The Army Brat

THE ARMY BRAT

1.         We often use words in the English language wrongly. In time the meaning of the incorrect used word changes from the traditional or dictionary meaning to what can be termed colloquial or informal. A large number of words come to mind which we commonly use and which actually mean something else. We often get the spellings wrong but assume we are correct. Since we have always used the incorrect spelling.  A few amusing examples of our erroneous usage or wrong understanding of words and phrases is first needed. Moral as a noun or an adjective, which is used to describe standards of good or bad character and  behavior. It can also be used to describe a kind of story that tells you how you should or should not behave. Take the amusing misusage of Loose versus Lose. Incorrect: "I just know I'm going to loose this race." Correct: "I just know I'm going to lose this race." We cannot use these spellings interchangeably. Not only are the meanings subtly different but they also SOUND different.  Lose has more of a Z sound; while loose has more of a hiss to it.

2.         As English evolves, word meanings shift and turn, sometimes reversing themselves altogether. Here are two that come to mind that have shifted their senses over the years. It is wise to likewise be flexible. We need to relax our vocabulary at the expense of useful distinctions such as the following:-

a) Ironic.  The impact of ironic has been diluted because many people use it to mean “coincidental,” when its traditional definition is “counter to expectations or what is appropriate.” It is because this word is so often misused that I have deliberately quoted it. Our media and a lot of so called English language experts routinely use ironic when they actually mean something else.

b)  Anxious. Unless you’re frightened of them, you shouldn’t say you’re “anxious to see your friends.” You are actually “eager” or “excited”. To be “anxious” implies a looming fear, dread or anxiety. It does not mean that you are looking forward to something.

3.         But let us apply our selves to the amusing and often misunderstood term “Army Brat”.  The common understanding of the word ‘Brat’ to the average Indian-English speaking person is an ill-mannered annoying child. Correct no doubt, this should let many a civilian reader feel comfortable. However when the word is suffixed with ‘Army’, ‘Navy’ or ‘Military’ the whole phrase takes on new connotations. When such a phrase is used colloquially and in general conversational English, it means something else. At this juncture I would like to state that no malice is intended towards the non Army Brats who will also read this. Therefore everyone who reads regardless of whether they are Armed Forces children or not, may like to know that the term ‘Brat’ is a common reference to children of military members.  It is a term of endearment - referring to a group who endure hardships, frequently move, change schools, leave behind friends, put up with frequent deployments, long absences of their parent(s), and (sometimes) inadequate government housing.

4.         There is dire need to explain to the reader how the word ‘Brat’ came to be used in all things Military. Look at the more human side of a word that today is used in many Armies of the World including India. Despite what is often known as an ‘Americanism’, the word ‘Brat has its origins in the United Kingdom. The very first reference of ‘Brat’ in English literature goes back to 1707. As we all know, often things military, all seem to stem from the British way of life. I quote, “Historical documentation relating to life in the British Army shows that married soldiers could be divided into two categories. Firstly, a soldier could marry with his commanding officer's permission, which would ensure that his marriage was recognized – his wife and children would be allowed to live in barracks and would be provided for by regimental funds. This was known as marrying "on the strength" as the wife was able to exist "on the strength" of the regiment.  The number of marriages that received the permission of the commanding officer was limited so that the regiment would not have to provide for too many dependants, with estimates suggesting that only 6 per cent of the soldier population was permitted to marry "on the strength". Marriages not receiving the permission of the commanding officer meant that wives and children lived beyond the life of the barracks and often had to eke out a difficult existence with little or no money provided by the serving soldier.

In his satirical play The Recruiting Officer, first published in 1707, George Farquhar pens a song about soldier life in which he refers to dependants not living on the strength of the regiment:

"We all shall lead more happy Lives,
By getting rid of Brats and Wives,
That scold and brawl both Night and Day;
Over the Hills and far away …"

It is quite possible that this is the earliest recorded use of the term "brat" specifically in relation to military families (although it should be noted that "brat" is a pejorative term that could be used to refer to any child). < Unquote.

5.         And here I come to my rather satirical but NOT pointed view that there are all kinds of kids who may be Army ones or civilian ones who can turn out to be real ‘nasty little brats’. So whether it’s an Army child or a civilian child it’s all about upbringing. So read on as this should make every ‘Army Brat’ proud of being one who, is the son or daughter of someone from the Armed Forces. Whether the kid is an officer’s child or a soldiers, they all live the same lives when they grow up and study in schools that they change so often. The words “quiet, reflective, distant, independent and adaptable to change” often come to mind when describing service children. It’s nice that there are Face Book groups where you can reminisce and associate with your upbringing. Some Army Brats go to boarding school or like myself, have moved around during childhood to a fair number of places. (Yes the author is also an Army Brat). It was not like many civilian kids home lives, those who stay with their family in one area, born and bred there. There are pluses and minuses of this. Yes, you never settle in one place and form a distinctive attitude and approach to life, but you meet a diverse range of people and see different scenery and ways of life that you almost think it’s the norm, to experience a different place every couple of years or even months – it’s like an adventure!  Becoming less attached to the town you move to probably helps ease the transition and can almost be described as a coping mechanism.

