Hudson WI Operation Purple Camp:
“HOOAH, HOOAH, HOOAH” the 275 military youth chanted, holding hands in the air, warmly welcoming the Blackhawk helicopter landing just feet from their smiling faces. This year the National Military Family Association hosted another Operation Purple Camp in Hudson Wisconsin at the YMCA camp of St. Croix.
Camp was attended by a record number of youth who have a loved one somewhere within the deployment cycle. Energy was high as members of the Minnesota National Guard provided various military related activities for the youth to enjoy. Kids raced through an inflatable obstacle course, painted their faces, pretended to pilot a helicopter, and enjoyed a tasty variety of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s). This year more than 40 weeks of camps are being held at 34 locations in 26 states.

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Texas Operation:
On June 29, 2007, the Texas Operation Military Kids (OMK) team hosted a Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) training and reception in partnership with Accenture, a consulting, technology and outsourcing firm. Accenture sponsored the SOMK reception to showcase the accomplishments of the Texas OMK team and the teens that speak and raise awareness about the unique characteristics of "suddenly military kids". The reception featured speeches from two Army Reserve youth and the key note speech was delivered by Col. James Crocker, a National Guard Colonel stationed at Ft. Sam Houston. The teens spoke about their experience with deployment and the importance of community support. The Texas OMK team is gearing up for SOMK training in the fall. To learn more about OMK and SOMK, log on to www.arfp.org/cys.

Minnesota Operation:
Military Kids hosted their first Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) event in Bloomington, MN, August 3-5, 2006. The SOMK event was held at the Grand Lodge Hotel, famous for its indoor water park. Seventeen youth from the Army Reserve, National Guard, Air Force, Marines and Navy participated in workshops where they developed presentations about their military experiences. The participating youth have been invited to be on the Minnesota Operation: Military Kids Speakers Bureau. The group will have opportunities to attend programs throughout the state to share their presentations with schools, community organizations and local commands.  Read More

For more information on YLEAD, Contact your CYS Regional Coordinator.

Wisconsin Operation:
Despite the sweltering conditions many families turned out for the July 8th Family Day at the 88th Headquarters at Ft. Snelling. The dunk tank and water guns were some of the most popular activities of the day. Children and youth had the opportunity to take part in a mini boot camp, ring toss and arts and crafts. The day’s events were provided by various departments of the 88th HHC and volunteers. Operation Military Kids also made an appearance providing activities that included friendship bracelets and straw rockets. The day ended with door prizes and a tasty BBQ.
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Wisconsin Operation:
On October 27 the Wisconsin Operation Military Kids celebrated becoming an OMK state by hosting a large family event at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Madison.  The Kickoff event began with opening remarks by representatives from Extension Services, the National Guard, Air Guard, The Department of Public Instruction and the Association of School Boards. The highlight of the opening ceremony was the reading of the Proclamation made by the Governor, James Doyle, Jr. naming October to be the official month of Operation: Military Kids in Wisconsin.  Following the ceremony over 200 family members enjoyed the planned activities implemented by Army Reserve, National Guard and 4-H youth volunteers.  Activities included: a haunted house, face painting, crafts, games, photo stationary utilizing the Mobile Tech Lab, and plenty of treats.  The event was a huge success!  One youth participant said: “This has been the most fun I have had all day!”
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Find out more about CYS Events in your area and contact your CYS Regional Coordinator to get involved! 

What do you get when you cross 4-H volunteers, ice cream sundaes, a dog clinic, rotating activities and 40 Army Reserve youth? Answer: A SUPER SATURDAY! On June 23, 40 Army Reserve youth, ages 6-12 attended a Super Saturday event at Bowman Field in Louisville, KY, where the kids participated in high active games such as blob tag, crab soccer, bocce ball and more with other kids their age. They also learned about dog obedience and showmanship, toured a fire truck and police car, and made a personalized memento to send to their deployed soldier. Parents attended with their children and were able to connect with other spouses in their state and meet their Child & Youth Services Regional Coordinator and Family Programs Coordinator who serve Family members in Kentucky.

