Everyone has seen the “Support your troops” bumper stickers on the backs of cars driving around town. Some might even have them on their cars. But they’re not just an adornment for junior Corey Allen. For Allen, they are a reminder that there is a reason his father fights overseas.
“They make you feel like what he’s doing has a purpose,” Allen said.
Allen’s father joined the U.S. Air Force was he was born– to help support him. He is a member of the Red Horse Squadron and has served numerous tours overseas to countries such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. He is generally away for six months to a year during each deployment.
“My dad’s gotten lucky because he hasn’t had to serve a full year overseas,” Allen said. While Allen’s father is away, Allen said that he becomes the man of the house.
“It’s weird, because you have to step up around the house,” he said. “The expression ‘you’re the man of the house’ rings true.”
For 17-year-old Allen, stepping up can entail anything from opening a jar of pickles and helping his 10-year-old sister with her science project to giving his mother emotional support and his sister a shoulder to cry on.
“You have to be strong,” he said. “I have to have the emotional strength. I have to act as my dad. Act as my dad would do.”
A large part of this for Allen is taking care of his younger sister.
“She cries about him not coming home,” he said.
He tells her that it will be fine, and that their father will return.
“It’s like telling the monsters in the closet to go away. Simple little kid stuff,” Allen said. “It’s as simple as keeping her mind off things.”
Allen is not the only older brother watching out for a younger sibling in place of a father serving overseas.
Jacob Oliver, whose father serves overseas working vehicle maintenance and driving buses, takes care of his 12-and 6-year-old sisters.
“They get emotionally attached to it. I take it in stride,” Oliver said. “It kind of sucks to not have your dad, but you kind of get used to it.”
Oliver said that it is hard not having his dad around because “You take things for granted, and then when they’re gone you miss them.”
To help his mom, Oliver says that he tries to help her around the house and “keep life normal, as normal as it could be.”
When his sisters get upset, Oliver is there.
“I try to calm them down and not think about it too much,” Oliver said.
Because he is trying to avoid thinking about his dad, school becomes easier for Oliver.
“It’s easier [to concentrate] because it takes your mind off things,” he said.
Allen  also  does  his  best  to find other things to concentrate  on.
“I don’t think about my dad not coming back because I’m so focused on doing what he would do,” he said.
Although when his father is at home Allen will watch the evening news, he said that he does not watch it when his father is overseas because it is harder to hear about wartime deaths knowing that it could be him.
“It’s just a number, and then you start putting your dad’s face on that number and you start feeling like it could be him,” Allen said. “The more you think about it, the more it becomes a reality.”
With a few exceptions, however, Allen does the sames things when his father is away or at home, but without his influence.
“You don’t realize how much he does until he’s gone,” Allen said. “It’s more difficult because he’s not there to pull his weight.”
He says that he still sits and watches football without his dad, but his mom takes them out to eat more often.
“My mom doesn’t want to sit there and have him not there, “ Allen said. “It’s as simple as keeping your mind off things.”
Another thing that is tough for Allen when is father is away is seeing military protesters, such as members Westborough Baptist Church, known for protesting the military with signs such as “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.”
“Little things like that really gets my blood boiling,” Allen said. “When my dad is here it’s OK, but when I’m thinking of him over there and fighting it gets under my skin.”
But things don’t necessarily become easier when his father returns home.
“It’s great when he’s back, but for a while it’s not fun,” Allen said. “When my dad comes back, he’s used to the soldier mentality. You’re happy he’s back, but at the same time it’s really hard to adjust.”
Allen says it is hard to resume his normal roles, especially when his dad is used to the discipline of the military.
“If things aren’t exactly up to code, he gets aggressive. He can just snap,” he said. “It’s almost like a discovery every time he comes home. You have to adapt.”
Allen is not sure what he thinks about the military lifestyle that he lives in.
“It makes you more of a mature person,” Allen said. “I don’t want to say that it makes you tougher, but it makes you tougher. You feel like at any time you could be uprooted.”
In the end, though, Allen feels that his lifestyle is beneficial.
“The experiences you have make you a better person.”