Posts Tagged National Guard
Family Matters Blog: Grants Help Kids Stay Active
Posted by carol.bowers in Family Matters on May 24, 2012
By Lisa Daniel
May 24, 2012
When Decorda Owens’ father deployed to Afghanistan last year with the Mississippi Army National Guard, the 13-year-old stepped up to take care of the family yard work and help his mother with his three younger sisters.
Like so many children of Guard and Reserve members, Decorda didn’t have the support of a military base where he lives in Starkville, Miss., yet he’d assumed a lot of stress and responsibility. The shining light for Decorda was a grant from the Our Military Kids nonprofit group to pursue his passion for hip-hop dancing.
As summer approaches and families search for camps, activities and possibly tutors to get the kids through those long three months, they should know about Our Military Kids. The organization, which began in 2004, awarded 9,150 grants worth $3.75 million last year. The grants are reserved for children of deployed National Guard and Reserve members, as well as children of service members severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq, whether they are active, Guard, Reserve, or retired. Families may receive up to $500 per child.
Decorda and four other children of National Guard and Reserve members traveled to Washington for an April 19 event to showcase how they’ve used Our Military Kids grants while their parent was deployed. The children, all honored as Our Military Kids of the Year for their high achievement, danced and performed various musical instruments before a packed auditorium at the Naval Heritage Center as proof of the nonprofit’s good investment.
The organization even appealed to top Navy leadership to cut short the deployment of Petty Officer Christopher Karnbach, a Navy reservist deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a couple weeks early so he could surprise his family and join them on stage as Our Military Kids’ Military Family of the Year. They agreed, and Karnbach had an emotional reunion with his wife, Anne Marie; son, Christopher, and daughter, Abigail, both of whom demonstrated that they’ve learned to break boards with tae kwon do kicks from lessons provided by the grants.
“It’s been a great opportunity for my children and I’m sure for everybody else’s to give them something to think about besides having a deployed parent,” Karnbach said of the grant money the couple’s two children received to take tae kwon do lessons.
The military’s top leaders frequently tout the importance of public-private partnerships to support military families and Our Military Kids, supported by public and corporate money, is a good example.
First Lady Announces Fitness Commitments
Posted by in Family Matters on May 10, 2011
By Elaine Sanchez
Elaine.sanchez@dma.mil
May 10, 2011
First Lady Michelle Obama hops through hula hoops as part of an obstacle course during a fitness and nutrition event on the White House's South Lawn, May 9, 2011. DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez
Yesterday I visited the White House to attend a “Let’s Move” fitness and nutrition event for children of National Guardsmen and reservists hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
The first lady quickly urged the kids to “get moving” along with her at several fitness stations scattered around the South Lawn. With about 80 teens at her side, she danced to Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair,” hopped through hula hoops in an obstacle course, practiced a few lunges, and took a few minutes to toss a football.
But before she broke a sweat, the first lady first unveiled three new “Let’s Move” commitments specifically designed for military kids and teens.
They include:
– Members of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition have committed to doing a special series of events and outreach with military families all across the country. Among upcoming events, championship NASCAR driver Carl Edwards will visit military bases in connection with his weekly races, and former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, along with a team of wounded warriors, will start climbing Mount Kilimanjaro today.
– The International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association will offer free memberships to immediate family members of actively deployed National Guard and Reserve members. Starting June 1, people can log onto the Let’s Move website to find a club in their area and sign up for free.
– Also for these families, the American Council on Exercise has agreed to provide at least 1 million hours of free personal training and fitness instruction.
Obama encouraged military families to visit the Let’s Move website to learn more about these commitments.
For more on this event, read my American Forces Press Service article, “First Lady Invites Guard, Reserve Kids to Fitness Event.”
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Families Take Center Stage at Guard Workshop
Posted by in Family Matters on August 4, 2010
Sheila Casey and her husband, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. talk with attendees at the 2010 National Guard Family Program Volunteer Workshop in New Orleans, Aug. 3, 2010. Mrs. Casey emphasized military spouses taking care of themselves as well as their loved ones. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
by Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Aug. 4, 2010
elaine.wilson@dma.mil
Families have been the focus this week at the 2010 National Guard Volunteer Workshop in New Orleans.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was at the workshop Monday, and spoke about the challenges facing military families. I highlighted the thoughts he shared on those issues in my blog, “Mullen Addresses Military Family Challenges.”
I wanted to share what other leaders had to say at the workshop as well.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry M. “Bud” Wyatt III, director of the Air National Guard, said the Guard’s family readiness groups need to receive the same support as National Guard members deploying overseas.
“If we allow these rotations and what we do to become common, accepted and routine, then we need to give the families the focus that we should and that they deserve,” Wyatt said in an interview with Army Sgt. Darron Salzer that was published in the article, “Guard Leaders Urge Family Readiness Support.”
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Mullen Addresses Military Family Challenges
Posted by in Family Matters on August 3, 2010
by Elaine Wilson, AFPS
Aug. 3, 2010
elaine.wilson@dma.mil
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, traveled to New Orleans yesterday to address some of the challenges confronting our military families.
U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets participants at the National Guard Bureau Family Workshop and Youth Symposium in New Orleans, Aug. 2, 2010. Chairman Mullen was the featured speaker at the event. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley
Speaking to the National Guard Family Program Volunteer Workshop, Chairman Mullen stressed the need to close a gap for military families, particularly for those in the Guard and Reserve.
Guard and Reserve families often live far from the support of a military installation, he said, recalling when a National Guard woman traveled six hours to speak to his wife, Deborah.
The military needs to find ways to deal with this type of isolation, he said.
