The month of April has been dedicated to the children of the men and women serving in our Armed Forces for the last 23 years. In 1986, Defense Secretary Casper Weingberger recognized not only the importance of the sacrifice made by the men and women serving but also the sacrifice their children make. Children in military families go through an immense amount of changes as a result of their parents’ military career. According to an article found on the Defense Department’s web site, a family that spends about 20 years in the military averages about nine moves. That means changing schools, saying good bye to friends and completely starting over time after time.
During the month of April, military bases around the country and the world will hold special events just for the children. These events will stress the importance of providing our military children with quality services and support to help them succeed in the mobile military lifestyle, Larrie Jarvis said, he is a Navy child and youth programs analyst.
“Our military children are proud of their moms and dads for their brave defense of our great country,” Leslye A. Arsht who is deputy under secretary for military community and family policy said. “The Month of the Military Child events and activities let us show the youngest members of our military family – the children – how proud we are of their contributions, too. Our military children are unsung heroes. This is our chance to thank them for being so supportive of their parents.”
Ruthann Donnelly is a first-year student majoring in social work. She can be reached at RD659272@wcupa.edu.