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.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Honoring the Fallen and Their Families

I’m a baseball fan, and of course have been watching every minute of the World Series.   Last night I saw an ad featuring Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, encouraging people to become part of a volunteer organization called iParticipate.org.
I went to the website for iParticipate this morning and found out that it is a far-reaching and broad-based philanthropic activity sponsored by America’s entertainment industries.  “The Entertainment Industry Foundation,” according to the website, “harnesses the collective power of the industry to raise awareness and fund for critical health, educational and social issues in order to make a positive impact in our community and throughout the nation. People from every facet of the entertainment community – actors and executives; guild and union members; and employees of studios, networks and talent agencies – volunteer their time, talent and services to support our work.”
EIF was founded 67 years ago by Samuel Goldwyn and other Hollywood dignitaries, and since then has raised millions of dollars for cancer research and prevention, diabetes awareness, education and creative arts, and other beneficial causes. The website indicates six main areas of support, one of which is military families.
In particular, they support two service organizations specifically focused on military families.  One, Blue Star Families, is very well known, but the other was new to me. The Mission Continues “honors fallen veterans through Veterans Tributes, where volunteers learn about the fallen veteran’s life and legacy, perform community service in his or her honor, and write a letter to the veteran's family,” according to EIF. “Volunteer opportunities include care package drives, park clean ups, and other meaningful acts of service.”
It is heartening to see that the needs of military families are being so broadly recognized.  It does seem as if awareness builds more awareness, and this morning as I write it indeed does seem possible that we could become a nation where honoring and supporting the families who serve as our nation’s military becomes natural and expected.
Posted by About AART at 7:33 AM

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousNovember 6, 2010 at 8:33 AM

    We are retired Air Force. It is amazing to see the difference in the attitude towards the military and when we first got married during the Vietnam War. There was very little support and a lot of negative behavior aimed at the returned soldiers and their families. The community support and understanding wasn't there. You suffered and struggled on your own. Your military family was what you relied on to get you through. They understood and were in the same situation. I can remember times when my husband was the "neighborhood husband" called upon for car problems, household repairs no one wanted to wait for base maintenance to fix, and for doing things with children that needed a man's touch. Except for a very few fringe groups and individuals, the nation is a lot more of the stresses placed on the military and their families.
    Military life isn't for everyone, but for some it is/was a great way of life.

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