The Military Child

This just came in from our favorite Soldiers' Angels to remind us of the sacrifices made by the children of our troops. While it's hard for me, as a mom, to watch my child go off to war, I can not begin to imagine how hard it is to see your father or mother (or both) leave to go to war. The thought of it makes me want to scoop them all up and just hug them and thank them for something they can't even understand yet. While I go to find a kleenex, feel free to read what I got from the Angels today:

April marks a very special month in the lives of the military members. Soldiers' Angels joins the US Department of Defense in recognizing April as the Month of the Military Child, a time to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and challenges they overcome. Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, established April as the Month of the Military Child in 1986, underscoring the importance of military children and their role in military families.

These children make sacrifices and serve their country as much as anyone in uniform does, quietly shouldering part of the burden, making their mom or dad understand that what they are doing is important. Military parents often have to miss holidays and special occasions, and children are left home to worry while parents go on difficult missions. Active duty military families also have to move every two or three years, making the children uproot, change schools and say goodbye to friends. Because military children have to transition and adapt a lot, they gain great life experience and maturity at a young age. April serves as a reminder for military families that there is support available to them with resources to help.

Soldiers' Angels encourages the nation to stand up and support the military families in their surrounding area by getting involved in a variety of ways. Please contact Soldiers' Angels (ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org) or your local military facility to see how you can best utilize your time and talent to show your appreciation during the Month of the Military Child. To all of the military children in our nation- thank you for your service to our country, you are a very important part of our freedom.



SOLDIERS' ANGELS PROCLAMATION

Whereas, Thousands of brave Americans have demonstrated their courage and commitment to freedom by serving the armed forces of the United States of America in active duty posts around the world; and,

Whereas, More than 40 percent of these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have left families with children behind; and,

Whereas, More than one million of America's children have at least one parent currently serving active military duty; and,

Whereas, These children are a source of pride and honor to us all, and it is only fitting that we take time to recognize their contributions, celebrate their spirit, and let our men and women in uniform know that while they're taking care of us, we're taking care of their children; and,

Whereas, The recognition of the "Month of the Military Child" will allow us to pay tribute to military children for their commitment, their struggles and their unconditional support of our troops, because when parents serve in the military, their Kids Serve Too; and,

Whereas, A month-long salute to military children will encourage support for "Kids Serve Too" and other organizations and campaigns established to provide direct support to military children and families; and now therefore be it, Resolved, That I, Patti Patton - Bader, founder of Soldiers’ Angels, do hereby proclaim April 2009, as The Month of the Military Child within the Soldiers’ Angels organization. I encourage all Angels to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor, support and thank military children.


Patti Patton-Bader
Soldiers' Angels Founder

Shelle Michaels
Soldiers' Angels National Communication Officer