30 | October 2020
A
dults are not the only ones
who can appreciate the value
of a good friendship.
The demands of
mi litar y life can be stressf u l for
anyone, but par ticu larly for the
youngest members of the fami ly. For
many chi ldren of mi litar y fami lies,
f riendships necessari ly come and go.
Sometimes, however, a friendship just
has certain qualities that give it a measure
of resilience. at's what has happened
with Danny and Jack Kearney and Lillian
and Eleanor Pence.
When the Kearney family relocated
to Fort Bragg in the summer of 2017, it
was the fih move for Danny, then 9,
and Jack, who was 6. e all-too-familiar
sight of boxes, a packed moving van and
an overwhelming feeling of newness had
been a part of the brothers' lives since they
were born. So they weren't surprised when,
having just wrapped up their first school
year at Fort Bragg, they noticed a moving
truck parked outside the house next door.
It wasn't until their mom pointed out
that their new neighbors had daughters
about their same age that Danny went
over and introduced himself.
"I went over one day, we had fun, and
it became a recurring thing," Danny said.
With each passing day, they said,
Danny and Jack and their new friends,
Lillian and Eleanor Pence, realized they
had similar personalities. Lillian and
Danny, the quieter siblings, would rather
Young Friends
Michelle Kurilla, from a military famiy herself, writes about some
youngsters who have remained friends over the years.
By Michelle Kurilla
fascinating fayetteville
Faces of Friendship
