Operation Purple Camps help kids cope with parents’ deployment

(Lead in) When a parent is deployed, children are also called to duty in the form of sacrifice. The absence and fear of losing a parent, and the nagging sense of uncertainty, can put a heavy psychological burden on children. But there is help.

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Operation Purple Summer Camps, developed by the National Military Family Association and sponsored by TriWest Healthcare Alliance, provide a safe environment to help the children of deployed U.S. service men and women deal with the emotional challenges of their parents’ deployment.

This celebration is called Family Day and was held at Camp Pendleton in June of 2007 after the kids enjoyed a week at a camp near San Juan Capistrano. The camp counselors and kids joined in camp chants and songs to show off for the parents. In a sort of role reversal, the active duty parents and spouses gave their kids a big welcome home.

Home sickness to the kids means missing their family more than it means missing a home because they’re used to moving from base to base, but they never get used to missing their parents.

The parents and kids shared their experiences.

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Kristi Rosen, spouse of Marine Captain Michael Rosen

Jackie Gomez, spouse of Marine Staff Sgt. Cristo Gomez

Giovanni Sola, son of Marine Staff Sgt. Roberto Sola

Caileigh Rosen, daughter of Marine Captain Michael Rosen

(On camera tag) There are 155,000 children experiencing the absence of a parent due to a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. This statistic, according to the National Military Family Association, does not include children who have parents deployed elsewhere around the world.

TriWest believes in these camps because they provide a support network and healing opportunity for military kids dealing with the heavy emotional burden of being separated from their deployed parent.

David J. McIntyre, President and CEO of TriWest Healthcare Alliance, has said, "Children of military families make great personal sacrifices when a parent is away defending our nation. We at TriWest are committed to helping these children learn the skills that will help provide the emotional support to make deployments easier."

This year, Operation Purple Camps will host more than 3,500 children ages 7 to 18 for more than 40 weeks of camps held at 34 locations in 26 states. TriWest Healthcare Alliance, a long-standing supporter of NMFA, contributed $500,000 to help fund this year’s Operation Purple Camp program.

For more information, visit www.NMFA.org, the National Military Family Association’s Web site.