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We've all heard the term “military brat” before. It pertains to
those children who grew up in military families. “Brats” wear the
name like a badge of honor, often because of the moves, stressors
and cultural experiences that make them more resilient than their
civilian counterparts.
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Lily, daughter of Army Sgt. James Newby, grins as she poses for
portraits with her father’s uniform items on Fort Meade, MD. (U.S.
Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)
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But outside of the military, the word brat is often considered
derogatory. So it made me wonder – where did the term “military
brat” originate?
To find out, I reached out to the folks at National Defense
University Libraries, who did some research for me. It turns out the
origin of the term is still pretty unclear, but there are a lot of
interesting theories behind it, and most of them originate in
Britain.
Since we couldn’t find anything definitive, I figured I’d tell
you about some of those theories.
BRAT Could Stand for ‘British
Regiment Attached Traveler’
I first found this theory published in a 2011 blog by retired Air
Force Lt. Gen. Michael M. Dunn, who was the president of the Air
Force Association at the time. Dunn, who had also been the president
of NDU, had asked a researcher to find the origin of the term.
One came through, discovering a book published in 1921 that
attributed the saying to the British army. It explained “BRAT” as a
status standing for British Regiment Attached Traveler, and it was
assigned to families who were able to travel abroad with a soldier.
Eventually, it just referred to military children. But the term
stuck, and was adopted in many places around the world, including in
the U.S.
While the researchers I spoke to at NDU couldn’t find that
particular citation that Dunn mentioned, it’s a pretty interesting
story. And other published researchers have also traced the acronym
to the phrase British Regiment Attached Traveler.
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A U.S. Army soldier embraces her daughter during a homecoming ceremony on Pope Army Airfield Green Ramp.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William Begley)
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Earliest References Were From the
18th Century
Dr. Grace Clifton, a professor at Open University in the U.K.,
has done research with the U.S. Army’s Dr. Becky Powell into the
origins of the term.
Clifton found reference to a song written in 1707 for a satirical
play called “The Recruiting Officer” that described soldier life and
that of their dependents. Back then, married soldiers were divided
into two categories: the lucky few who were allowed to have their
families live in the barracks and be taken care of by regimental
funds, and those whose families had to live outside the barracks.
The song referenced the latter as being “brats and wives.”
The lyrics may have been the first reference to brat in relation
to military families. But it also may have referred to any children.
So, that’s still a bit of a mystery.
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U.S. Army Col. Jeff A. Becker captures the attention of a little boy before a welcome home ceremony on Hunter Army Airfield.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William Begley)
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A Contraction for ‘Barrack Rat?’
Clifton said the term “barrack rat” was also used at the end of
the 18th century in the U.K. when discussing stories about the lives
of children in army barracks, so it’s possible that the two words
were turned into a contraction to create the term brat.
“Barrack rat” also surfaced in “A Dictionary of Slang and
Unconventional English.” It cited the book “Old Soldier Sahib”
written in 1936 by Frank Richards, a British soldier who detailed
his experiences while stationed in India and Burma during the early
20th century. In that book, Richards said “children born in barracks
were referred to as ‘barrack-rats:’ It was a wonder to me how the
poor kids survived the heat, and they were washed-out little
things.”
Army Brats & Other Ideas
Researchers at NDU also told me they were able to trace “Army
brat” back to 1942, where it appeared in a military slang
publication called “The War Dictionary.” It defined the term
specifically in regards to the children of Army officers, and it
said the term was one of endearment.
Of course, over the years, there have been more guesses. Many
often say brat stands for “born rough and tough,” or “born raised
and traveled.”
Still No Clear-Cut Answer
Trent University’s Dr. Jennine Hurl-Eamon has also been
researching childhood during the wars of the 18th century.
“I must confess that I have come across no archival or early
print material as yet that offers a clear indication of how the term
‘brat’ emerged,” she said.
By Katie Lange
DOD News
Copyright 2017
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