Growing up with a parent in the military affected every aspect of my life. My father entered the military at the age of twenty and has lived in many different states throughout that course of time. Shortly after I was born, my father was re-stationed from Omaha, Nebraska, to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. After serving twenty years in the military, my dad retired in 2001 at the age of 40. After retirement my parents chose to stay in Florida; therefore, my sister and I have grown up in the good ole sunshine state. To this day my dad still works as a government contractor on Eglin Air Force Base and my mother is an accountant.
Many times after retirement people choose to return to their hometown or home state, but my parents chose to keep Florida our family home. As I was researching my ancestry, I found it interesting that my family was the first in generations to live outside of the state of Alabama. On my father’s side, my 3rd great grandfather William Conway moved from South Carolina to Marshall County, Alabama, and my 4th great grandfather Thomas Harvey moved from Virginia to Russell County, Alabama. 
Since the early 1800s, the majority of my father’s side of the family has been farmers, but there are also some men who have served in the military. The difference is they all continued to live in the state of Alabama during and after their service. As seen in two of the pictures, my great aunt’s husband, Game Conway, served in World War I. My great aunt’s nephew, Henry Mayes Conway, served in Korea and died at the young age of 30.
While they have not joined the military my mother’s side of the family has also lived in the state of Alabama since the early 1800s. Generation after generation has made their lives and careers near Marshall County. The picture above shows five generations, including my mother, my grandmother, my great grandmother, my 2nd great grandmother, and my 3rd great grandfather.
After being raised in Florida nearly my entire life, I now find myself back in Alabama attending college. I have learned that even though the military can play a role in where you live and Florida will always be my home, it will never overcome my family roots. There is something fascinating about being in the same place your family has lived for generations. After I graduate I do not know if I will move back to Florida or move to an entirely new state all together, but being here in Alabama has connected me to my family in a way I have never felt before.