Families ‘guarded’ while loved ones deployed

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cheryl Hackley
  • Minnesota Air National Guard Public Affairs
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AFPN) --  Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to children who may not understand why their parents must deploy to support their country.

One of the many tools Minnesota Family Programs Office officials offer is the Guardian Bear, which is available for children ranging in age from birth to 16 years.

The Guardian Bear is a plush brown teddy bear with a camouflaged vest. It has become an important part of the deployment process for families, officials said. Inside the vest is a small note written to the child from the deployed parent.

Besides a personalized note to his children, one father told them he stored the bears up with thousands of hugs and kisses -- so that any time they were missing him they should just hug their bear.

Another man left a bear with a note to his unborn child apologizing for his absence during his birth.

In many families, the child and bear have become inseparable.

While some servicemembers may feel the older children may not respond to a stuffed animal, the note and the familiar camouflaged vest can still represent a gift from their father or mother who is away serving his or her country.

More than 1,000 Guardian Bears have been handed out in 2003. The bears, which are free to Minnesota Guard members, are purchased through donations given to the National Guard Foundation. Volunteers sew the small vests worn by the bears.

The 133rd Airlift Wing located at the Twin Cities Air National Guard Base has a similar program for families.

Hercules, a small stuffed Guard dog mascot, is available to anyone who deploys.

Ruth Anderson, the Guard Family Network liaison for the base, said they wanted to be able to give something out to everyone affected by a deployment, because many deploying airmen did not have children or their children were too old to receive the Guardian Bear.

The dogs were donated by a local charity that collects stuffed animals to be given away. In total, the Guard Family Network received 4,000 stuffed dogs.

Another resource available to Guard families while their loved ones are deployed is an electronic program designed to link military families with local volunteer organizations.

The program, called the Military Family Care Initiative, was started by Minnesota’s first lady, Mary Pawlenty.

Any volunteer, community or faith-based organization can register to provide assistance with normal household chores, such as cleaning, repairing or gardening that can be difficult for one parent to handle while his or her spouse is deployed.

A family member also can go online and search for these organizations within the local communities.

“No matter how big or small the problem, help is available,” said Pawlenty. She said her one concern when starting the program was military members being too strong to ask for help. This is one reason the program does not track recipients.

Separation is a fact of life in the military, but it is comforting to know there is support for the families while their soldiers and airmen are deployed, officials said.

It is especially a relief for the deployed servicemembers knowing they are not leaving their families alone.

Even something as simple as a stuffed animal or helping someone around the house can make a deployment a little bit easier.