When my father, Odysseus, and his men sailed off to the Trojan War, they were confident their gods favored a quick victory. Instead, the siege of Troy lasted ten years. After Troy fell, the survivors made their way home to Sparta, Mycenae, Pylos, and elsewhere in the ancient Peloponnese. Neither my father nor any of his troops arrived home with the rest. We waited for years as the news grew worse. Odysseus was dead, we were told,or imprisoned, or, worst yet, he had married another woman and abandoned my mother Penelope, my brother Telemachus, and me.


If he is alive somewhere, his thoughts may wander to Penelope and Telemachus, but he won’t be thinking of me. I am the daughter he doesn’t know exists. Odysseus went off to the Trojan War when his son, Telemachus, was barely old enough to walk. His wife, Penelope, was a teenage bride, and is now a young wife, mother, and queen who has to try to rule Ithaca without him.


I was born seven months after he left. I am a hero’s daughter and a princess of his realm, but I have lived my entire life without a father. I’m nineteen now, and still waiting.


All over the world, and throughout history children grow up as I have. This website will focus on the children of those men and women who have gone off to fight America's wars, and provide information and resources for all who care about military families and want to help.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Gone Fishin'

 Thirty children of deployed servicemembers in Fort Rucker AL spent a day fishing thanks to members of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) program.

BOSS, along with the Hearts Apart program, hosted the annual event.

"It shows that there's a community that supports them whether the family member is gone or temporarily on deployment," Ruth Gonzalez, Army Community Service Relocation Readiness Program manager, said. "We rely on the military as our family."

Adriana Figueroa, 9, said she enjoyed being around other Soldiers, who reminded her of her deployed dad. Pfc. Richard Patton, BOSS and B Company, 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment member, said he enjoys sharing his love of the sport with youngsters.

"I love to fish and I love teaching kids to fish," he said. "It takes their minds off (their parents being deployed)."

"My children have been bugging me to go fishing," one mother said, reiterating how important it is that her son “gets to do an activity that he relates to his dad. We really appreciate the single Soldiers giving up their Saturday." Here's a link to an article about the day at the lake.
Posted by About AART at 7:41 AM

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