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The Defense Department knows that the whole family serves when a
military member serves.
April is the
Month of the Military Child ... a time to highlight the
contributions and sacrifices made by military children.
It's
also a chance to catch up on what the department does for military
families.
As a group, military children are a resilient
bunch, said Barbara A. Thompson, the director of DoD's Office of
Family Readiness Policy.
Military children need to be resilient, Thompson said.
Active-duty military personnel move an average of once every two to
three years, according to DoD statistics. And they don't just move
to the next town. Military families are more likely to move long
distances and to foreign countries.
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Lt. Gen. Timothy M. Ray, 3rd Air Force commander, welcomes the first
group of Air Force families to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, after the
ordered departure of dependents of service members and Defense
Department civilian personnel currently stationed in Turkey, March
30, 2016. The removal of dependents is ensure the safety and
security of military families. The decision was intended to mitigate
the risk to DOD elements and personnel, including family members,
within the authorities and means of the command, while ensuring the
combat effectiveness of U.S. forces and mission support to
operations in Turkey. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sara
Keller)
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Moves disrupt family life, Thompson said. For children, frequent
moves disrupt education, friendships, sports and more.
Many Military Children Thrive
But there are many that thrive in this environment, Thompson
said.
“[Military children] are a very resilient group of
people,” she said. “I'm not underestimating what it takes for a
military child to move every two or three years -- it means a new
home, new neighborhood, new friends [and a] new school. Those are
challenges. So it takes a supportive environment that begins with
the parents and then the whole community to support the military
children to help them get through those difficult times of reaching
out and becoming a part of that community as a new military child.”
Thompson stresses that everyone is a part of the family
readiness system. Chaplains, teachers, child care givers, family
advocacy specialists are all part of the support system for children
and their parents, she said.
This can be relatively easy on
the close confines of an installation, but for families who reside
away from a military base -- especially for children of those in the
reserve and National Guard components -- this may be more of a
challenge, Thompson said. School administrators, teachers, clergy
and social services personnel must understand the special
circumstances that military children may find themselves in and know
where to go for resources.
About 42 percent of the children
of active-duty service members are under the age of 5, Thompson
said.
“Our force is young. They marry earlier; they have
their first child earlier than their civilian counterparts and we
want to make sure the programs we provide meet the needs of those
young families,” she said. “We have to be cognizant about the needs
of very young children.”
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Air Force Capt. Michael K. Kan, center right, a bioenvironmental
engineer, talks with robotics club students at the Camp Foster
Community Center at Okinawa, Japan, February 20, 2014, during the
first robotics competition sponsored by Department of Defense
Education Activity Okinawa District. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by
Cpl. Joey Holeman)
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Worldwide Child Development
Program Facilities
But babies and toddlers aren't
the only focus, officials said. There are about 300 youth and teen
centers worldwide serving more than 645,000 youth through a variety
of educational and recreational programs. In the past year, about
2,700 military youth participated in camp programs at little or no
out-of-pocket expense.
In all of these areas people inside and outside the department
are studying ways to make these services better, and this indicates
the importance leaders place on the military family, Thompson said.
“We have an office of family readiness recognizing the
sacrifices and support that the military family provides to the
service member,” she said. “When you look at retention, those
decisions are made around the kitchen table. It's the entire family
that contributes to the support of that military member so that he
or she is successful in the mission, but it is an entire family that
signs up, if you will, and sacrifices on behalf of this nation.”
There are many different resources, Thompson said. Here are a
few of them...
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Military One Source is what it sounds like ... the one place
to go to for information. A Military Youth on the Move section
offers information for children who are preparing to move to a
new home or dealing with the aftereffects of a recent move.
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Military Kids Connect is a site where military children can
connect with other children who are facing similar challenges.
There are also tips for parents and teachers.
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The
Military
Child Education Coalition is a non-profit organization
focused on the academic and emotional needs of military children
in public schools. They offer a variety of programs and
resources for students and parents.
By Jim Garamone
DOD News
Copyright 2016
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