Mothers holding the line stateside while husbands, boyfriends, fathers, brothers, and uncles fought conflicts across the globe. Fathers doing the same, deployed while families managed at home. Children processing separation, displacement, responsibility, sacrifice. Siblings holding each other through moves. Young people navigating identity shaped by service they didn't choose but inherited.

For 250 years, the United States has measured military service with remarkable precision. We count deployments. We count readiness metrics. We count casualties. We count benefits distributed and retirement years accrued. What we do not count is the developmental cost, or acceleration, experienced by the children who live inside that service structure.