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Robert Heath Author, Blowing Rock, NC (2025)

05/26/2025

On Memorial Day, we honor all of our fallen military heroes who fought for our freedom.
Something we forget about is the terrible affect of the loss of a parent, spouse, sibling or good friend who was serving our country. This came to my attention in a very emotional way when I met a new friend - in our conversation about being Army Brats, she told me that her father went missing in Vietnam. It was 10 years later when her family was notified that his remains were found inside a crashed military plane. 10 years during which her family had no idea what happened to their father/husband.
Since that time, I honor both those we lost and those who lost loved ones.

04/30/2025

HAPPY MILITARY BRATS’ DAY!!

I am the 3rd of 9 very proud Army Brats. While we celebrate the day along with all of those who grew up as Brats, we also look to our Mom and Dad who provided this wonderful life for us! Dad was an Army lifer, finishing his career as a Sgt. Major.
Mom’s 103rd birthday will be tomorrow, May 1st; she stayed with us until right after her 100th birthday party, and we are all so happy to have had her for so long. Typically, we followed Dad to his next assignment right after school got out – usually 1 to 3 months after he was gone. That left Mom to organize us and our trip to follow him. There could not have been a calmer mother to make that happen. We love her and miss her every day!
Dad’s proposal to Mom came after he had been drafted following Pearl Harbor. He called her, saying, “If you’ll quit Teachers’ College and marry me, I’ll give you your own kindergarten.” She obviously said yes, and they were soon married in Omaha, NE. He was soon off to N. Africa and several months later, Brat 1 of 9 arrived. Attached are some pics showing the growth of the kindergarten as we traveled our world.
Growing Up Army is available through Warren Publishing and most online venues. Also, if you would like a signed copy, message me and we can make arrangements for that.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

03/31/2025

April is MILITARY BRATS’ MONTH!
As the 3rd of 9 Army Brats brought into this world by Sgt. Maj. and Mrs. Heath, I am forever thankful for the life we were all provided.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dad was drafted into the Army. Mom and Dad had been engaged throughout most of his training. During that time, Mom started going to one-room school house teachers’ college Wautoma, WI.
In June of ’42, Dad was at Ft. Crook, NE and Mom was on spring break from school. He called her, saying, “I think we should get married soon, and I know you plan to keep going to school to be a teacher. If you’ll quit school and marry me, I’ll provide you with your own kindergarten!” Shortly afterwards she was on her way to Omaha to get married. The 1st of the 9 Brat kindergartners was conceived just before Dad was shipped off to N. Africa to join the war.
Being a Brat is what inspired me to write our historical memoire, Growing Up Army. In that process, it became clear to me that growing up in the military was fun for many of us, but also very difficult for others. For me personally, it was just, "OK, when are we going, and where?" I believe that, having a family with 8 siblings made it easier for us. Below are a couple of thoughts about it.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

02/02/2025

SMaj. Dad, the Occasional Curmudgeon’s Birthday

I’m running about a week late on this – Jan. 26th marked Sgt. Major Dad’s 104th birthday – we all miss him a lot and thank him often for the life he and the Army provided Mom and their 9 kids, growing up around our world.
National Curmudgeon Day (Jan. 29th) reminded me of this next thing. As much as we love and honor Dad, who, while he served our country honorably and was generally friendly and loved to have fun, he had a few “curmudgeon” moments, which are noted in the historical – sometimes, hysterical - memoir, Growing Up Army. I often wonder if other Brats experienced some of those moments growing up with military dads.
One such curmudgeon-ish moment came when he was stationed at Ft. Gordon, GA. Dad told us, over the years, that getting Cs on a report card was OK, because Cs are average and most of the world is average. Well, suddenly, he wanted to promote straight As, so he offered $20 to anyone bringing home straight As. (At this time, the oldest 4 of 9 Brats had left the nest.) Brat 6, Jim, decided to go for it, and he did, with one of them being an A-. Did Jim get his $20 from Sgt. Maj. Dad? NO! He said, “An A- is NOT an A!” Fortunately for Jim, Mom later (secretly) handed him the $20, saying, “You earned this!”. Jim never went for it again.
Rest in peace, Dad. We love, honor and respect you, and always will.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

02/02/2025

SMaj. Dad, the Fun, Happy, Occasional Curmudgeon’s Birthday

I’m running about a week late on this – Jan. 26th marked Sgt. Major Dad’s 104th birthday – we all miss him a lot and thank him often for the life he and the Army provided Mom and their 9 kids, growing up around our world.
National Curmudgeon Day (Jan. 29th) reminded me of this next thing. As much as we love and honor Dad, who, while he served our country honorably and was generally friendly and loved to have fun, he had a few “curmudgeon” moments, which are noted in the historical – sometimes, hysterical - memoir, Growing Up Army. I often wonder if other Brats experienced some of those moments growing up with military dads.
One such curmudgeon-ish moment came when he was stationed at Ft. Gordon, GA. Dad told us, over the years, that getting Cs on a report card was OK, because Cs are average and most of the world is average. Well, suddenly, he wanted to promote straight As, so he offered $20 to anyone bringing home straight As. (At this time, the oldest 4 of 9 Brats had left the nest.) Brat 6, Jim, decided to go for it, and he did, with one of them being an A-. Did Jim get his $20 from Sgt. Maj. Dad? NO! He said, “An A- is NOT an A!” Fortunately for Jim, Mom later (secretly) handed him the $20, saying, “You earned this!”. Jim never went for it again.
Rest in peace, Dad. We love, honor and respect you, and always will.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

