The Final Flight

My dad has served in the military my entire life.

16 years of moving.

16 years of deployments.

16 years of orders.

But now, after 17 years in the Navy and 6 years in the Air Force, his retirement is approaching. I have always known this day would come, but after my dad flew his last flight, it became real. My dad completed his final flight on July 11, 2025— a time of excitement, celebration, and LOTS of silly string. 

It is surreal to think that it’s almost over.

No more moving.

No more deployments.

No more orders.

After eight moves and countless deployments, it is hard to imagine a life where my dad is always home, a life where I stay in the same place and I don't need to leave my friends. 

Retirement from the military marks the end of a chapter for every member of the family, but it also marks the start of a brand new one. Like any new chapter, the change can be both exciting and scary. I am ecstatic to have my dad home, but leaving behind the joyful deployment homecomings, the adventurous moves, and every other fun or exciting event caused by the military lifestyle is bittersweet. I’ll miss the box forts I made after every move. I’ll miss the new people at every new duty station. I’ll miss the exciting new places and experiences.

It is hard to give up the only lifestyle you have ever known.

I never would have chosen to be a military kid. I never would have chosen the constant moves or the difficult deployments. I never would have chosen to leave my friends and start all over again every few years. After 16 years of military challenges and triumphs, however, I am beyond grateful that I did not have a choice. This military life has made me into the independent, resilient, and determined person I am today. It has given me a unique perspective and story that could only have come from a military lifestyle. 

It’s time to close this active-duty military chapter and grow deeper roots in my current home. It’s time to open a new retired military chapter, a chapter where I can remember what made me who I am today while pushing forward and finding out what God has in store for my life.

I have always defined myself as a military kid - it was one of my few constants in the day-to-day of military life. It feels unnatural to say I am anything else. I have realized, however, that I do not have to define myself as something new. After a life shaped by constant moves, deployments, and orders, I've learned you simply can’t take the military out of a military kid.