PRESS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2006
Contact: Ruth Provost
508 477 8845 or
Kerry Bickford
508 375 6695
EVENT TO SUPPORT THE CHILDREN OF DEPLOYED
MILITARY PARENTS IN HYANNIS FEBRUARY 8
More and more Massachusetts young people are finding that they have become “suddenly
military.” Deployment affects children that you know, they are your friends and
neighbors. Most National Guard and Reservist families live in civilian communities and
many of active duty personnel also live off-base. Some families even move during
deployment to reduce costs, increase access to military services, to be closer to relatives
and family support, or for other reasons. These families may look the same as always,
but they are facing some very real stresses, both as parents are deployed and again as they
come home.
The unique and often-overlooked needs of young people whose military parents have
been deployed far from home are the focus of five educational workshops being held
throughout Massachusetts in February and March by the Massachusetts Operation
Military Kids team.
One of the workshops, called Ready, Set, Go! is going to be held in Hyannis at the
Marriot Courtyard on Route 132 on February 8, 2006 from 9 am until 3:30 pm. The
workshop is free and lunch is included.
Ready, Set, Go! trainings are aimed at teachers, coaches, Girls Scout and Boy Scout
leaders, school administrators, youth group leaders, and anyone else who works with, or
cares about, these young people who are facing wrenching challenges when parents and
other family members are deployed.
“We are facing a real challenge, but one that is often hidden from public view,” says
Gretchen May, coordinator of Operation Military Kids – Massachusetts. “Often, these
kids don’t want people to know that their parents have been deployed, even though their
lives have been changed dramatically. Now they are ‘suddenly military’ even though they
look the same to teachers, friends and the rest of the community.”
As of last April, nearly 1800 Reservists and National Guard members had been called to
active duty in Massachusetts. Over 40-percent of Massachusetts National Guard
members have dependent children.
The trainings are being provided by Operation: Military Kids – Massachusetts, a
partnership of the U.S. Army’s Child and Youth Services, the USDA’s National 4-H
program, and University of Massachusetts, which coordinates the program through
UMass Extension and its 4-H Youth Development program – along with the
Massachusetts Department of Education, the Massachusetts National Guard, the U.S.
Army Reserve, Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA and The American Legion.
To register for the training in Hyannis for adults please call Kerry Bickford, 4-H &
Communities, Families and Youth Program, 508- 375-6695 or Ruth Provost , Boys &
Girls Club-Cape Cod 508-477-8845.
The workshops are part of far-reaching program that also includes an overnight training
program for both civilian and military teens at Camp Edwards on the MMR in Bourne
during the February vacation week; a possible July summer camp at 4-H Camp Marshall;
a touring Mobile Technology Lab that will allow youth to initiate their own media
productions and stay in digital contact with deployed parents; and participation of
program staff and families in National Guard Family Readiness Groups throughout the
state.
The event for teens who want to support their “suddenly military” peers is called Speak
Out For Military Kids (SOMK) and will be held at the MMR on Wednesday night, Feb
22-23, 2006 during the school vacation week. Teens ages 13-18 are invited to spend the
night at Camp Edwards with teens from all over Massachusetts. There is no cost for this
event. Overnight expenses will be paid through a grant to Operation: Military KidsMassachusetts from the 4-H/Army and Auburn University Youth Development Project #
2003-48558-01723.
SOMK is an educational program designed by and for military dependent and civilian
teens to raise the awareness of issues facing military families. Through a youth-led
process of interviews, discussions and exploration participants find out first hand what
military families experience due to deployment.
