A 634-word article written by Kim Clark. Kim is the mother of a veteran who loved his country and was willing to lay his life down for the freedoms in which he believed. She is the Founder and CEO of The DeMarco Project, a non-profit organization. Her life’s mission is to save veteran lives and improve the quality of life for traumatized military service persons. If you would like to support her in this work, please donate to www.TheDeMarcoProject.org or The DeMarco Project Facebook page.
 
PREVIEW:
    April is the month the Department of Defense (DoD) expresses appreciation for military children. When we think about military service-related trauma, in our innocence we forget about how the children of military personnel may be affected.  
     The average military family moves every two to four years. Frequent disruption of friendships, adapting to life in new military communities, and disruption in their medical care can be very traumatic for children with chronic physical and mental illnesses. Some of the children deal with combat-related injuries and conditions which affect their parents. Some must deal with the loss of a parent.
     Recently, this writer spoke with a grandmother desperate to help her grandson. Five years ago, the child’s father passed while serving out of the country. His mother followed the advice of the Veterans Administration. She, as well as her son, attend grief counseling.
     When the young man and his mom returned stateside, the mother decided to homeschool him because of stories she heard about children bullied in school on social media and from friends. Since her son is small in stature, she concluded that homeschooling was the best way to keep him safe. The young man is pleasant, polite, and primarily alone.