Aurora, Colorado (KDVR) – There are more than 1.6 million children who grew up with one or more parents working in the army.
These children face unique challenges because of their parents’ service. In April, the Ministry of Defense celebrates the month of the military. On Friday, one of the celebrations of Buckley Space Force Base was the purple show.
“Our military youth, they sacrifice themselves, with their families, they serve our country to protect us,” said Shondela Pragher, chief youth program manager at Al Qaeda. “They give this more precious thing for us, therefore, recognizing them as a few people in service, I think it is very important.”
Amanda Presley is the mother of three children with special needs, and her husband has long been a member of service. She says this type of celebration is important because it brings together society together.
“It can be a lot. It can be overwhelming,” said Presley. “But it is great that there are people who understand what looks like.”
Many military families must move every two to three years. This can be stressful for children, have to change schools, make new friendships, and develop new support networks. Braggs says this is why it is important to get to know and celebrate military children.
“It is extremely important to spend a special time for these children,” said Bragz. “Give them all this month to get to know them, it’s an exciting thing.”
The events in Buckley in April include an artistic exhibition for a month, dandelion, and talent show, as well as a procession on Friday.