Screengrab taken from YouTube video uploaded by Rascalas
"I'm an army Brat. For all my civilian friends, it might sound a little absurd, but BRAT stands for Born Raised And Transferred," says writer and performer Shyam Renganathan in his recital of what life as an armed forces kid means.
It means changing schools and friends every two years, living in areas you'd be unlikely to find on any vacation list no matter how off-beat, army parties with retro songs, having your loved ones posted in war zones, reading headlines about martyred soldiers. Shyam's recital describes what's wonderful and heartbreaking, both, about having a parent in the military.
"Army men are of a completely different race. High altitudes, encounters, separations, why take all this tension? Then retire and fight for One Rank One Pension," he says in his poignant monologue.
This video will strike a chord with anyone who's been an armed forces kid. But most of all, it's required viewing for all those who haven't the faintest idea what life in the services is really like.