Barksdale Youth Center celebrates month of the military child Published March 29, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Jason McCasland 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Children are the driving force to our future, yet the military child sometimes makes a bigger contribution to their communities, families and even their nation. Former Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger realized this and in 1986 designated April as "The month of the military child." With many military parents heading out to fulfill their military roles by deploying, going on a temporary duty assignment and moving to a new base can make growing up a challenge for many children. "The Department of Defense program shows the children of service members just how much we appreciate what they do and what they go through," said Robert Sedberry, Barksdale Youth Center teen coordinator. "They have to cope with everything that the military throws at them, from deployments, TDY's and moving. They become incredibly resilient." The DOD program wants to honor the military child and the sacrifices they have made, by giving them special events to know that it does not go unnoticed. "We want to show the kids that they are not forgotten in what they do and sacrifice for the military parent," said Sedberry. "The events we are having are for school-age, pre-teen and teenagers. This way we can cater something to each of the groups and make it fun for all." This annual event will begin April 5 and will continue every Friday until the end of the month. For more information on the activities for the "Month of the Military Child" contact the Barksdale Youth Center at 456-3448.