Third culture kids (TCK) are individuals who are (or were as children) raised in a culture other than their parents' or the culture of their country of nationality, and live in such an environment during a significant part of their early development years. This has many implications for how to deal with children, from school to the judicial system.

Further, military culture maintains distinct sub-cultures (known as Branches of Service) that have unwritten sets of rules, viewpoints, perspectives and operating procedures. For parents to understand their own children, they need to understand the military as the root culture for their children. Military culture is based on the unique tradition, mission, structure and leadership of military history. 3 Understanding the Military: The Institution, the Culture, and the People .

Center for Deployment Psychology 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bldg 11300-602, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799 Military culture is a dynamic phenomenon which undergoes evolution in consonance with changing environments. Duty locations are Military towns, the areas immediately surrounding a base, are also often highly influenced by military culture. Understanding Military Culture: A Guide for Professional School Counselors School counselors must be knowledgeable about military culture in order to help military students and their families in a culturally competent manner. Children of military and veteran families experience unique challenges related to military life and culture. noncombat situations. Military families do not always live on base, but often do. Active component service members and their families live on or near military posts or bases and are essentially transient, expecting to move every three to five years, a circumstance virtually unheard of in the civilian workforce. They typically are exposed to a greater volume and variety of cultural influences than those who grow up in one particular cultural setting. Understanding military culture is important when working with Veterans. Military bases are often small cities with 10,000 or more people, and are self-contained worlds where military culture is primary and civilian culture is secondary. Effects of changes may not be sudden or abrupt but over a period of time; however the variations in environment have potential to alter the entire character of an army. These include deployment-related stresses such as parental separation, family reunification, and reintegration; disruption of relationships with friends and neighbors due to frequent moves; and adaptation to new schools and new community resources. Culture plays a role in forming a child's identity, conversational style and memory.