F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- The 90th Force Support Squadron organized and put on an event in honor of the Month of the Military Child, throwing a bash for military kids at the Youth Programs building on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, April 26, 2024. The unit organized games and a dinner for military kids and their parents to recognize the sacrifices of military kids.
April is designated as the official Month of the Military Child. Did you know on average all military children move six to nine times during their school years? In this month all military children get connected, and each year the focus is to highlight the unique challenges, courage, and bravery of all military children. According to the Department of Defense, there are more than 1.7 million military children who face many unique experiences as a result of their parents’ service. The overall goal is to improve their quality of life and help mitigate the demands they experience from all the transitions, such as frequent moves, parental separations for military training, and parent deployments.” As adults, we often forget about their potential struggles and Month of the Military Child asks us to take that moment, celebrate their strength as supporters, and recognize how this adventure looks through their eyes.
A brief timeline of MOMC began in 1908, after World War Two. Military schools were established in the U.S. for the children of the men and women working in the military. In 1986, Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger established the Defense Department Commemoration designating the month of April as the Month of the Military Child. In 1994, the military education system, which is guided by two parallel systems, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools overseas, and the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools, were brought under one agency. There are nearly 900,000 military connected children of all ages worldwide, of which more than 66,000 are enrolled in DoDEA schools and served by more than 8,000 educators.
Schools and DoDEA programs nationwide participate in "Purple Up for Military Kids" and engage in activities that honor the sacrifices made by children of service members. This year marks the 38th anniversary of the Month of the Military Child. The color purple is important to the DoD community, because it reflects all branches of the military. Across the nation, and around the world on April 15, states, governments, schools, and families all do their part by wearing purple or shining a purple light on their homes.