Belle’s Mom Deployed
Left, left, left, right, left…the familiar army chant rings loudly in the head of one Bennett Belle. Tramaine Miller-Harris says being a military child has not always been easy, and seeing her mom deploy years at a time doesn’t make it easier.
“It is so different than being a child with parents out of the military; having to move from state to state, school to school. The hardest part was trying to get use to the different environments.”
Her mother has deployed seven times overseas. She’s currently serving in Afghanistan. Miller-Harris says she had constant reminders of what she was missing.
“Going two years at a time without my mother. I’d feel bothered seeing my friends with their mom. It would just hurt my feelings.”
Miller-Harris says she realizes how brave and courageous her mother is for fighting to make life better for the both of them. She says the early deployments caused her to struggle academically, emotionally, and socially.
“When my mother had first started deploying my academic career did not mean much to me. School was not on my mind because I would always think of my mother and when she was coming back…but as I got older I learned I was only hurting myself.”
Miller-Harris decided not to let her mother’s deployment get the best of her academics and enrolled into Bennett College for Women in 2010.
“I chose to attend Bennett College because I knew I would stay focused, and it had so much to offer. I knew I would be able to follow my dreams.”
She’s currently a sophomore psychology major with a 3.3 grade point average. She plans to attend law school after Bennett, and then she’d like to become a criminal justice lawyer.
Miller-Harris has some words of encouragement for others who could be going through a similar situation.
“If I could encourage one of my peers that have dealt with my situation with being a military child I would tell them to continue to stay strong. Your parent is over there fighting to make your life easier and have faith.”
Miller-Harris gets a great end of the school year treat this year. Her mother will be home from deployment in May.
By: Krystal Hodge
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