Honoring the unsung heroes: Military children celebrated at local elementary school

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Picatinny Arsenal officials recently visited students at a nearby elementary school as part of a series of week-long, “Month of the Military Child” (MOMC) activities and events, honoring the role military children play in the U.S. Armed Forces community.

Civilian employees and military personnel assigned to the northern New Jersey military installation stepped out of their daily mission roles to volunteer in setting up various interactive stations across the school's campus.

Age-appropriate activities were coordinated throughout the week by Amanda Dizinno, School Liaison Officer with Child and Youth Services at Picatinny Arsenal. Civilian engineers hosted Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) demonstrations, allowing students to interact with military equipment and vehicles as well as robotics.

“It is important for us to support Month of the Military Child because it is a time where we can collectively celebrate all military-connected students and help bring awareness to their unique experiences growing up in the military community,” said Dizinno.

“It shines a light on a group of kids whose experiences are very different than most of their peers and often go unnoticed,” she stated.“This month creates space to recognize those kids and bring them to the forefront. It is also imperative that we help the schools acknowledge and support these students because when they do, it sends the message that their experiences matter.”

In addition to STEM activities, service members assigned to the U.S. Army Recruiting Company in Newark, organized a youth-friendly physical fitness activities that emphasized teamwork and encouragement.

Maj. John T. Reim, Picatinny Arsenal’s Commanding General, and Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II, the installation’s Garrison Commander, also spoke with the students, administrators and other community officials in attendance to kick off the week’s festivities.

The school’s Parent Teacher Association supported the activities by purchasing t-shirts, military dog tags and other items for the students.

Since April 1986, the U.S. Army has observed the Month of the Military Child to recognize the support that military children provide their Soldiers and families.

According to the Department of Defense, the average child in a military family will move six to nine times from kindergarten to 12th grade; an average frequency of three times more than non-military families. Currently, more than 1.7 million children have one or more parents on active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“The main highlight of the week was watching those military-connected students being called up one-by-one to be recognized at the Kick-Off Assembly,” Dizinno said. “Seeing them walk up to accept their certificates and to take a group picture brought one word to mind, ‘proud’. They were proud to be military children and expressed so much joy standing up there in that moment.”