A military child

By Alexandria Maker
Special to the Houlton Pioneer Times
    We salute the flag to show our respect to the men and women who are fighting for freedom of our country. They sacrifice their freedom so we can live the way we want. Although being a military child has some negative aspects, it also brings a lot of advantages and has a lot of effects on the family when their parent is deployed.
    First of all, being a child with a family member in the Army does have many downfalls. My father is gone a lot of the time. For instance, last year my dad made it to my birthday for the first time. In past years, my dad has not been able to come to my birthdays. He usually has to go to drill or he is overseas.
    My dad goes away a lot, but sometimes it is an amazing experience. Sometimes I can go with him. I can, however, only go to places close to home. We get to stay in motels and go shopping. Mom and I can also go visit him at the armory and take him out to lunch.
    The effects of a dad going overseas are horrible. My mom has to do everything including the cooking, almost all the cleaning and the sweeping and vacuuming. I love to do the laundry and the dishes the old fashion way. But when it comes to making my bed and cleaning my room, those things are the awful ones.
    This is why we salute the flag. Men and women like my father are fighting for our freedom. They also sacrifice their freedom for us to be free. As you salute the flag, please remember those brave men and women, so that when soldiers are away it will not be so difficult for their families.