us have always known that the military would be the right place for the person we love, but nevertheless, we all go through the same thing.

And together our service members and those who care for them have created one of the single largest and strongest communities in the world.

Together we support one another and keep each other and the nation safe.

Belonging to the Air Force family, and by extension the entire military family, makes me grateful to know that no matter what happens in my life, I will always have a community to turn to for support.

I hope someday I can contribute to my country on the same level that my parents have by being a part of the military for most of their adult lives.

Because of the level of dedication to family, friends, community, and country I see in members of the military, I always have an answer when someone asks me what it is like having a parent in the military.

It is just like belonging to something bigger than yourself.

Fulton won a 2010 Air Force Club Membership Scholarship worth $1,000 for writing this essay on the topic "What does it mean to be part of the Air Force family?" Her parents are Army Maj. Jeff Fulton, U.S. Army Alaska and Mary Fulton, 673d Force Support Squadron.