Thursday, April 24, 2008

Army recognizes military children throughout April

April marks a special month in the lives of military families.

The Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command joins the military community in recognizing April as the “Month of the Military Child,” a time to honor military families and their children for the sacrifices they make and challenges they overcome every day.

In 1986, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger recognized the importance of military children and their role in military families when he established April as Month of the Military Child in a DoD commemoration.

Active-duty military families move almost every two or three years, uprooting children, changing schools, and saying goodbye to friends. The children learn to adapt with each transition as they gain new experiences in their new environment.

“Sometimes we forget that military children ‘serve’ as a result of a parent’s military career,” Director of Army Child and Youth Services, M.-A. Lucas said. “A military family averages nine moves through a 20-year career, and, in doing so, their children must say goodbye to friends, change schools and start all over again.”

Deployments are difficult for everyone involved - from Soldiers who are being deployed, to the children who are left behind, to the community of family and friends who must take on new responsibilities and provide support and services.

Military children undergo hardships and face many obstacles by having a parent deployed for long periods at a time. These children make sacrifices and serve their country as much as anyone in uniform. By doing their part quietly, they make their parents realize that what they do is just as important.

According to the Month of the Military Child Web site, more than 1 million American children have at least one parent actively serving in the military.

Throughout April, the military community hosts special programs and events to salute military children. These programs include festivals, tournaments, carnivals, health screening for children, youth talent shows and more.

In 2007, garrison events stressed the importance of providing quality services and supporting children. Families, installations, schools and communities have come together to provide a stable environment for children.

“We have found in previous years that we need to provide a balance between community and Child and Youth Services’ in-house activities,” said Sally Haskell, chief of Child and Youth Services at Fort Belvoir. “Both entities provide awareness to everyone about the importance of children, in general, as well as emphasize the importance of spending time with children. We believe, once parents are provided with training and appropriate options, that they will make the right choices when interacting with their children and selecting activities for their families.”
Last year, installations worldwide celebrated children in different ways. Fort Belvoir filled April with events and activities for parents and children. They had a spaghetti dinner for more than 300 families, inaugurating a partnership with the Armed Services Young Men’s Christian Association and Operation Kid Comfort, coordinated with the libraries and schools to provide guest authors and readers to read to the children. Volunteers joined in by providing children quilts or pillows with pictures of deployed parents so children could “sleep with their Soldiers.”

“We have decided to continue with the programs that were most successful last year,” Haskell said. “Some of the programs include a free community spaghetti dinner, Parent University, and our family fun day, as well as crafts, stories and much more.

Child and Youth Services also partners with Army Community Service to recognize “Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month” during April, Haskell said. She said that by doing that, they improve the success of both programs and attract attention of the community and command to children and families.

“Every military child is a source of pride to all of us,” Lucas said. “We recognize children as the future of our nation and use the Month of the Military Child to let them know they are treasured and appreciated.”

Other installations worldwide have conducted similar events to celebrate military children.