LORRETTO, Minn. - Army Reserve youth recently got to experience a day in the life of being a Soldier on military day during a week long stay at an Army Reserve Enrichment Camp held at Camp Ihduhapi in June.
The first military task these campers were immersed in was learning how to apply make-up . . . the Army way.
These make-up compacts only have basic earth tones of black, green and brown and are not used to build a complementing facial foundation. Instead, it's used to blend in to the surrounding foliage during a field training exercise. Also, Soldiers reference it as camouflage paint not make-up.
"You kind of take it and rub it all over your face real quick," said Isabella Inveen, 15 of Woodbury, Minn., and an Army Reserve family member.
This is the third year Army Reserve Child Youth Services has hosted an AREC. Eighty Army Reserve youth aging from 7 to 18 were invited to this camp for a week of fun and to meet other kids that have experienced a family member that's deployed or will deploy soon.
Natalie Sims, 13 from Shakopee, Minn., and an Army Reserve family member, said she likes having the opportunity to talk to other Army Reserve youth that are enduring the same problems that she is going through. "I like talking to people that understand me because you get treated differently during school if you don't have friends that know what you are talking about."
"Since they are geographically dispersed we wanted to bring them together to know they aren't the only ones that are going through a deployment," said Laura Poppen, Army Reserve Child Youth Services Coordinator.
AREC is open to all Army Reserve youth and is free. CYS will host 16 camps across the United States and one in Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, with over 1,000 Army Reserve youth in attendance at the camps.
This is the seventh year America's military has been engaged in war. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates said in a speech at a Joint Armed Forces Officers Wives' Luncheon at Boiling Air Force Base in Maryland, June 26, that the current war is the longest that an all-volunteer force has been involved in since the American Revolution.
Gates said 40 percent of the military is made up of parents, and more than 230,000 children have a parent at war. A recent Pentagon survey of more than 13,000 active-duty troops found that the children most affected by deployments are between 6 and 13 years old.
AREC isn't the cure all to replace the void of a deployed family member, nor can it calm the all the anxiety or grief during a deployment or potential deployment. AREC can give Army Reserve Youth a diversion during this intense time and surround them with youth that have like issues with counseling if needed. The camps also give Army Reserve family members an opportunity to relax while their children are at camp.
"Counselors talk to them about support and who they can go to about support, said Poppen. She also said they teach them coping strategies on how to deal with a deployment.
The camps don't limit themselves to just talking about feelings...they also focus on having fun. During camp, the youth have the opportunity to stay in cabins, go rock climbing, canoeing, swimming and more. On military day the youth got an opportunity to connect with and understand what their family members do on a daily basis.
"I really never knew what he did or what he does. I got to realize that he does a little more than I thought. I thought he just sits at a desk. Apparently he does more," said Inveen. She added, "I'm very proud of my dad. I love him so much."
Soldiers from the 372nd Engineer Battalion were tasked with providing the activities for this day. The campers got to throw balloons at targets, perform drill and ceremony, and sit and spin in the turret of an up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. Each camper got specially made identification tags with their names and had the opportunity to ask Soldiers questions relating to the military.
The campers had a special demonstration from Metro Canine Detection Services with their two star Belgian Malinois dogs Tasca and Reggie. Mike Rafftery and John Roux, dog handlers with Metro Canine Detection Services, hid items in an area where the campers watched the dogs search for the hidden items.
"This was really cool. This is probably one of the best things I've done in the military," said Spc. Scott Larson, human resources specialist with the 372nd Engineer Battalion. Larson also said he enjoyed seeing the reactions and excitement of the kids when they partook in the military activities.
Larson watched and helped the campers climb in and out of the up-armored HUMVEE and answered their questions regarding the vehicle.
"Why are the doors so heavy? What do you do with this? What does that do? It's kind of like watching a bunch of kids inquire about an automobile," said Larson.
"I hope they have a great time at camp and they realize they aren't the only ones going through a deployment or some tough times and that they have made a new friend that can be supportive," said Poppen.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2009 09:23 |
| Story ID: | 36110 |
| Location: | LORRETTO, US |
| Web Views: | 272 |
| Downloads: | 239 |
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