It’s April! And, know what that means? This is DoD Month of the Military Child. And it feels real now. Only two Airmen (as of 4 days ago) have said goodbye to their families for a six month deployment. Another said goodbye tomorrow, also for a six-month deployment. An Airman returned just a few weeks ago from his six-month deployment. And, in just a few days, a Soldier will redeploy from his 12 month deployment (God’s gift)! So, in our small neighborhood of 71 houses (where over 1/3 of the houses are either empty or occupied by retirees), 10% of families are experiencing or recovering from a deployment. For such a tiny little installation, that’s a pretty big number.
And because of these deployments, 13 military children have experienced or are experiencing time without their fathers. Three of these military dependents are teenagers (which brings many other challenges). But the other 10 little ones are in elementary school or younger (one is in 5th grade, 2 are kindergarten, and the others, 7 of them, are preschool-age or younger). When I wrote this article last year, I had a friend, a friend and her two kiddos, going through a deployment. I decided to update and republish this article because It.Still.Applies! Happy reading…
In 1986, Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger declared April as the Month of the Military Child to recognize, honor, and highlight those who also serve, but don’t volunteer – military children. Since its inception, Military Child Month has continued to gain traction and remains strong today. The Month consists of celebrations throughout the military and civilian communities and consists of parades, assemblies, and other special events that provide a platform for military children to receive recognition for the sacrifices they endure as a result of their family’s commitment to serving our country. One of the most important events of the Month is the “Purple Up! For Military Children”, a day to paint the town purple in support of our military children. This year, 2018, Purple Up! The day is Friday, April 13th. 2019, Purple Up! The day for DoD schools is Friday, April 24th. But, today is flexible and you are free to execute Purple Up! Day whenever fits your school schedule!
Why purple?
Simple…If you mix the colors of all the services, you make a shade of purple. Air Force Blue, Army Green, Navy Blue, Marine Corps Red, and Coast Guard Blue! Month of the Military Child applies to all branches of service and all components (Active Duty, Reserve Component, and National Guard). This basically translates to about 1.7 million dependent children! The term “dependent” is critical, as it provides an upper age limit to whom the military provides services and resources. The military’s definition of a dependent child is “children. Unmarried biological, step-children, and adopted children up to age 21 (or 23 if in college). Eligibility may exceed these age limits if he is severely disabled.”
