Hero Packs

This is  a re-publish as I move the highlights over from my website to the new series of blogs.

When it comes to deployment, military children are truly the ones who get the raw deal. They didn’t volunteer to join the military or  have their parent sent away for months on end. It is just part of their life. Military children learn that the sacrifices they make are just a part of life. Even if the military child is old enough to realize that deployment is part of his or her parent’s job, it does not stop the heartache of having that parent gone. Operation Military Kids gives Hero Packs to children of deployed soldiers as a token of appreciation to help ease them through this time of separation.

Hero Packs are  sponsored and filled by communities and organizations across America. These packs come in two versions: “standard” with a sling backpack for children above the age of 8 and “young” for younger children. While the items in the pack can vary, all packs include a resource pack for parents that tells of programs for children in the military community and a letter of encouragement to the child from a non-military youth. The picture above includes some of the items that we have seen come through multiple packs (plus beanie style stuffed animals that are not pictured). Items that we have seen in all packs are an Operation Military Kids dogtag, a keyring flashlight, a journal, and a lanyard.

Some of the locations where Hero Packs are available include Family Readiness Group meetings, pre-deployment briefings, USO’s Deployed Family Fun Day, and Army Community Service offices.

Thank you Operation Military Kids for putting these packs together.