Free summer camp sign-up deadline nears Published May 9, 2006 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Even though the registration deadline is only a week away, there's still room for military children to attend an "Operation Purple" summer camp free of charge, according to National Military Family Association officials. Applications are available only online, and officials emphasized they will be accepted only through May 15. NMFA's Operation Purple camps provide children from military families opportunities to learn new skills for managing deployment-related stress, officials said. The free summer camp program, sponsored this year by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and TriWest Healthcare Alliance, was created in response to the need for increased support for military children. Operation Purple is the only summer camp program that focuses on helping kids deal with deployment-related issues. Each camp is "purple," meaning it is open to children of any member of the uniformed services, including the Coast Guard, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Applications, a list of camp locations and camp details are available at www.operationpurple.org. Officials encourage interested children from military families to apply for the camp nearest to their home, since travel expenses are not reimbursed. Camps are offered in 23 states: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. (From a National Military Family Association news release)