The One Percent

"We are called the One Percent, because only ONE PERCENT of the citizens of this country are touched by these wars. Back in the day, ma’am, about 20% of the country knew someone or had a relative in the service." These are the words of a military spouse responding in a blog post to a Vietnam-era military spouse criticizing military spouses who complain about the long and repeated deployments in today's military.

As someone who was in college during the Vietnam War I have often wondered how different things would be today if we still had a draft. I don't suppose it's ever been true that every family bears equally the burdens and costs of its country's wars (student deferments ensured that the middle class could protect its sons to a certain degree during Vietnam), but now, with Americans of service age able to choose not to participate, military versus civilian life is probably the biggest hidden divider of our nation. Many people probably don't know a single deployed person or any member of his or her family. I can't help but note how many of the fallen soldiers are from small towns, or from impoverished urban centers, leaving the affluent almost completely untouched by the burdens and tragedies of today's wars.

We are not all in it together. We should be. We may not all deploy and leave families behind, but we can be a nation serving as one. The best way for many of us to do this is to support--through time, money, and votes--everything that improves the lives of soldiers and their families.

Fighting Two Battles

According to Act Today for Military Families, 1 in 88 military children has autism. As actor Joe Mantegna (himself the father of an autistic child) points out in this PSA, families in this situation fight two wars, one for their country and one for their beloved child. For people who already have other causes they donate to or work for, it would be worth looking into whether some branch of that cause targets military children.

"I'm the star!" "No, I'm the star!"

This kind of talk is common among kids at camp anywhere, but some kids can't just call up their parents to brag. Operation Purple Camp is a joint venture of the National Military Family Association and the Sierra Club. In 2010 60 week-long camps all over the United States served 10,000 children of deployed servicemen and women, for a total of more than 30,000 campers since the inception of the program in 2004. To be part of the program, camps must apply and participate in a special training program to ensure the camp will be well focused on the needs and experiences of the campers. Here's a video segment from the program "American Veteran," showing the camp and campers in action.

From the Front of the Classroom

I'm a community college professor in a big military town (San Diego). My classes are full of students who are active military or veterans, and I have taught several classes at a nearby naval station. The college serves a largely urban population, comprised primarily of people coming back to school, some after a few years and some after decades. The median age of students at the college is close to thirty. The diversity on campus is staggering, but one thing the students have in common is the belief that getting an education can change their lives. It's great to teach students like these, and I truly love my job.

I got to thinking about the veterans in my classes when I read this article about college scholarships for children of soldiers killed in action or training. I know from talking to my students that a big factor in why they enrolled in college was the chance to provide a better life for their children. When military men and women die in service, they lose that opportunity. That's why it is so important to think about what these individuals wanted for their own lives, and what they might have been able to accomplish through their own efforts. We can't change what happened, but there's a lot we can do to help their dreams for their children be realized.

"We Serve Too"

Here's a good downloadable booklet about military teens, detailing things they want people to know about them:

We serve too

We value diversity and new experiences.

We live in the community.We are proud of our parents.

We move. A lot.

We appreciate recognition of our families’ service.

We are just like most teens in a lot of ways.

We take on a lot of responsibility.

We miss our parents.

We think about war, and we know what it means.

Unite, Inspire, Lead

The Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs is a non-profit started by two California teenagers, Moranda Hern and Kaylei Deakin, to address the special issues and needs of adolescent girls whose parents are deployed. Their enthusiasm is infectious, as the YouTube video linked here will show. Here's a link to their website, which describes the conference of teenage girls Moranda and Kaylei organized in 2010 in Clovis California, and the one they plan in Fresno in 2011.

All Over the Country

This from the Sierra Vista (Arizona) Herald: "Deployment never easy for soldiers or families." The story is familiar but every photo speaks volumes to the difficulties for parent and child. Thanks to my friend Tricia Gerrodette for sending this link.

Hoping to be Helpful

Hello to the first visitors to Xanthe's World. My goal is to provide up-to-date links and information that may be of help to those who provide for and care about children of the soldiers serving in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I've noticed that google searches tend to pull up articles that are by now several years old, and though many things don't change, I am hoping to stay more up to date. I'm new to this, so I would appreciate any help readers of this blog can provide. And for now, here's a link that is near and dear to Laurel's heart, having two sons who "got to Sesame Street" every day of their childhood, and a picture of their first childhood heroes.

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/initiatives/emotion/tlc