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Military Children and Families

Military children are our nation’s children. They are an integral part of our communities wherever they live and they face unique challenges related to their parent’s service to our country. Some of these challenges include the stress of parental separations and family reunification as a result of deployment; frequent moves that disrupt relationships with friends, schools and familiar community resources; even parental injury, illness or death.

Research indicates that military children are healthy and resilient, and may even grow as a result of deployment stressors. However, many factors present health risks for military children and their development. Our nation’s professionals who touch their lives through healthcare, education, recreation and faith-based activities should be aware of these risks and strive to prevent and mitigate them, and to foster resilience in this important and diverse population.

Amongst military children, certain groups are more vulnerable. These groups include young children, some boys, and children with pre-existing health and mental health problems.  Other groups may also be at higher risk: those who do not live close to military communities or live in places with fewer resources (such as children of National Guard or reserve), those that weather repeated deployments or come from single-parent or dual military parent families.

Active duty families are typically embedded in military and civilian communities with large and variable resources that can lend support. These include schools, military treatment facilities, TRICARE network providers and agencies, command units, churches, Child Development Centers, commissary and Exchange facilities, as well as non-military community and family agencies. A number of Internet-based resources also exist to support the military child.

Taking care of our nation’s military children sustains our fighting force and strengthens the health, security and safety of our all of our families and communities.

Courage to Care for Me

Our military children are our nation’s children! In celebration of the Month of the Military Child, April, 2007, and in recognition of this important and vulnerable population, the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) will introduce a Courage to Care for Me onesie to the military community — healthcare providers, service members and their families.

The Courage to Care for Me onesie, the centerpiece of this unique pilot project, seeks to recognize and reinforce the challenges of parenting during stressful times of military life including deployment, redeployment, extended deployment and return home. The onesie communicates the important message that military parenting, especially in times of war, involves “courage”, and that “courage” is not just reserved for the battlefield or in theatre, but is part of caring for one’s children on the homefront.

The Courage to Care for Me onesie comes in white, pink and blue and features two colorful logos and a tag that describes the purpose of the project. A limited quantity of onesies have been produced as part of this pilot for distribution at select sites including several military health centers, a military university bookstore and a Family Readiness Program on an Army Base. 

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress CSTS) is part of the Department of Psychiatry of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. CSTS conducts research, education and consultation around the psychological effects and health consequences of disasters including terrorism and war.  The Center’s Child and Family Programs is engaged in numerous activities and research addressing child neglect and family violence in the military, as well as educational projects to enhance the health and wellbeing of children and families in both the civilian and military communities.

For more information about the Center’s Child and Family Programs and its Courage to Care for Me Project, contact the Center at 301-295-2470, or email .

Click here to view a fact sheet, Tips for Caring for Your Newborn and Yourself.