Military families are special. Like the warriors they love, they, too, must be courageous. They must fight the battle of loneliness and face challenges on the home front without the assist of relatives who are away, serving their country.
American military families include approximately 1.82 million children, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, and there are multiple organizations that provide these children with academic, emotional and social support.
One of those is the Military Child Education Coalition, which held a developmental course in Atlanta on Tuesday titled "Supporting Veterans' Children through Transitions."
The Slusher family from Missouri was among the many who planned to attend the event, only to reconsider and stay away because of when it was held — on Nov. 8, Election Day. The potential for election-related violence dissuaded several military veterans and their families from making the trip.
"Because (we didn't) know what might happen, we've decided as a family not to go," said Melody Slusher.
But she and a nephew, Isaiah Cooper, told the AJC what they would have shared with fellow military families had they attended.
Melody’s husband, Christopher, was injured in 2003 while deployed in Iraq. A rocket-propelled grenade hit his Army Combat Earthmover.
Christopher had to undergo skin graphs and still has spinal cord and back issues, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Melody’s brother, Josh Cooper, also was injured in military service.
“You never think you’re going to get that second call. … But I had to live through those emotions twice,” Melody Slusher said.
Cooper’s injuries came from a dump truck filled with sand-covered explosives detonating near him in Iraq in 2006. Both of his eardrums were ruptured, and he needed surgery to repair them. He, too, suffers from PTSD. He was the closest person to the explosion to survive.
Cooper has four children, the oldest being Isaiah, 18, who remembers his father’s injury.
Isaiah was 8 at the time. "Being that young you understand a lot," he said. "So of course (I felt) sadness. But being that age, there's a whole lot I didn't understand. Two or three weeks later, he sent in a video (showing) the explosion. When they recorded it, you can just see the devastation. It turned real."
As Isaiah recalled memories of his father before the war injury, he repeatedly mentioned the word “fun.”
“I guess you can’t put everything down to that one three-letter word. But he’s a totally different person,” Isaiah said.
For more information on the Military Child Education Coalition and its programs and resources, visit www.militarychild.org.
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