Fabulous Army Life

April is the Month of the Military Child and I cannot help but reflect on my own children's tour of duty as Army kids.  They are amazing young men and I could not be more proud of who they are ... and I know that having a dad in the military has shaped much of their life experience. From the very beginning, my boys have had both extraordinary and challenging experiences.  Like all kids, they go through the typical rites of passage ... learning to walk and talk, starting school, losing teeth, making friends, growing up.  Unlike all kids, they must endure some of these events not only without their dad, but while being worried to the core of their little beings that Dad might be in danger.  It's a large burden for young hearts to bear. In their young lives, my boys have ... lived in three different states attended nine different schools spent a total of 36+ months without their dad due to combat deployments been separated from their dad for a total of 6+ month...

At the end of our Red Dragon Spring Fling, we honored volunteers from each battery with a certificate signed by the battalion commander and battalion CSM. Ladies received a unit charm necklace. Gentlemen received a unit coffee mug or t-shirt. All the kids received a "I Love my Red Dragon Soldier!" arm band in honor of the Month of the Military Child. We have some amazing Families in this unit and it was a joy to honor them in this way.

Because this month is the Month of the Military Child (as well as Volunteer Appreciation Month!), we also wanted to do something for the children of our Red Dragon Soldiers.  They are true heroes for the resilience and courage they show on a daily basis.  It's not easy to say goodbye to your Soldier dad or mom, whether it's for a field training exercise, a month-long training rotation, or an overseas deployment. After brainstorming options, and realizing that our unit schedule is already pretty full, we decided to incorporate our kids into the upcoming "Family Day."  The battalion leadership handed out these water bottles to all the children at Family Day and provided water fill-ups at all the stations.  It was fun to see the kids with their water bottles and I hope they felt a small sense of the appreciation we have for them and their sacrifices as Army kids. These kids are enjoying the afternoon and putting their new water bottles to good use. The bat...