The chairman also spoke of the need to provide better support to military children, particularly in our nation’s schools. Training is needed to equip teachers to deal with the emotional impacts of deployments, war, and in some cases, loss. Teachers often are unaware that a student has a military parent, which can impede their ability to help the child, he said.
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Leaders Discuss Military Kids’ Needs
Posted by in Family Matters on July 26, 2010
Heather Forsgren Weaver, a colleague of mine at American Forces Press Service, is a regular contributor to Family Matters. Heather’s been heavily involved in this blog from the start. She edits, helps write and posts content on a daily basis.
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In this blog, Heather writes about the messages of Dr. Jill Biden and top military leaders to the Military Child Education Coalition’s 12 annual conference in suburban Maryland.
Dr. Biden, Leaders Focus on Education Needs of Military Kids
by Heather Forsgren Weaver
July 26, 2010
Even before Sept. 11, 2001, and the resulting military conflicts, the departments of Defense and Education began meeting annually to discuss the needs of military children. Now with about 2 million children having experienced a parent’s deployment and 600,000 Army children and countless others from the other services currently separated from a deployed parent, this year’s conference held in nearby Maryland last week brought out some heavy hitters.
Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, headlined the last day of the conference.
Dr. Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama frequently visit military installations. During these visits they often hear about the important role schools play in their children’s lives and the challenge of changing schools due to relocations, Dr. Biden told the conference.
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Guard, Reserve Children Need Help in School
Posted by in Family Matters on July 20, 2010
By Elaine Wilson
elaine.wilson@dma.mil
July 19, 2010
Over the past year, I’ve spoken with many military families about the challenges they face, and a common issue is education for children from Guard and reserve families.
These children attend off-base schools with teachers and administrators who may or may not understand the unique issues and concerns so common to military families.
In a classroom of 20-plus children, the teacher may even be unaware that a child has a parent deployed for a year and, as a result, is unable to address some very specific needs.
I read a great blog post on the Defense Centers of Excellence website that addresses this topic and shares tips that military parents can use to help schools understand the unique stressors military families face.
The blog, “Frontline Psych With Doc Bender: Military Children and School” is written by Dr. James Bender, who recently returned from Iraq after a year there as a brigade psychologist.
More than 90 percent of military children attend non-Defense Department schools, Dr. Bender wrote, citing department officials.
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A Father’s Day Message
Posted by in Family Matters on June 18, 2010
Army Master Sgt. Donald Towers poses for a picture with his grandchildren, Jamie and Waylon, shortly before his deployment to Iraq in June 2009. Courtesy photo
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
June 18, 2010
elaine.wilson@dma.mil
My daughter had her end-of-school-year party this week, and the highlight for me was the book reading. The second graders took turns reading a book they had written over the course of the school year.
My daughter read a book called “My Family.” In it, she described the love she has for me and her stepdad and her two younger brothers. She also described the love she has for her father, who lives in Texas, and how much she wishes she could see him again soon.
My daughter has always been a daddy’s girl, even though her father and I divorced when she was still a baby. She’s drawn to his charm and charisma, and blissfully blind to his faults. Even as she’s grown older, she never seems to notice the missed visitations, the lack of phone calls or the forgotten birthday gifts. The father mirrored in her eyes is perfect.�
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Programs Aim to Help Guard Youth
Posted by carol.bowers in Family Matters on May 11, 2010
May 11, 2010
I wanted to share a great article, written by Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke of the National Guard Bureau, about National Guard children and the programs and activities that are available to them.
I hope our National Guard families find this a valuable resource:
By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
National Guard Bureau
Guard kids differ from active duty kids in only one way: access — access to support programs and access to peers who understand what they are going through.
Everything else is the same: missing their parents terribly when they deploy, counting the days until they come home and trying to keep their promise to “stay strong.”
Caylee Deakin was 13 when her father deployed with the Army National Guard. Read the rest of this entry »
Guard Daughters Hold ‘Sisterhood’ Conference
Posted by carol.bowers in Family Matters on April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010
I wanted to share with you the story of two daughters of National Guard members reported in the article “Guard Daughters Hold First ‘Sisterhood’ Conference” written by Maj. Kimberly Holman of the California National Guard.
Army Brig. Gen. Mary J. Kight, California adjutant general, greets attendees at the inaugural Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs conference during the semi-formal, "purple carpet" kickoff event. The conference was held in Clovis, Calif., March 12-14, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. David Loeffler
These teens bonded over their common military challenges, then decided to share that spirit of support with other girls from military families.
With help from the California National Guard, 17-year-olds Kaylei Deakin and Moranda Hern formed the support group “Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs,” and organized a conference, held last month, for daughters of military members in California.
“The Guard provided the Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs with the structure, and the girls provided all the innovation, imagination and creativity,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Mary J. Kight, the adjutant general of the California Guard. “I am so proud of them for seeing this through, and what a wonderful program they have founded.”
Caregivers Need Care Too
Posted by in Family Matters on January 15, 2010
By Elaine Wilson, AFPS
elaine.wilson@dma.mil
Jan. 14, 2010
Earlier this week, I attended several breakout sessions at the 2010 Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments in Washington, D.C. One of those sessions focused on caring for caregivers and warned of the hazards of compassion fatigue, which is the emotional residue or strain of exposure of working with patients recovering from traumatic events.
The session was aimed at the more than 1,000 military and other government agency health care workers in attendance, but I believe it can be applied to our family member caregivers as well. Military families also are providing essential care, many times around-the-clock, for psychologically and physically injured loved ones. Over time, and compounded with everyday life stressors, that care can take its toll.
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