12/27/2024

Monday, December 30th marks the 80th anniversary of the German air raid on the 431st AAA AW Battalion, H.Q. Battery in Mutzig, France in 1944 - a little over 4 months prior to the German's surrender. Staff Sgt. Richard Heath (our Dad) was among those wounded in that strike. Mom's parents received the telegram, which they took to our Mom.
After Dad recovered from his wound and was honorably discharged, he worked in civilian life for 1 1/2 years, didn't like it, and re-enlisted in the Army. He and Mom had 9 kids throughout Dad's career - I'm 3rd of 9 adventurous brats.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

08/22/2024

Re: National Cousins Day – July 24

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about Growing Up Army, but when I saw a couple posts about National Cousins Day, it struck a cord inside me. As an adult, I’ve gotten to know, distantly, a few of my cousins – I have many, but sadly, I know very few of them.
Any military brat can relate to this, because we never stayed in any place very long, and were often either overseas in another country, or on the other side of our country from where our cousins lived. For me and my 8 siblings, our location in the world changed every 1 – 3 years.
Spending any amount of time with extended family only occurred for brief periods when we returned from overseas, or just before we left the states to go far away. That always meant time with grandparents, and maybe a little time with an aunt and uncle or two and their kids. A few pics of those times are attached.
That said, I have been very pleased as an adult that my own kids have gotten to know all of their cousins quite well, due to many annual family gatherings since Dad retired from the Army.

Growing Up Army is available at warrenpublishing.net , Amazon, Books-A-Million and most other online book outlets. You can contact the author (me) at [email protected] .
Robert Heath Author

04/04/2024

Here we are - it's Military Brats' Month! Being a Brat is what inspired me to write Growing Up Army. In that process, it became clear to me that growing up in the military was fun for many of us, but also very difficult for many of us. For me personally, it was just, "OK, when are we going, and where?" I believe that, having a family with 8 siblings made it all easier for us. Below are a couple of thoughts about it.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

03/08/2024

For this International Women’s Day, it is my honor, on behalf of myself and my 8 siblings, to celebrate our mother, Virginia Mae Heath. Mom grew up in the Great Depression and lived a nomadic life as her dad took on various carpentry jobs around Wisconsin. Graduating from Waupaca H.S. in 1942, her classmates lauded her as a “geometry wizard”, “really smart in Chemistry”, and “the girl who always knew a lot in English”.
After they had been engaged for a year, she married Dad, who had been drafted shortly after Pearl Harbor. They were able to be together for a few months before he was sent to join the war in North Africa. Mom gave birth to our oldest brother 4 days after the end of the N. Africa campaign, defeating the Axis forces. Dad was in Tunisia then.
Dad continued his service in the army after the war, and Mom and the ever-growing brood of Brats followed him around our world. Because Dad was usually gone a month or more before we joined him, our amazing Mom was responsible to make sure we all got our vaccinations and were packed and ready to go when she got our port call. She did this, and so much more, without any angst or confusion and she never got upset. She just let us know what we needed to do and made sure we did it.
GINNY MAE LIVED TO THE AGE OF 100 + 3 WEEKS, hanging on until just after her 100th birthday party. We all love her, miss her and are so thankful for the life she and our Dad provided us.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author

01/15/2024

Warren Publishing, Inc.
January 10 at 4:00 PM ·
Rave Review Rollout Time! We are highlighting the awesome review that Robert R. Heath, Sr. received for his memoir Growing Up Army from D. Donovan with Midwest Book Review. Growing Up Army chronicles The Heath Brat Platoon of nines many exploits, where brat number three has shared their wonderful and joyous family adventures. Check it out below.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/.../Growing_Up_Army...
Robert Heath Author See less

01/15/2024

Rave Review Rollout Time! We are highlighting the awesome review that Robert R. Heath, Sr. received for his memoir Growing Up Army from D. Donovan with Midwest Book Review. Growing Up Army chronicles The Heath Brat Platoon of nines many exploits, where brat number three has shared their wonderful and joyous family adventures. Check it out below.
https://www.warrenpublishing.net/store/p467/Growing_Up_Army_%28Hard_Cover%29_By_Robert_Heath_Sr..html
Robert Heath Author

12/30/2023

On this day 79 years ago, Dad was wounded in an air raid while positioned near Mutzig, France. The war would be over within a few months and he was honorably discharged once his wound healed. After civilian life for a year and a half, he reenlisted and was sent to Yokohama, Japan, where I was born.
Attached is a picture of him, probably in Sardinia, holding a dandelion, and a copy of the Morning Report describing the air raid in which he was wounded.
Read more about his time in the war and our times Growing Up Army, available through WarrenPublishing.net, Amazon, and most online book stores.

Robert Heath Author

05/26/2025

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03/31/2025

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12/27/2024

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