Excerpt of Once a Brat, Always a Brat by Marilyn Celeste Morris

My mom was a WWII Vintage, hauling kids from one end of the earth to the other, birthing children overseas, in dusty, remote duty stations, jungles and frozen tundra. Enduring seasickness, inoculations for God knows how many exotic diseases, keeping our shot records, school records, silk kimonos, pets, bicycles, treasured toys (despite household goods weight restrictions - some of her stuff had to be left behind; it wasn't nearly as important as her kids' stuff).

Taking us, unescorted, into the foreign countryside, determined we absorb the foreign culture as fully as we could; enforcing ""the rules"" in Dad's frequent absences, with almost as firm a hand as his, but seasoned with just a pinch of understanding what we were going through. Ordering from the Sears, Roebuck catalog and sweating the exquisite timing for a special outfit for an important occasion, such as graduation from 6th grade, being chosen May Queen, or playing the part of the Princess in the school play, and when the parcel didn't arrive in time, sacrificing one of her very own ""ball gowns."

A West Texas farm girl training a houseboy and house girl in the Orient one year, in Pidgin English, no less; doing her own housecleaning and laundry the next, and handling both with amazing aplomb. The next year, she begins all over again, training in garbled German-Austrian dialect with voluminous hand gestures, a giant woman refugee from Yugoslavia as maid, cook and baby sitter, in quarters appropriated from Nazi sympathizers, while keeping in mind that packed suitcases under the beds and Russians across the Danube meant evacuation could be implemented at any moment.

Keeping her own grief in check while her kids cry over leaving yet another batch of friends, knowing she might never see her own circle of friends again.

Packing, unpacking, making a home with "make do, and do without.” Keeping in touch with family back in the Zone of the Interior by letter, written at times by dim lantern light when the Russians in their Zone of Occupation decided to deprive us of electricity at any given time.

Myriads more sacrifices made on our behalf. Ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances. God bless her, and all the Military Wives, past, present and future. ..

Well done, Ladies.