Michael Weddington

[From my website: www.japanbrats.com]

Why This Project (My book series on 'Japan Brats'):

What does it mean to belong to others in this increasingly disconnected time? When simply clicking a "like" button on your phone or keyboard counts as a connection? What do the concepts of "home" and "hometown" mean when our homes, towns, regions, and nation are as divided as they've been since at least the late 1960s, if not the Civil War era? As a father and counselor of youth, these questions have had personal relevance. Then in 2019, it began to occur to me that perhaps some answers that could address our polarized age today might be found in my "military brat" past, when my peers and I bonded across lines of geography, class, race, ethnicity, and religion. Thus began this project, and the results (with a great deal of support and cooperation) are now available for your consideration. Enjoy. MW

My Story

Some military brats settle down and establish roots of the kind they never knew growing up. Myself, I remained the peripatetic military dependent during my working life as well, moving from teaching to outdoor community entrepreneurial endeavors. Then, on to the financial world, before returning to school and teaching & advising students and adults in various settings. Most significantly, I launched a family with my lovely wife, resulting in our beautiful daughter. In looking back at my life in recent years, I've realized the common theme threading its way through my many positions and projects: The desire to bring people together to make a positive difference, borne of a sense of purpose instilled in me as a military kid. MW