Working Together to Help Children

 When someone enlists in the military, they are prepared to travel in support of serving their country. They are committed, knowing training and deployments will take them wherever they’re needed. But what about their family? What about their children? With April being Month of the Military Child, it is a good time to remember that even though children aren’t the ones who signed up to serve, their lives are affected dramatically. They might move often and change schools. They deal with having a parent, or parents, gone for long periods of time.

Since 2001, more than two million children have had a parent deploy at least once, according to Comfort Crew for Military Kids (CCMK). CCMK is one of the organizations Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) partners with to support the military community. Beyond dealing with deployments, military children also face challenges relating to reconnecting with family after separation, a parent’s visible and invisible injuries, and grief over the loss of a loved one.

“It’s important to remember that military kids serve, too,” said Dr. Becky Porter, Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC). “Often, adults thank each other for their service, and it’s customary to recognize the spouse for his or her sacrifice. Unfortunately, that is not the case for military-connected children.”

Learn more about how military children can navigate these changes in the April issue of Homeland Magazine. 

Contact: Rachel Bolles — Public Relations, rbolles@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.760.2425

About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers — helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more.