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.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Tamarah Serves Too

Tamarah Frank, council.JPGKids serve too.  Just ask Tamarah Frank, a ninth grader in River Falls, Minnesota.  Tamarah’s father, Duane, is in the National Guard. Since before Tamarah can remember, he had been taking one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer to train, but during the Kosovo mission in 2003-04, he started being gone more. Then in August 2005, Duane left to spend almost two years, in Iraq.
Remembering how it felt to have her father gone so long in such a dangerous situation, Tamarah decided to use those feelings to help others as her Silver Award project, the second highest honor for a Girl Scout.  Her 35-page activity booklet, entitled “Military Kids Count,” contains coloring pages, word games, and jokes to send to soldiers.  It also includes community information about ways to be supportive of military families. Also part of the booklet are a map page to keep track of the parent’s deployment, and pages for journaling.

“I know I have skills a lot of kids do not possess because my dad was away so often, but on the other I wonder what it is like to be a kid who has no worries,” Tamarah says. “I found many things to help me with these feelings that I would like to share with other military kids.” 
The booklet met Tamarah’s goal for the silver award, but she intends to continue distributing as long as she can pay for the expenses. Her local chapter of the VFW has helped with printing costs to this point.  “I hope to continue my work with military kids in some way to earn my Gold Award,” Tamara says, “because it is something I truly get excited about doing.”

The photo shows Redwood Falls Mayor Gary Revier giving Tamarah a certificate of appreciation from the City Council for her work.  Here's a link to an article about her.

Posted by About AART at 6:43 AM

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