Fort Belvoir, Va. –
The DoD has celebrated April as Month of the Military Child since it was established by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in 1986. Today, there are over 1.6 million military children who have one or both parents serving in uniform. These children face many challenges and unique experiences from their family’s service. The month recognizes the needs of military children in all areas, from coping with the deployment of parents to war zones to attending multiple schools in different locations throughout their childhood. On average, military families move every two to three years and can go months with a parent being away from home. Family separation can mean additional responsibilities at an early age for military children. Military families can move across states or overseas. Some military children only briefly or never attend stateside schools and only attend DoDDS schools on military bases. As the family moves, the children leave behind friends and must regrow friendships at the new location. It’s not always easy, but military children develop resilience and adaptability that lasts a lifetime.
To help spread awareness and support for military children, DCAA is celebrating Purple Up! day on April 9, wearing purple to represent unity across the Military Services. Purple combines Army green, Marine Corps red, and Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force and Space Force blue.