Month of the military child: JBER celebrates its youth

  • Published
  • By Chris McCann
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  For the last decade especially, it has been common to see yellow ribbon stickers and magnets that say "Support Our Troops."

Care packages to service members in Iraq and Afghanistan have been sent by the millions. Spouses of deployed troops are supported by communities too.
But children of service members sometimes are forgotten even by those otherwise eager to help.

Every year, April is marked as the Month of the Military Child in an effort to recognize the difficulties that those children endure.

Frequent moves, long periods of time when a parent is deployed, and having to step up to help Mom or Dad can take a toll.

"Military children serve as well," said Jennifer Frysz, an outreach manager with the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Resiliency Element. "We honor their dedication to military life and celebrate their contributions.

"People think about Soldiers and Airmen, but we should also recognize the sacrifices their children make."

On military installations around the world, there are often carnivals and other celebrations in April to mark the month.

Youth services, family advocacy programs, and other support groups coordinate efforts.
On April 7, JBER will host the Easter Eggstravaganza at the Buckner Physical Fitness Center parking lot with an Easter-egg hunt. Inside the gym will be a Family Fitness Day.
The egg hunts will be divided up by age group, said Diann Richardson, also an outreach manager. Having concurrent events allows families to visit the indoor activities to warm up between egg hunts if they have children of different ages, so families aren't just standing around waiting.

"It's a collaborative effort across the base," said Verna Loosli, who also serves with the resiliency element. "We're all coming together to celebrate the Month of the Military Child."

The indoor event will have an emphasis on fun and fitness, she said.

"We encourage families to be active," Loosli said. "There will be obstacle courses that parents and children can do together, as well as demonstrations."

Food will also be featured - especially nutritious snacks.

"Everyone is welcome," Loosli said. "Service members, families, civilian employees - we're all part of the JBER community."

About a dozen agencies are involved in the day's events.

"It's about resiliency, really," said Frysz. "There are pillars of resiliency, and we're having this event to enhance all the ways to boost health - social, mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and family."

"We want family participation," Loosli said. "There will be songs, a coloring contest, and crafts to do together too. It's not just information distribution and people handing out flyers - it's more interactive."

Family interaction is important for kids.

"You can find a special niche or activity, and take time to do something special," Loosli said. "Have a dinner or celebration at home, or even an awards ceremony. Parents can find ways to honor their child's contributions."

"Military kids are unique and wonderful," said Frysz. "They're more resilient, and they can bring to the table more newly acquired skills.

"They can be an example to classmates; leadership, independence and responsibility are some of the skills they've usually learned," Frysz said.

"Military kids are often treated just like everyone else," Frysz said. "But there's the moving around and deployments...sometimes people don't look at what the children have been through. So we want to bring attention to this, and be more supportive."