6.         A researcher found a book written in 1921 which described the origins of the term.  It came, like many of our Indian  military traditions, from the British Army.  It seems that when a member of the British Army was assigned abroad and could take his family (mostly in India), the family went with the member in an Administrative status entitled:  BRAT status. {It stands for:  British Regiment Attached Traveler.}  Over the years, it was altered to refer only to the children of the military member (the wives of the British Army objected to the term referring to them).  And the term not only stuck, but in many cases was adopted world-wide.  The use of the English term "military brat" is in common use (within military cultures),  in Australia, in India (also called Fauji Brats), Canada (also known as Base Brats), Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (also called Pad Brats), and the United States to name just a few countries worldwide.  Also known as camp followers there have been such military-dependent subcultures (under various other names) in many parts of the world for thousands of years. "Military brat", in military culture is known as a term of endearment and respect and  may also imply a certain spunkiness or adaptability.  Research has shown that most current  and  former military brats like the term, however outside  of  the military world, the term "military brat" can  sometimes  be misunderstood  by  the  non-military population, where the word "brat" (by itself) may be seen as negative. Within military culture, the term "military brat" is not considered to be an insult, but rather connotes affection and respect.  In the Indian context being termed “fauji brats”, children with parents in the Indian Armed Forces are a unique breed in many ways. They grow up seeing and experiencing a unique ‘esprit de corps’. Amazing as it may seem but actually true; some Indian fauji parents seem to take objection to their offspring being called ‘Brats. Interestingly a lot of Fauji Brats are doing so well in life one wonders what the hullabaloo about their being called ‘Brats’ is all about.

7.         Noted military brat researcher Mary Edwards Wertsch who is a psychiatrist  polled 85 ex-military children as to whether or not they liked the term "military brat" and only five respondents (5.9% of the study group) objected to the term.  The term is now widely used by researchers and academicians and so is no longer merely a slang term, but a name clearly attached to a recognized and well studied segment of military culture all over the World.

Modern perception of the term

8.         As adults, military brats can share many of the same positive and negative traits identified in other populations that experienced very mobile childhoods.  Having had the opportunity to live around the world, military brats can have a breadth of experiences unmatched by most teenagers.  Regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender, brats might identify more with other highly mobile children than with non-mobile ones. Military brats also graduate from college at a higher rate than the civilian population and divorce at a lower rate.

CONCLUSION

9.         In conclusion I would like to quote what an IAF officer’s daughter wrote a while ago. Quote >Military brats can have a breadth of experiences unmatched by most teenagers. Getting transferred is what the general public associates life in the defense services with.  Moving to a different place practically every year is very much part of enlisted life. From a very young age, children with parents in the military or Armed Forces are used to having Dad walk in and announcing yet another move to a new city or town, a new home, new school and new friends. Thanks to this the “Fauji Brats” end up seeing the length and breadth of the country in a short span of time and they grow up with a range of assorted experiences. Packing up and moving on is a very ‘normal’ concept for defense children – they even learn the art of how to pack sans the modern day comforts of ‘packers and movers’. The parents do the packing, with generous help from friends, and the kids pitch in as a matter of course. Being an Air Force officer’s daughter, I have personally supervised loading trucks – to the amazement of the men who came to do  the lifting.  With so many changes in everyday life, defense children develop a rare brand of confidence and world-perspective. They learn to deal with adverse situations from a very young age – adapting to a new school every few years is a kind of ‘survival training’ that children outside the services rarely have to undergo.  The Armed Forces have rules and regulations for all personnel. By extension, these get incorporated in the lives of defense offspring, as well. Discipline is a very integral part of the defense services and a defense home tends to adhere to certain regimental principles (for instance, time and tide wait for no one). Discipline becomes second nature, with few exceptions to the rule. And this is called ‘Brat’ discipline. The various successes that children of defense personnel have achieved over the years stand mute testimony to the environment in which defense kids grow up.  I can name Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Gul Panag, Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Kanwal and Anubha Bhosle amongst my ‘Brat Pack’ colleagues who have brought honor to the Armed Forces and made their parents proud. We all are Military Brats. <Unquote

10.       They also learn not to discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, color, language and race – in the Armed Forces, every person is valued. They learn to accept and respect everyone since they see other personnel doing the same. Defense children grow up with friends from every religion – they visit temples, churches and Gurdwaras with equal gravity, and learn to celebrate all festivals with the same pomp and gaiety. This is, perhaps, the most important lesson that children growing up in a defense environment learn. The Fauji Brat is thus a reasonably well rounded adult.

11.       Under no circumstances does this article put forth the thought that children from the defense are better than others. However, environment does play a big role in the overall development of a child.  Because the defense services come with their own definition of life and living,  children grow up learning to accept, accommodate, help and enjoy all that life has to offer.  And that’s what a Fauji Brat or Army Brat or Air force Brat or Navy Brat is all about my friends.

12.       These last words from a soldiers son sum up the issue of the Brat pack in the Armed Forces of the World.  Quote>  My  Dad said  in  his farewell  retirement  speech that when we add up how many years our family has served on active duty in the Armed Forces  it totals to over a century.  Like I said, what is a civilian?  It must be such a different way of life for them. I thank  my Dad everyday now for raising me as a military brat. Of course at the time I didn't like it but, now that I am a little older and out of the house I realize how many skills and responsibilities I was taught  by being  an Army  brat.  It makes  me cry tears of joy now that I see that I am not alone in the experiences I had growing up as a military brat.<Unquote

Lt Col (Retd) Sukhwant Singh, 

The  Quintessential  “Army Brat”

09 Sep 2012