| 11-year-old Brody Powers with his mom, Rosanna. |
According to the IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA, about 2 million children have parents who have been deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan (figures from 2009). Approximately 2200 children have lost one or both parents.
Although the war effort is winding down, these children of military members will experience the effects for years. Frequently, they experience increased anxiety or secondary PTSD, which is often suffered by family members exposed to someone who has directly experienced traumatic events.
Much of the healing for these children can come from being able to share with other children who have experienced the same thing. That's where CAMP CORRAL comes in.
This wonderful organization offers free one-week summer camp for children of wounded, disabled or fallen members of the military. From one camp site, this group has expanded to 20 different sites and was able to serve 3200 children this year.
For one child, Brody Powers, age 11, it has made a big difference. He lost both his father and his uncle within a two-day span in 2004. He and his mother live in a rural community and being able to be in touch with others through the camp program has enlarged his support system. He can correspond with his many new friends by e-mail.
| Two current military members eating dinner with some campers at Camp Corral. |
The biggest benefit from the camp program has been able to be a kid again, doing camp activities that other kids their age also do during the summer. And these military kids don't stand out as different; they've all got something in common. It is also uplifting for the surviving parent to see his/her child embracing and enjoying life again.
You can see more about Brody's experience, along with the Camp Corral program at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/11/camp-corral-summer-camp_n_6129680.html?utm_hp_ref=impact.
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