April is the Month of the Military Child. Several of us here at Code of Support take great pride in being, and raising, military children. That being said, we would like to highlight the military children most near and dear to our hearts: the staff and their families!
Here is a testimonial from our COO, Court, who fondly remembers his military kid childhood:
“Growing up as a military kid, I often puzzled when I was asked “Where are you from?” It was a tough question for me because I had a lot of answers. Some kids had a quick answer, of course, but I never really envied those kids.
My father was a career soldier–first as an aviator, and then later with the Corps of Engineers. It was a path that took him, and our family, to places far and wide like Germany, Virginia, Japan, Kansas, South Korea, Iowa, South Dakota, and Maryland.
Occasionally, I’m asked if growing up as a military brat was hard, if I missed having a true hometown. I answer that “hard” isn’t the word I would choose. Looking back, it was an amazing opportunity, and I experienced things that have changed me forever, and for the better. In just a two-year slice of time in South Korea, I became familiar enough with a new language to pick a soccer team with kids that spoke no English (kids like me, except from a different country).”
Here is the reflection of one COSF spouse, who used his military kid experience and went on to join himself:
“Growing up as a kid, my father was in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Since he was in the Reserves that meant I didn’t experience the majority of the typical military kid stuff like moving every couple of years, but my dad still missed one weekend a month of my soccer games, or whatever other family activity was going on, and a whole year when I was in high school when he was deployed. I always knew that my dad was doing something important, and his sacrifices and involvement in something bigger than himself inspired me to join the military. I’m proud to be a military kid.”
Here is this story of our Senior Director of Development, David, who continues to honor his unique childhood:
“I grew up understanding that sacrifices of men and women in uniform made possible my enjoyment of all that America has to offer. My father, a Vietnam-era Army veteran, served Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF II), before retiring with service-related disability. In those times we were apart, my father still made sure my brother and I were learning the lessons he knew were so important: honor, honesty, respect, and above all, gratitude for those who serve.
My brother chose service as well, and in the Air Force served on tour in Afghanistan and two tours in Qatar before also retiring with service-related disability. From both of their examples, I carry with me always a sense of duty to never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy. This led to my life-long love for our civil liberties and freedoms in this country, although I chose a different path for my service.
Growing up in the era of the ban on service for those in the LGBTQ community, military enlistment was not an option for me. Instead, I channeled my passion for our freedoms into a legal career, focusing my law school education on civil rights and the protection of democracy. For 8 years after, I represented people with disabilities who had been discriminated against, but who could not afford a lawyer. Since then, I dedicated my career to nonprofit service, always seeking ways to help those who are most in need. Today, I am most proud to be working at the Code of Support Foundation where I can spend every day fighting for the benefits, services, protections, and gratitude so deserved by our US veterans and their families. I can finally repay my father, brother, and all who serve for their sacrifices for me, and for all of us.”
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