‘Where are we moving to next?’ Military upbringing offers challenges, advantages for Purdue speech, language, and hearing sciences major

Bella Ross, a Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences junior, is an undergraduate researcher in Assistant Professor Allison Schaser’s lab.(Tim Brouk)

Written by: Tim Brouk, [email protected]

Bella Ross’ first memory involved her family’s impending move.

The Purdue University Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) junior remembered the scene: She was 3 and her sister, Cassandra, was 4. They were seated on the family porch watching a beautiful sunset in Montgomery, Alabama, when the older sister wondered aloud, “Where are we moving to next?”

Such was the upbringing of many military kids. Ross and thousands of other children whose parents serve in the U.S. military endure countless moves around the globe for their parents’ assignments. With April being the Month of the Military Child, Ross reflected on the seven intercontinental moves she made since her birth in Okinawa, Japan.

“We lived in Montgomery for 10 months,” said Ross, whose parents, Bob and Melissa Ross, served in the U.S. Air Force. “Then I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for about four years. Then back to Okinawa, Japan, for about three years, then to Stuttgart, Germany, for three years, then to Rockledge, Florida, for a little less than a year, about 11 months. And then to Kaiserslautern, Germany, where I completed all four years of high school. And that’s where my family still is.”

Baby Bella Ross is held by her parents Bob and Melissa Ross when they were serving in the U.S. Air Force while stationed in Okinawa, Japan.(photo provided)

Ross added the toughest part of her childhood was her speech therapy. The low numbers of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) on military bases didn’t offer consistency when her family moved, and she felt behind the other kids in speech in her early elementary school days. Later, she learned SLPs are still in demand in the military, especially in veteran’s hospitals and other facilities. This informed her decision to enroll in the College of Health and Human Science’s speech, language, and hearing sciences major to later become an SLP that works with veterans or military children just like her.

What were some of the toughest challenges moving around in a military family?

In school, all the other kids were in the same boat I was in. So, there were a lot of instances where I would move somewhere and become close friends with somebody, and then less than a year later, they’d have to move somewhere else, or it’d be the other way around. One of my best friends had moved to Germany in high school with me, and then a year later, she moved. It was definitely hard to find long-term friendships, but that’s why I’m so grateful for having two sisters. My mom has told me multiple times why she made a big effort for my sisters and I to get along with each other. She raised us to be very close with each other because she knew we would always be our only constant companions growing up.

Was your dad around much during your childhood?

He was in the Middle East for a decent amount of my upbringing. But also, I didn’t even know where he was whenever he would go because in the military, confidentiality and security is very prioritized. Spouses of military members were always told, but the children never were. It’s this thing called OPSEC (operations security). You never know much information.

The Ross family pose for a picture with Bella Ross in the middle wearing white(photo provided)

What advantages does growing up in the military have?

For my K-12 education, I mainly was in the same school system all the time, which is called a DoDEA. It’s the Department of Defense Education Activity. Basically, it’s a school system that extends to all overseas military bases and even some that are domestic in the U.S. It has a curriculum all these schools should follow. Statistically, DoDEA schools score higher on national exams. I’m very grateful for the education I received and the great teachers.

One of the biggest advantages is the global perspectives I’ve been able to gain because my parents definitely did take advantage of the fact that we were in Europe. Before COVID, we were able to visit 36 countries. My parents really want us to be immersed in different cultures and get a good, global perspective. Having exposure to so many different environments and cultures has made me a lot more culturally aware.

Along with it being one of the difficult parts of being a military child, with everybody moving around constantly and fluctuating in and out of your life, I feel like it also was a strength because it gave me the ability to adapt to new environments and new people. I’ve always been told I’m personable. I feel like a lot of that is because I’ve been exposed to people of different cultures, different religions, different socioeconomic backgrounds and different environments. It has made my perspective very broad, and I am very grateful for that.

 

Bella Ross’ high school graduation portrait was taken in front of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft on the Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, Germany.(photo provided)