Academia

I think this is part of it. Plus, like @[email protected] and @[email protected] said, DoDEA schools are well funded, integrated, and have a standard curriculum that is (somewhat ironically) less politicized.

When you have a kid who grows up with an enlisted soldier for a parent, that kid goes to school with other enlisted soldiers' kids and often officers' kids (including flag officers), as well. This is even more pronounced overseas. That would be as if some random Amazon worker's kid went to school with Bezos' kid (a bit of an exaggeration). Sure, sometimes the flags and senior Os will send their kids to private schools and such, but just as often, they're DoDEA, too. Plus, when overseas, there's just so much more that can be experienced in culture.