Military & Veterans Life
COVER STORY: APRIL IS MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD
As family oriented holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day come to mind this spring, the greater military community turns its attention to the month of April to kick off its annual commemoration of the “Month of the Military Child.”
“Having a parent who served in the military has given me a deep sense of pride,” 2025 Military Child of the Year Sophia Pinero said. “Witnessing the hard work that my dad put into his career inspired a sense of strength in my own work and also in him.” The 17 year old was awarded by Operation Homefront for the Air Force. She wants to attend the United States Air Force Academy or a university with a strong Air Force ROTC program, and she hopes to become an officer in the Air Force.
In 1986, the U.S. Department of Defense designated each April as “The Month of the Military Child” to recognize the contribution that children of military members - like Pinero - make as their parent or parents serve our nation. Popularly and lovingly called “military brats,” these children often see the world at a young age but find challenges such as changing schools often.
Nearly 40 years later, the noble efforts to celebrate these kids are still going strong, most notably throughout the U.S. Department of Defense’s own Education Activity program (DoDEA) to recognize children. There are nearly 900,000 military connected children of all ages worldwide, following their parents wherever they are deployed.
“The life of a military-connected child is one of constant change. In addition to the typical stressors of being a kid, a military child faces a unique set of challenges, including separation during deployment and being relocated across the country – or even the world,” the DoDEA says on its website. Compared to a dandelion, the official flower of the military child, these young people flourish wherever the wind blows them. Even when uprooted, they replant in new places and thrive. They blossom into many careers in and out of the military community due to their adaptability, global perspective, and innate understanding of sacrifice.
Throughout April, DoDEA will encourage its own schools to plan events that recognize and show appreciation for those resilient military children.
And 67,000 of these children are enrolled in DoDEA schools. They are at 161 schools in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, and 2 territories across 10 time zones.
“We know that military children face many challenges that are unique to their situation, such as having a parent deployed for extended periods of time and moving frequently. Deployments and family separations can be stressful times for children,” the DoD notes on its website.
Purple Up Recognizes Military Children
The Military and Veteran family community can do their part by wearing purple for “Military Child Day,” to recognize the “Purple Up!” program established by Operation Military Kids. Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, combining Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red, and Navy blue. The Military Child Education Coalition will celebrate Purple Up Day on April 11, 2025 and support merchandise can be purchased on their website. Different organizations and school systems celebrate it on different days in April.
How WeSalute Recognizes Military Children
WeSalute has also, throughout the years, honored children of our nation’s military who have gone on to do great things in areas of the government, business, the arts, sports, and even those military brats who have decided to follow their parent’s footsteps.
Other military children profiled by WeSalute include: movie actors Gary Sinise (and philanthropist) and Steve Carrell, TV hosts Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Ripa, and Michael Strahan, movie actresses Reese Witherspoon and Bo Derek, NFL coaches Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, singer Pink, former Miss USA Rachel Smith and military philanthropist Ken Fisher of Fisher House.
