The following essay is the first place winner of our 2026 Month of the Military Child Writing Contest. The theme was "The Beauty of the Military Child Experience." Congratulations to Rachel R., a high school freshman! My dad (a U.S. Naval Academy graduate with 20 years of service) has something he always tells me to remember: “Who deserves the truth?” When he retired, adjusting to civilian life in Dallas, Texas, was excruciatingly painful. After moving 8 times in 15 years of existence to...

The following essay is the second place winner of our 2026 Month of the Military Child Writing Contest. The theme was "The Beauty of the Military Child Experience." Congratulations to Hayden M., a high school junior! If you were to walk into any school hallway or public space, you could hear someone making the assumption that they know everything they could know about the world. They assume they know the way the culture ebbs and flows within the people of a place they have never been to....

The following essay is the third place winner of our 2026 Month of the Military Child Writing Contest. The theme was "The Beauty of the Military Child Experience." Congratulations to Isabella A., a high school senior! A dandelion can put down roots anywhere with tiny yellow blossoms that are almost impossible to remove. Their long taproot allows them to grow prolifically, blooming wherever the wind carries them. Modest yet beautiful, dandelions brighten even the darkest grounds; they are...