S-O-L-D-I-E-R-S. Soldiers We Are.

Filed under 2011 Symposium, Symposium by on July 22, 2011 at 5:34 pm {one comment}

By Alan Morales, WTC Stratcom

AW2 kids participated in Operation Purple® during the 2011 AW2 Symposium.

Last night, 37 AW2 children marched across the main stage of the 2011 Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) Symposium. Some smiled at their parents in the audience, while most stomped their feet, looked straight forward, and yelled chants just like their parents did, or still do, as Soldiers in the Army.

These children participated in Operation Purple® at the YMCA of Central Florida’s Camp Wewa. Sponsored by the National Military Family Association, the camp coordinated outdoor and indoor activities for the children throughout the week. More importantly—Operation Purple® changed lives.

I watched photos light up as they slid across a projection screen. These photos were of AW2 kids not just having fun, but learning how to work together. A photo of a young girl, balancing herself on an elevated tightrope, stood out in my mind. In front and behind of her, were two other children—children she just met five days ago—spotting her to make sure she didn’t fall.

That photo demonstrated the type of AW2 kids at Symposium this week. And the thousands of other kids across the country who support each other, and their wounded warrior parents.

At the end of the ceremony, I walked to a poster presentation where I read notes written by the AW2 Symposium children about their parents.

  • “If he didn’t go to the Army, I wouldn’t be here.”
  • “My mom and myself don’t spend enough time together as I would like, but this week has helped.”
  • “He is better than anybody in the whole world.”
  • “He pushes me in school and has to be the best blessing in my life.”

These words, written in fluorescent permanent marker, illustrated that military kids understand their parents’ challenges. They have the amazing ability to live dual lives. One where they are normal kids having fun growing up, and another where they take on roles above their pay grade to support their parents’ unique challenges.

Later that evening, I walked through the hotel atrium and saw many of the children from the ceremony huddled together, sitting on the lobby couches. They continued to share their stories, laugh, and smile. It was clear to me that these relationships were far from superficial, they were real.

I walked onto the elevator to head back to my room, and reflected on the last words of the photo slideshow that read on the projection screen that afternoon. “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

Note: At the 2011 AW2 Symposium, delegate children identified the top issues that face them as the children of wounded warriors. These issues will be presented to Army and Veterans Affairs leadership along with the issues and recommendations presented by their parents.

Camp Wewa Welcomes AW2 Director and the 2011 Symposium’s Operation Purple®

Filed under 2011 Symposium, COL Gadson, Symposium by on July 22, 2011 at 1:44 pm {no comments}

By Jim Wenzel, WTC Stratcom

AW2 Director COL Gregory D. Gadson shows photos from the explosion that injured him during deployment in Iraq to children attending Operation Purple® camp.

Although Camp Wewa can accommodate about 2,000 campers a year, the Central Florida YMCA facility whose name means “many waters” had a very special group of visitors this week as 37 teens and pre-teens from the Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) Symposium took part in Operation Purple®.

Operation Purple® was developed by the National Military Family Association in 2004 to help service members stay connected to their children. Over the years, it expanded to multiple locations across the United States and the program will have served close to 45,000 children by the end of the year.

At Camp Wewa, Operation Purple® provided a ton of outdoor activities that include “Goliath”, a giant rock wall and zip line, a high ropes course, evening campfire, and tubing on one of its four surrounding lakes. In fact, the kids enjoyed a visit from AW2 Director COL Gregory D. Gadson just after they came off the lake.

First to meet Gadson were Morgan, Brianna, and Justin. Initially shy when they first walked up, they quickly built a rapport with Gadson when they asked him to share his personal story about the improvised explosive device (IED) that severely wounded him and blew him out of his vehicle.

The pictures of the burned out Humvee on his iPhone made an instant connection between him and the sons and daughters of Soldiers who faced similar threats in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those who were injured stateside.

This openness allowed Gadson an opportunity for some real conversation—which anyone with a teenager knows is hard to come by. “What is the biggest thing you’ve learned as the child of a wounded warrior?” asked Gadson.

Morgan was the first to answer. “You have to grow up faster and take more responsibility.”

Her simple remark reflected the collective experience of most children of severely wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers. As “Army brats”, most Soldiers’ children deal with the reality of multiple moves, frequent deployments, and living within the means of a military paycheck. The children of severely wounded Soldiers and Veterans share the additional burdens and responsibilities of being assistant caregivers to parents with significant medical and non-medical needs.

As a double amputee, Gadson’s response to Morgan came with a wealth of personal experience. “It’s a good thing. Something that happens in your life doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” he said. “Look at me. I wouldn’t change anything about my life and you will have an appreciation that most other kids won’t have. You can help a lot of people by sharing your perspective.”

Speaking to one of the camp counselors as the kids were loading back onto the bus, Gadson touched on the important role Operation Purple® plays at the AW2 Symposium every year. He told the kids that the camp was an opportunity for a “collective experience”—a chance to talk about their similar circumstances and the uniqueness of living with a wounded warrior.  As a group, almost all of the kids thought the best part of Operation Purple® camp was Camp Wewa, especially tubing on the lake.

The camp counselors were just as impressed with the campers. Their ability to get along and their desire to get involved and try new things simply blew them away.

All of the participants at Symposium, both delegates and staff, realize the importance of Operation Purple® and having the kids with them in Orlando, FL. They’ve had a lot of fun at camp, but they’ve also demonstrated an ethos shared by those who support the men and women who were wounded and injured in the defense of our nation.

Turning to a member of his staff, Gadson summed up the character of the teens attending AW2 Symposium’s Operation Purple® camp by saying, “They don’t even know how resilient they are.”

Scholarships Available for Spouses of Wounded or Fallen Service Members

Filed under Career/Education, Community Support Network by on January 12, 2010 at 3:59 pm {no comments}

The National Military Family Association has announced that it is now accepting scholarships for its Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program for spouses of wounded or fallen servicemembers. Scholarships are awarded to military spouses to obtain professional certification or to attend post secondary or graduate school.

Applications will only be accepted online at www.militaryfamily.org/scholarships and must be submitted by midnight on January 31, 2010. Scholarships will only be awarded only to military ID-carrying Uniformed Services’ spouses (active duty, retiree, Reserve, National Guard, and/or survivor). Scholarship award letters will be e-mailed to recipients no later than March 15, 2010 and winners will be announced on the National Military Family Association Web site in June.

The scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board. They may not be used for books, rent, or previous education loans.

If selected for a scholarship, AW2 Spouses must provide the following information:

  • Copy of current military ID Card/DEERS card (front)
  • The name and address of the accredited university, college, or trade school at which you are registered
  • Home mailing address where a check can be mailed on June 1, 2010.
  • Additional verification information is required from those applying for the scholarship for the wounded or fallen. Please see the application for complete list

To learn more about the Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program, please visit www.militaryfamily.org/scholarships.

The National Military Family Association is a member of the AW2 Community Support Network that is committed to strengthening and protecting the Families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

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