Sacrifices of military children aren't forgotten

  • Published
  • By Army Sgt. Sara Wood
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Children in military families make sacrifices and serve their country as much as anyone in uniform does, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said.

"In so many loving ways, our children quietly shoulder part of the burden, making their mom or dad understand that what they are doing is important," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace.

Military parents often have to miss holidays and special occasions, and children are left home to worry while parents go on difficult missions, General Pace said. Military families also have to move every two or three years, making the children uproot, change schools and say goodbye to friends, he said.

"There's no way, in my mind, that you can be successful in the military and have a family unless that family does, in fact, appreciate your service to the country," he said.

Because military children have to transition and adapt a lot, they gain great life experience and maturity, General Pace said. He recognized that, as teenagers, his own children were much more worldly than he was at that age, because he spent his entire childhood in his hometown.

"I think that, in the main, growing up in a military family strengthens the individual," he said.

In honor of April's observance of the Month of the Military Child, the general recently wrote a letter to military children, thanking them for their patience, understanding, courage and support.