April - Military Brat Month

The phrase “military brat” is one long associated with the family members of those in uniform. It can be used in a derogatory sense, but in recent decades the phrase has been used more to self-identify as being part of a military family.​

The connotations of being a military brat include the expectation that military families move often, may have difficulty setting down roots in any one area because of duty requirements, and the potential for extended stays overseas for the same reason. Military brats experience frequent school changes, make friends and acquaintances all over the world, and experience regular major life changes due to the shifting nature of military life.

According to a variety of sources, Military Brats, Inc. founded National Military Brats Day in 2016 and is part of a move to convince lawmakers to make the holiday a federally recognized one.

Origins of "Military Brat"

​The origins of the term at least in part due to a British military acronym that stood for “British Regiment Attached Traveler” (BRAT).

This designation was given to families who were approved to accompany the servicemember to an overseas duty location. The story goes that eventually “BRAT” became synonymous with military children.

BRATs as they were known in British military culture were addressed in British Educational Research Journal, but another reference in British pop culture from the 1700s, a play called The Recruiting Officer could also lend a clue. It has lyrics that reference military and/or civilian “brats and wives.”