Honor the military ... and its children

April is the Month of the Military Child, in case you weren’t aware.

I never knew that it was until I moved to this community.

Enterprise, Daleville and the surrounding cities and towns are so supportive of the military every day. It’s no big surprise that this community also celebrates the family members of the military as well.

Just for one example, Enterprise City Schools holds an awesome festival to celebrate the children of the military. How fun is that?

The idea of just how important it is to celebrate the children of military personnel has been something I’ve been thinking about recently.

Since I’ve moved here, I’ve read random emails and heard statements about how hard life can be for the family members of military personnel, especially during deployments. I’ve heard from military children about the Skype sessions, the letters, the loneliness, but also the pride that comes with having one or more parents serving in the military.

I’ve never known those feelings when it comes to not being around my parents for great lengths of time. I’ve always had them around; they’ve always been there to call, text or drive home to to see.

My only connection to the military is my brother, who served in the United States Marine Corps.

I remember writing to him during his basic training and how anxious I was the entire time he was gone. I remember crying with every letter I got from him and how excited I was to see the envelope with his name on it.

He was never sent overseas, thank goodness, but he was still stationed in Washington D.C., which isn’t a trip you can make in a short amount of time. I couldn’t just see him when I wanted.

It was hard for me, and that was just a taste of having a family member in the military. There are children out there who have parents – the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally, give you advice when you do and don’t want it as you grow up and provide a safe haven during a hard or bad day– who aren’t home all the time.

If I couldn’t even cope that well with my brother being gone, I can’t even imagine how military children cope with having a parent being stationed somewhere else.

Not only that, but military children also have to adapt quickly, especially if their family is moved from place to place because of their parent’s job in the military.

I’ve heard personal statements from some military children that meeting new people can be hard. Once you have made friends in a place, if your family has to move, leaving your friends can be hard. At least, that’s what the military children that I’ve talked to say.

Plus, every city or town is different, at least in the beginning, I would imagine. Adapting to different places, especially if those places were overseas in other countries, is something that I’m not sure I could do with poise and grace, if you know what I mean.

The two coolest things about military children, at least the few that I’ve met, are they are some of the nicest people you could ever meet, and their pride in the military parent(s) never fails. That’s something to be noted, in my opinion.

So, in honor of the Month of the Military Child, I’m officially thanking the military children for their service to this country. All of you are amazing for supporting your family and doing the things you do.

Cassie Gibbs is a staff writer for The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier. The opinions of this writer are her own and not the opinion of the paper. She can be reached at (334) 393-2969 or by email at [email protected].