Reason #4: Learn new languages out of necessity.

This is a photo of me, Sheila Witherington, when I was 9 years old and on a class trip to southern France. I had asked a friend of mine to take a photo of me, and one of the French boys, Phillip, on the trip stepped in front of the camera at the moment. Needless to say, a young girl has to learn to speak the native language at such exasperating moments. Growing up in the military provides many opportunities for children and families to learn new language skills as the families are stationed at various locations around the world. I believe the other boy in the photo is Eddie Scott, an American boy in my bilingual class at Touvent Elementary School in Chateauroux, France. As kids, we went on a class trip for four days and nights to southern France. In school, we studied with French students two days a week. One day the French kids would come to our school, and another day we would go to the French school. We each had French partners and were encouraged to exchange visits with their families outside school. What a wonderful experience. We lived in France for two years. What a wonderful way to raise a family.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #3: Make lifelong friends around the world.

When military families live in different locations throughout the world, they interact with the people in the native cultures. One of our dearest friends when we lived in Chateauroux, France, was a French couple named Jean (John) and Marie Cassanova. Pictured at left is my mom, Sue Witherington (right) and Marie Cassanova (left). They became close friends while we were stationed in France. Jean worked worked with my dad Bill Witherington as a local civilian on the base. His wife Marie helped my mom with household chores at times when she need the extra money. I can remember going to their peasant home out in the countryside several miles from Chateauroux. They had no heat in their house, the floor was dirt, and they raised their own food. They invited us for dinner on one occasion, and it was tremendous event for them. They killed one of their chickens and roasted it. You could see where the feathers had been plucked even after it was cooked. It was the first time any of us had tasted wine. They had purchased a bottle for the dinner, and since it was such an economic strain on them to entertain us, my mom and dad gave us permission to sip our small glasses of wine. My little brother was only four years old, and he loved it. My dad and Jean Cassanova wrote each other until they died decades later.

My thoughts for today.
Sheila Witherington

Reason #2: Experience the World...literally.

Not only are military children and families exposed to global sites and cultures, but they get to experience living with strange smells, customs, sounds, and movements. Pictured at right is St. Andre Cathedral in Chateauroux, France, where we lived for two years. This is not just a cathedral to me forty years later. I remember the engagement with it. My class was taken on an art field trip to this city center where we each found a chosen spot to draw charcoal drawings of what we saw. I also remember my French piano teacher who was the organist at this Catholic church. Behind this cathedral, the flea market flourished every Saturday. I still remember the smells, sights, sounds, and movements. It instilled in me an early appreciation for diversity and a sense of longing to see more of the world. That's a good thing. Military life does that to a child. That's a good thing.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington

Reason #1: Build Amazing Extended Military Family

Growing up in a military family means living among a community of other military families who bond and create a unique type of environment. Neighbors living in military housing are much more open to getting to know each other and helping each other. U.S. military bases offer families a wide variety of recreation, educational, and spiritual types of activities. Pictured at left is a group of women in military families singing hymns around the piano in our home when we were stationed in Chateauroux, France when I was a child. I knew that any of these women and many others helped look after me and considered me to be a part of their extended family. In the military family community, there is a strong bond that last over lifetimes, even though families move periodically to different areas.

My thoughts for today.

Sheila Witherington