For military children, challenges often turn into opportunities. And, the Bennett sisters have more than proven that in their young lives.
Thirteen-year-old Skylar has benefitted from different coaches and teams as she has excelled on the soccer field no matter where her family's moves have taken her.
Eight-year-old Morgan has taken the experiences from her family's moves and learned how to use them to play characters in her budding acting career at Huntsville's Fantasy Playhouse.
For their little sister -- three-year-old Ivey -- being with her mom and dad, and big sisters is all she needs to be happy no matter where they live.
The Bennett sisters are the daughters of Sgt. First Class Bryan Bennett, who works for the Aviation and Missile Command, and his wife Danette. As the Army recognizes April as the Month of the Military Child, it is obvious from this family that all is good with the military lifestyle.
"It's been fun to move around, and have a lot of new experiences and try new things," Skylar said.
"I really liked living in Williamsburg, Virginia. It's historical, and I started playing soccer there and learning the basics of soccer. But everywhere we've been has been fun. It's cool to explore different places."
"We get to have new adventures, like we did in Fairbanks (Alaska)," added Morgan. "Fairbanks is my favorite place because there's always snow, and I have a lot of friends there."
Skylar and Morgan were both born in North Carolina during the 12 years their father was stationed at Fort Bragg. The family lived in Virginia for 18 months; Alaska for three years; Savannah, Georgia, where Ivey was born, for 18 months; and now Huntsville.
"We've tried to stay pretty open with them about moving," Danette Bennett said. "When we find out where we're moving, we show them where it is on the map and then we start looking up fun activities to do there."
When the family moved to Fairbanks, they decided to take a cross-country adventure, stopping at sites like Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park as they drove from Virginia to Alaska.
Of course, at every place they've moved, checking out the soccer programs has been at the top of their to-do list, even in Alaska where soccer is played mostly indoors.
"It's hard to leave old friends, and old soccer clubs and coaches. But, I've learned new things everywhere I've been. It has kept me a well-rounded player," Skylar said.
Because of the Army, Danette Bennett and her daughters have caught the "adventure bug."
"Bryan's dad was in the Navy, so he was used to moving. But I grew up in a small town in North Carolina and the military was a completely different experience for me," Danette Bennett said. "I was in college in Raleigh and my roommate was hanging out with a Soldier she had met. He was 5'4''. I asked him if he had a tall friend and that's when I met Bryan."
They dated for about four years and married after Danette Bennett graduated with an art degree from Meredith College.
Bennett and his wife chose to homeschool their daughters when they lived in Virginia.
"We went to enroll Skylar in kindergarten. She was already reading and way ahead academically. But the school didn't have any advanced programs. We were told she would have to help everyone else catch up," Danette Bennett said.
"Because of that, we decided it would be best to homeschool. And, it really does work out better when you are moving all the time. It also gives us more family time because we can plan our school breaks around when Bryan has leave. That way we can spend more time together."
Time together is important to a family that has endured separations during a deployment to Bosnia and four deployments to Iraq. Bennett's training as an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter mechanic put him in high demand during the early years of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"His first deployment to Iraq was for the invasion," Danette Bennett said. "Communication was a lot different compared to his last deployments.
"During the first one, we received lots of letters and random phone calls on satellite phones. Bryan had to stand in line for two or three hours to talk with us for five minutes. During his last deployment, we had Skype and the Internet. We could send lots of pictures, and we could plan times for phone calls when the kids could really talk to him and tell him what they'd been doing."
The family found that staying busy was the best way to overcome separations. They have kept that busy lifestyle in Huntsville, with Skylar playing centerback on a top-ranked soccer team through the Huntsville Futbol Club and Morgan taking on lots of acting roles -- a spoon in Little Teacups, the judge in the True Story of the Three Little Pigs and Flora the fairy in Cinderella -- at Fantasy Playhouse. Skylar also plays soccer with the Olympic Developmental Program and Morgan will play soccer this summer on a Redstone Arsenal league team. Although Ivey is too young to play soccer, her big sister Skylar said she has a soccer player's fast feet.
Skylar, who is in seventh grade, and Morgan, a third grader, both participate in activities through the Hope Christian Academy homeschool program. They also socialize with friends made at Rivertree church and in afterschool activities.
"We want to expose them to lots of diversity and to kids who come from all walks of life," Danette Bennett said. "We want them to know about the world outside of their homeschool experience."
At home, they spend a lot of time with dad, playing softball, watching movies and wrestling.
"I want to toughen them up," Bennett said, with a smile. "I want them to be able to protect themselves."
"All three of us try to tackle him," Morgan added.
Their dad time will soon increase as Bennett prepares to retire at the end of September and then work as a civilian. The family plans to stay in Huntsville after retirement.
"All their lives they have seen me in a uniform," Bennett said.
"Even when I take this uniform off, I want them to be proud of being an American and of the sacrifices they have made so that I could serve our country. I want them always to be thankful for what service members do to keep us free and to appreciate what the U.S. military has done in the history of our nation."
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