For information about the teen SMOK or to sign up to attend, call Jennifer Cesaitis,
MANG- State Youth Program Coordinator 508-233-7290; Va Shon Hiltpold, 4-H
Extension Educator, 617-628-5607 Ext.207;
On 27 July, 2005, Lauren Cornelier, an Army Reserve Youth, spoke at the Florida State
4-H Conference on a variety of issues facing children of military families today. She had
this to say about how deployment affected teens that she knows: “ Fran lives in the
northwest with her brother and parents. Her dad was deployed to Egypt in Operation
Desert Storm for a year and half. She was eight when he left and nine when he came
back. While he was deployed he missed several important things in her life such as her
birthday, sports, and school functions. While her dad was deployed she found it very hard
to relate to anybody in her school. She says that even now, while her dad is home, she
finds school stressful because sometimes she’s the only military teen and can’t relate well
with other teens her age. She worries about her dad’s probable deployment and what it
will do to her family. She finds it hard to open up and express what its like to move every
couple years, make new friends, live in an Army environment, and what it feels like to
have her dad in harms way. “
“Victor’s dad is currently over in Iraq on his second tour. Victor told me that his dad was
gone for a year in Iraq then he came home for three months, left for promotional school
for six months, came home for one month and then left for Iraq again. That means that in
the last two years, Victor has had only four months with his dad. Because of these
circumstances, his dad has missed most of his high school years, three birthdays in a row,
two Christmases, and his high school graduation. While his dad is deployed he has had to
step up and take his place. Victor takes care of his brother who has Down’s syndrome, his
grandmother who has diabetes, and his mother who suffers from migraines. Victor said
that besides being at school, he is at home taking care of his family. He has a hard time
relating to other teens at school; they just don’t understand.”
The following suggestions about how to support families and kids who find themselves
“suddenly military” are reproduced with permission from the Washington State Family
Policy Council paper WELCOME HOME! How to Make a Difference in the Lives of
Returning War Zone Veterans.
“ Family, friends and neighbors are a terrific resource, a source of strength and help in
good times and bad. Family, friends and neighbors may need to show an extra dose of
understanding as parents are deployed and as veterans return home. Family, friends &
neighbors can:
• Offer to help with household chores and projects.
• Babysit or offer respite for kids facing the stress of deployment and readjustment.
• Welcome veterans home with appreciation for their service and warm conversation;
continue to reach out to the spouse, even if the returning veteran prefers solitude.
• Recognize that loud noises, fireworks, fires and other realities of daily life may startle
war zone veterans and evoke an over-reaction.
• Call 9-1-1 if there are violent incidents and be sure to inform the dispatcher that a war
zone veteran is involved.
• If a veteran appears to be struggling with depression, suicidal thoughts, domestic
violence or substance abuse, steer him or her towards help.”
“Surprisingly, the return home creates as much stress on a family as the original
deployment. Here are some ways to help. “Nearly every day, American veterans arrive
home from Iraq or Afghanistan. The environment they return to makes a real difference
in how the transition home goes. War zone veterans, their families and their communities
would benefit from everyone getting involved and creating a welcoming, thoughtful and
helpful environment.
Study after study confirms that a strong social network of friends, neighbors, employers,
and people with similar interests in the community makes the transition home easier and
healthier. Everyone can play a helpful role in strengthening the social network of a
returning veteran. .
Positive roles include:
• Material support, including employment. Money, the ability to make a living, housing
and other resources matter. We all need to know that we can count on others if times get
tough.
• Help with tasks and projects. It’s hard to “go it alone” when there’s work to do.
Knowing we can ask someone to share the load is supportive.
• Sharing and advice. Perspective, problem solving, and the opportunity to talk make a
big difference whether the issue is large or small.
• Positive interactions. Getting together and having fun reduces stress. Hearing positive
things makes it easier to take next steps and make transitions of all kinds.”
“Deployment affects even very young children. In addition to concern for their absent
parent, children must cope with the stress their remaining parent will naturally
experience. Some sources call this “deployment distress.” After deployment to Iraq or
Afghanistan ends, living with a war zone veteran can impact success at school. Warrelated adjustment problems, including substance abuse, depression, anxiety and PTSD,
affect the whole family and may interfere with the student’s concentration,
communication and ability to relate to other students.”