FORWARD OPERATING BASE APACHE, Afghanistan – When soldiers deploy, it is often overseas and can involve many months of separation from family members, loved ones and friends. One of the hardest separations anyone can face is leaving behind a child, and that separation can possibly become cripplingly depressing for a soldier.
But for one Raider Brigade soldier stationed at Forward Operating Base Apache, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, the opportunity to focus on something positive during this separation is crucial.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bonnie Clark doesn’t have time to anguish over missing her children. Clark, a human resources specialist assigned to Command Group, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Combined Task Force Raider, Third Infantry Division, has other priorities and goals for her children while deployed and chooses to use this time apart in a positive manner.
“I stay active in my children's lives even while deployed,” said Clark, a Belmont, Miss., native, and the proud mother of three young boys. “I could get upset, but that’s not going to accomplish anything. Instead, I stay as active in my kids' lives as possible, like emailing their teachers weekly and being involved in every decision which affects them.”
Clark’s children appear to thrive on their mother’s attention and affections back at their home in Hinesville, Ga., excelling in their academics and extracurricular activities.
“My oldest son Dominique is maintaining a straight ‘A’ average in school and I have next to no discipline problems with any of them,” added this single mother. “It’s the little things you do to stay connected with them that makes the difference; the phone calls, sending pictures and just letting them know they are loved no matter what and not forgotten.”
Dominique, 7, is quite a scholastic achiever. Not only is he maintaining a great GPA., but he was also the recipient of the 2012 Young Georgia Authors Award for penning the story, Sam and the Three Hats. He beat out several hundred children in his age group to take the title a little under a year ago – a fact not lost on his mother.
“I’m still so proud of him, the YGAA award is a great honor, but I would be proud of him even if he didn’t win it,” said Clark. “All my children just want to please me, but as a mother I love them no matter what they do.”
While Clark is proud of her eldest son, she is equally proud of her other two boys, Demonte, 4 and Triston, 9 months.
“Demonte is outgoing and brave, and the baby, Triston is a very happy and well adjusted,” said a teary-eyed Clark. “My boys are very well-behaved and well-mannered, I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
It would seem this combination of a supportive mother who happens to be a soldier, the unconditionally love she has for her children, and the closeness this family displays for one another appears like a true recipe for success. The Clarks serve as positive role models for others to follow and they appear to be the living embodiment of an ‘Army Strong Family.’