A Month All Their Own: America, TRICARE honors the Military Child
FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- The youngest citizens often pay the greatest price when a nation is at war.
Each April since 1986, the Department of Defense has celebrated the "Month of the Military Child" in recognition of the many challenges children face by having a parent or parents serve in the uniformed services.
"They undergo hardships and face many obstacles when their parents deploy for long periods of time," said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director, TRICARE Management Activity. "Our warriors in the Global War on Terror are making great sacrifices and one of the best things we can do back home is to make sure families, especially the nearly two million beneficiaries age 17 and under, are cared for."
General Granger says that technology such as the Internet, along with the American people's resolve to support the troops and by extension their loved ones back home, makes a difference in the lives of children of service members. There are also many organizations who work to ensure that children have a chance to connect with loved ones overseas.
Throughout April, military installations, military support organizations and TRICARE will place a special emphasis on supporting the children of service members in communities across the nation.
"There's no doubt that we need to focus on our children every day, not just during April," said General Granger. "But this is a special way of calling attention to an important part of our uniformed service family. They take no oath but in their own way, they are serving too."