Writing Prompts

Here are some ideas to get you started, if you need/want a writing prompt:

When did you realize that your “military life” made you different than other kids? Who were you with and what led up to the realization?

 

Did you blend your family traditions with that of the host nations? Do you still celebrate those blended traditions today?

 

How did your spouse/parent’s deployments affect your family life? How did you cope?

 

When your spouse/parent was first sent into combat, what did s/he say to you about the situation? How old were you, and what did you feel?

 

How many different posts/bases did you live on during your “military” life?  How many schools did you attend?

 

Most people consider a military has the father/husband as the sponsor, but of course, a military family consists of a great many combinations of people. Describe your military family.

 

Brats: When did you realize that the drinking age was not the same as that in the USA? What did your parents tell you?

 

If you moved a lot, explain how the frequent moves affected you. How has that experience shaped you today?

 

Where do you consider your “home town” and why?

 

As a military spouse, how did you prepare your children for an upcoming move or lengthy deployment?

 

As a sponsor, what did you do during prolonged deployments to stay connected to home and family?

 

How many generations of your family served in the military? How many of them were Career?

 

Did you feel isolated during overseas assignments? What did you do to cope/overcome?

 

What thoughts did your family members express when you entered military service? 

(or, how did you really feel when your family member went into military service?)

 

Once on active duty, how did you (or family members) feel about not being “home” for birthdays, holidays, baptisms, graduations, births, weddings, deaths, etc.?

 

When deployed, what concerns did you have about family – and family about your deployment?

Did these concerns change or differ if deployment was to a war zone?

 

Did your family members receive support or help from community or neighbors?

 

Were there any unique experiences handling family finances and/or household responsibilities? Or job responsibilities, especially if a family business or farm were involved.

 

Did active duty service or deployment have any effect on the behavior of child family members at home or in school?

 

After an absence of considerable time, what was it like for both the military member and the family at homecoming? Had children changed, spousal responsibilities changed, daily routines, etc.?

 

After seeing combat, are there special considerations for re-joining a family or for a family to be aware of?

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