Photo By Staff Sgt. Cody Dowell | Trent Falon, 97th Force Support Squadron chief of child and youth services flight,...... read more read more
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The 97th Air Mobility Wing kicked off Month of the Military Child with a walking parade with members of the fire department, security forces and military children with their families, April 1, 2019. April is designated as the Month of the Military Child - a time to honor the sacrifices made by military families worldwide, with an emphasis on the experience of the dependent children of military members serving at home and overseas.
Altus AFB started April off with the parade, spreading awareness about the month-long celebration. The “That Altus Band,” fire trucks, law enforcement vehicles and military working dogs made their way across the base for the celebration. The parade allowed members of the base to come together and speak about the role of the military child and what the base offers them.
“It is essential to recognize that military children do make a significant contribution to our nation through understanding and supporting their military parents, who often work long hours and make numerous deployments when called upon,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tanina Sirmons, 97th Force Support Squadron sustainment services superintendent.
Later this month April 18th is “Purple Up! For Military Kids,” a day for military communities to wear purple to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifices.
Purple indicates that all branches of the military are supported: Air Force blue, Army green, Navy blue, Marine red, and Coast Guard blue. These colors are thought to combine together as a single color, purple.
The heritage of wearing purple started in 1986 when Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger started the initiative. Since then, there has been an increasing number of awareness campaigns aimed at recognizing the needs of military children in all areas, from coping with the deployment of parents to war zones and education of military dependents at on-base Department of Defense Dependent School System (DoDDS) campuses around the globe.
According to a report by the Department of Defense there are 700 military child development program facilities around the world, running approximately 155,000 child-care spaces, with another 3,000 Family Child Care homes which provide.
Like many similar military recognition efforts, the Month of the Military Child is often celebrated “internally” with military communities and military association planning contests, parades, fairs, seminars, and special events centered on the message of the month.
Several organization around the base are hosting events including the Airmen and Family Readiness Center, 97th Force Support Squadron, Altus Outdoor Recreation and the Altus Youth Center. For more information contact any of the units above to participate in events for Month of the Military Child.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2019 16:34 |
| Story ID: | 320341 |
| Location: | ALTUS AFB, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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