By the second year of Little League, Ford had grown an inch or two, but he was still the smallest on the team. Our league keeps players together and with the same coach for all four years, so Ford’s teammates — the older ones, especially — were like mentors for him. The experience of Little League was as much about the game as it was time in the dugout.
Read moreChanging Gender Roles Mean New Sacrifices for Military Fathers
The military is the last American institution to follow societal trends. If my husband was at sea when I went into labor, he would stay there. I fretted over this until the day I went to the hospital and was positive my husband would be with me. He left two weeks later and missed most of our son’s first year, but at least I didn’t need a telegram to tell him he had a son named Ford.
Read moreWhere Have All the Baseball Kids Gone?
For as long as Ford has been playing Little League, there have been six teams. Players stay with their team throughout the three to four years of Little League, and the team names have become a legacy. Older teenagers say, “Oh, I was on that team when I was a kid.” Parents say, “I always wanted to be on that team.” Younger siblings say, “I hope I get to be on that team, too.”
Read moreMilitary Family Life
Sarah was born during her dad's first deployment (she didn't meet her dad until she was 7-months old), and by the time Sarah was 22 years old, her dad had been deployed a total of 11 years.
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