The Operation: Military Kids partners provided the Mobile Technology Lab and assisted the kids in making a personalized pillowcase which consisted of an iron-on photo of themselves and a written message to send to their deployed parent. The purpose of the Super Saturday event was to bring Army Reserve youth together to let them know their support as a “suddenly military” child has not gone unnoticed. The day served as a fun and informational day for parents and youth alike.

The Louisville Police Department and Louisville Fire Department, 4-H volunteers from Jefferson County, and Army Reserve Soldiers showed their support and helped make the Super Saturday a success!
Submitted by Laura Poppen, CRC

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Operation Military Kids completed their last training for the year on December 9, 2005.   This week long training was held in Kansas City, Missouri.  There were 12 teams present willing to take on a new task of reaching out to National Guard and Army Reserve youth.  

These trainings consisted of more than 80 participants made up of 4-H agents, community volunteers, and National Guard and Army Reserve representatives.   Team members were able to meet face to face, develop and implement calendars and trainings for the upcoming year. 

Ready, Set, Go!  is an awesome training that is exactly what the title suggests.  It gets the teams READY to reach out to a population that had not been touched.  It SETs the perimeters of what is expected and how to reach full capacity.   Finally GO teams are encouraged to go out and educate others in the community on what it means to become “suddenly military.  Visit Operation Military Kids (OMK)
To get involved with Operation Military Kids in your local community, contact your Child and Youth Services Regional Coordinator.

Operation Purple Camp Helps Children of Deployed Service Members - Army Reserve Magainze Winter 2005

By Russell Latherow
Child and Youth Services Regional Coordinator

...The camp really doesn't have anything to do with the color purple.  In today's military society, the term "purple" means multi-component services combining Army, Navy, Air force, Reserves, etc.  In 2005 there are 20 such camps spread throughout the United States and overseas.
The camps are sponsored by the National Military Family Association in partnership with Sears, Roebuck and Co.  Designed for children of deployed, recently returned, or soon-to-be mobilized military personnel.
The camps bring kids together for a week of activity, guidance, fellowship and fun.  Fun was at the top of the list at the camp near Neihart, Montana.
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Army Reserve (AR) Teens participated in the first-ever Youth Leadership Education and Development (YLEAD) Summit held October 19-22, 2006 in Tacoma, WA. Thirty-six AR Teens from the West (AZ, CA, CO, MT, UT, MT, WA) and the Pacific (HI, GU) participated in this YLEAD Summit.

AR Teens participated in workshops designed to help them define leadership, identify their unique attributes, and then they developed action plans to implement their newly learned skills into their daily lives once they returned home. One teen participant described her experience, “This weekend was so much fun and I learned so much. I learned how to be a terrific leader in my community but also just a great individual. This weekend really inspired me to get more involved with my community and other people's communities." 

November 19-20, 2005 marked the one year anniversary of Speak Out for Military Kids Team Training for Texas’ Operation: Military Kids Program. Eighteen youth met at the Blackland Research and Extension Center in Temple, TX to take part in the Texas Speak Out for Military Kids Training. Thirteen of the 18 youth were Army Reserve.  According to the OMK liaisons, Marilyn Prause and Judith Brister, this was the largest group to ever come to training. The SOMK training consisted of two activity-packed days of speeches, games and learning about Operation: Military Kids and public speaking.
Many of the participants were children of soldiers of the 75th TSD from Houston, TX.  The youth learned about the cycles of deployment and engaged in a panel discussion about how deployment has affected them. From these discussions, several teens wrote speeches and presented them at the end of training. In addition to the speeches, youth also presented poems and PowerPoint presentations to the group. For more information about Operation: Military Kids and Speak Out for Military Kids in your area, please contact your CYS Regional Coordinator.