Celebrating our children

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Justin Weaver
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Dressed in fatigues, costumes, Uncle Sam hats and toting red, white and blue balloons, more than 200 children, teachers and parents marched around Area 1, April 25, during the annual Child Development Center Month of the Military Child Parade.

Hosted by the Area 1 CDC, the parade is one of many events held throughout the month of April honoring the sacrifices military children make for their parents.

"We go through so much with all the deployments throughout the year and this is just one of the ways of showing the parents that we support them," said Rebecca White, CDC director. "It's really about celebrating everybody working together to meet the mission here at Aviano."

Teachers from each classroom helped the children create banners, costumes, hats and more for the red, white and blue themed parade.

"This is great," exclaimed Tech. Sgt. Heather Amos, mother of a seven-month-old baby at the CDC. "The children are the ones that suffer when mommy and daddy are gone. This is for them."

A firetruck, Sparky the dog, and 31st Security Forces personnel helped escort the children during the parade. Parents then got to have lunch and experience what classroom life was like for their children.

More than 1.7 million American children under the age of 18 have at least one parent serving in the military. To help with deal with deployments, TDYs and other absences, the CDC offers various methods of coping during that time.

"When children are separated for long periods of time, we offer support phone calls, e-mails with pictures of their children and we'll even do books on tape," said Mrs. White.

Former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger established the Defense Department commemoration "Month of the Military Child" in 1986 because he understood the challenges that military children face by having a parent serve in the Armed Forces.
Military children undergo hardships and face many obstacles by having a parent deployed.

The month's theme has been created, "to recognize and pay tribute to military children for their commitment, sacrifice and unconditional support shown to their parents, our men and women serving in the military."