1. I can tell military time. I don't have to subtract 12 after noon to calculate the hour. I use the 24-hour clock on my wristwatch. There's no misunderstanding what time of day it was if my notes say we met at 08:00 or at 20:00.
2. I respect authority. I may not like the person in authority. I may even publicly disagree in the decision making phase, but always respectfully and appropriately. In the end, when a decision is made I respect the office and move on. Authority is not a bad word, and neither is obedience.
3. I like hierarchy; another word for it is accountability. Reportability (I made that word up). Answerability. (I didn't make that word up but is nevertheless not a word). Support.
4. I may not like some of the dumb things my team mates do, and they definitely do not like some of the dumb things I do, but even military children know that no matter how we feel about each other, we stand together against all external challengers.
5. I learned at an early age how to make really good friends and then move on at a moment's notice when our dads got transferred. Sure, there were tears, but they were soon replaced by laughter with new friends. We learned early a welcoming attitude towards others. This skill has served me well in the hospitality industry.
Next time - why I'm glad I was a Sea Cadet in my teenage years.
Another cool thing I've found is a sense of adventure. You probably don't remember the time we were driving through France on our way back from England. We stopped at a restaurant for a meal, and I had to act as translator for us all (me with my grade 5 or 6 French). There wasn't really a menu to order from, it was 'here's the meal of the day, eat it, you'll like it!'
ReplyDeleteI think being comfortable traveling anywhere is also something we learned. Our Sunday drives all over the Black Forest, visits to the Basel Zoo ("it's a lion!") and even living off base for a while gave us the ability to speak to anyone, even if we didn't speak the same language.
As for me I am glad I was an Ambulance Drivers daughter.
ReplyDeleteI learned the same values and that's pretty cool.