Acknowledging Military Children During The Month Of April

When someone talks about being a military brat or angel, it does not mean that they have lived a life of luxury. Rather, this is a child of someone who is proudly serving in the United States military, and it's a child who has made his or her own sacrifices.

Many may envy a military child since they have the unique opportunity to travel around the world, meet new people, and learn about different cultures, but these unique opportunities also help create resiliency. This resiliency will assist them as they move every few years, having to make new friends and become familiar with new surroundings.

The most difficult part about being a military child is the worry of a parent being deployed for up to a year at a time, in harm's way, and missing holidays, birthdays, graduations, and other once in a lifetime events.

Many military families move every two to three years, so a child may start as a freshman in one high school but finish their senior year in another high school with new friends and classmates they don't know very well.

Thankfully this burden is eased, as a child is often on a military base, surrounded by other children who also feel alone and uprooted. Borne through these shared experiences are bonds that can last a lifetime.

When we think about service to our country or the patriotism, courage, and resilience, as well as all of the other sacrifices that are made, we are not just speaking about our troops. The children of our service men and women play a special and unique role in keeping our country safe and preserving the freedoms that we hold dear as Americans.

Next time you see a military child, please take a moment to thank them for their sacrifice.