MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Now that I have your attention, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about our unsung heroes in the military---our children.
Military children make up a very special part of our nation’s population. These brave sons and daughters stand in steadfast support of their military parents. To honor their unique contributions and sacrifices on behalf of our country, each April since 1986 has been designated as the Month of the Military Child.
According to a recent Department of Defense Education Activity study, the average child in a military family will move six to nine times during a school career. That’s an average of three times more frequently than non-military families, and does not take into account the hundreds, if not thousands, of days spent apart when parents travel or deploy.
Today, there are currently 1.82 million military children (1.12 million with active-duty parents & 700,000 with parents in the reserve component) serving alongside their parents across the world. This relatively small fraction of our population, 0.005 percent to be exact, shares a common bond. Even though every month should be their month, April is when we celebrate, and what place better than MacDill Air Force Base!
My fantastic team of 6th Force Support Squadron Super-Stars have a developed a jam-packed event calendar this month aimed to celebrate our military children. I encourage everyone to visit our webpage at: www.macdillfss.com to see the entire list of events we have planned for this month to include our Month of the Military Child Parade on April 21, and the MacDill carnival hosted by your FSS!
I have my own “squadron” of military kids at home (run by the real-deal squadron commander—my wife Darcy): Emma, Abby, Noah & Bella Rios. I salute you for your resiliency, unwavering support and most importantly, for serving our country alongside of me.