Tag Archives: month of the military child

I posted last year about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® and their outreach to military families. Below is a link to a standing offer for discounted tickets and a story recently published on airforce.mil.

First information and a link below to the discount page for military families and the circus.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® is a proud supporter of the Department of Defense’s “America Supports You” Program, an ongoing, nationwide campaign that showcases and communicates America’s support to men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

As a long-time supporter of America’s military community, Ringling Bros.® appreciates the sacrifices made by our U.S. Armed Forces and their families. As our way of saying thanks, we are pleased to provide special events and promotions for military families in each city our tours visit.

Purchase America Supports You Special Offer tickets through Military ITT/ITR offices (in select markets), at the arena box office with valid Military ID (Active, Reserve, National Guard, Retired) or online using Code “ASY” (excludes Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP seating).  CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR STATE Additional information can be found at http://www.OurMilitary.mil.

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Master Sgt. Cameron Rogers looks on as his 5-year-old daughter Laine shakes hands with Magical Zingmaster Alex Ramon prior to the start of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey “Zing Zang Zoom” circus performance March 26, 2010, at George Mason University’s Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. Looking on is the circus’ human cannonball and former Air Force reservist Tina Miser. Sergeant Rogers is the Air Force District of Washington’s UH-1N helicopter program manager at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. The Rogers family was asked to serve as guest circus ringmasters representing military families worldwide in observance of Year of the Air Force Family. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Varhegyi)

Circus entertains, honors military families

by Tech. Sgt. Chyenne A. Adams
11th Wing Public Affairs

EXCERPT

3/29/2010 – FAIRFAX, Va. (AFNS) — The military and the circus have a lot in common. They both have people from around the nation and assets from around the world. Both are highly trained units that perform sometimes unimaginable feats and handle unspeakable logistical details in carrying out their mission. And, most importantly, both share an important priority: children.

On March 26, this priority was at the forefront when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey honored military families at a performance of its traveling circus “Zing Zang Zoom” at a performance at George Mason University’s Patriot Center here. Normally, a military family member is chosen as guest ringmaster as part of April’s Month of the Military Child. This year an entire family served as guest ringmasters in observance of Year of the Air Force Family.

Master Sgt. Cameron Rogers, the Air Force District of Washington UH-1N helicopter program manager, and his family represented military families around the world as the circus’ guest ringmasters. The 19-year Air Force veteran who just returned from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan said he was thrilled to be able to share this special time with his wife, Maggie, and children, 10-year-old Sam and 5-year-old Laine.

The Air Force’s top enlisted Airman acknowledged the Rogers’ presence and the circus’ tribute to military families.

“It’s good to see the Rogers family here at Ringling Brothers…and it’s good that this organization would highlight the United States Air Force and the entire military,” said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy.

Chief Roy said military appreciation events like this are important because they highlight the sacrifices made by military families around the world and bring public awareness to their service. LINK TO STORY

It seems as if every other article written about our military children takes a very negative spin on all they go through. That does not mean I think we should take lightly what our smallest heroes go through and what they sacrifice either. However, I am an eternal optimist and I have to believe that although these times are extremely difficult they do offer the opportunity for growth, resilience  and an understanding of the world that is not offered to their civilian family counterparts.

The following article came from Purdue University, and I am happy to get to post an article written by people on the outside of the military peering in… and they see military children as having  a great deal of potential. This potential is not in spite of what they have been through or are going through, but rather because of it. Take heart when hard times and trials come your way. Even with waves of difficulty our children still benefit provided there is some stability in the home — this is why support on the home front is so vital.

Military children show resilience from recurring deployments, other challenges

Amy Patterson Neubert
PURDUE UNIVERSITY NEWSROOM
April 7, 2010

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Today’s military children are dealing with unprecedented multiple deployments of their parents, says a Purdue University military family expert.
“The good news is that research shows that these children often exhibit impressive resilience to stressors such as deployments and frequent moves,” said Shelley MacDermid, professor of family studies and director of the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue. “We attribute this to positive and stable relationships with adults.”

Nearly 1.9 million children have a parent in the military, and since September 2001, multiple deployments for many of the 1.8 million U.S. service members have been common. Many of these children have been separated from their parents for most of their lives.

“Historically, a large number of service members have not been redeployed as they have been to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” MacDermid says. “As these conflicts continue, the separations can place stress on a family and even affect a child’s behavior.

“That’s why it is so important that the needs of children are addressed during these difficult times.”

A resource to help parents is the “Sesame Workshop Talk, Listen, Connect” materials, which are available at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/initiatives/emotion/tlc

The Military Family Research Institute partners with Sesame Workshop, which looked to the institute for assistance with evaluating the effectiveness of program materials. These multimedia educational materials feature Sesame Street characters and actual military families. For example, one video series featuring Elmo shows the character coping while his father is away.

Another challenge that some military children face is adjusting to the return of a parent who has been physically or psychologically injured.

“An injury may mean a child’s loved one looks or sounds different, and that can upset a child,” MacDermid says. “A child may even be afraid of a parent’s new prosthetic limb, and others may be concerned about who is to blame for the injury.

“That’s why it is important for parents to communicate openly about such distressing events. When they do, children are more likely to seek the support they need. When children have access to information about their parent’s injury, they are less anxious. And another coping strategy is to involve children in the treatment and healing process because children often feel helpless when they are unable to provide comfort.”

SOURCE LINK

Sometimes the biggest fear we face is the fear of the unknown. We can talk about deployment with our kids, but children are concrete thinkers. They learn best through hands-on play-work. I believe it was Dr. Maria Montessori who once said “A child’s play is his work.” This experience allows military children an experience that helps them understand what their deployed/deploying parent may be going through.

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Deployments to far off places are one of the hardest things military families go through.

Usually, children watch with tears in their eyes as parents board military planes and leave their family for months at a time.

But at Hill Air Force Base on Thursday, those roles were completely reversed.

Hill held its annual “Kids Deployment Day,” where more than 600 military children planned to go through the riggers of a deployment processing line.

Children from Hill Field Elementary received a field trip to the base in the morning and early afternoon, while school children from other schools across the Top of Utah were to participate Thursday night.

“It’s kind of an all day thing,” said Sgt. Terri Davis, the event’s organizer. “We’ve got so many military families in this area and we want all the kids to see a deployment from their parents’ perspective.”

The children, all under the age of 12, received dog tag issues, gas mask fittings, aircraft tours, military working dog demos, entomology exhibits, all of which helped the children see exactly what their loved ones would likely encounter while deployed.

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