Coronado Celebrates Month of the Military Child

By ANNIE GARDNER

Living in a military community means that hearing military acronyms, jargon and slang is commonplace. This language often easily fades into background noise, but there is one common term that always sounds jarring: “military brat”. On the surface, and to the uneducated ear, this term sounds derogatory and condescending. Yet, to those in the know, there is no higher compliment.

Though there is some debate about its origins, the term is widely believed to have originated in the 1920’s British Army where it was code for British Regiment Attached Traveler and referred to families who traveled abroad with their soldier. Eventually, many militaries adopted the term and it stuck. Today, in military terms, this does not equate to an unruly, unmannered, misbehaving child, it is a term of endearment and respect. Coronado is a unique community filled with proud military brats who bring color, experience, and flavor to our society, and who have a special month dedicated to showcasing the beauty they share with to our community.

April is reserved as the Month of the Military Child, and it is a time when the nation embraces, celebrates, and recognizes the unchosen sacrifice and service of our youngest citizens. Coronado truly embraces this month as an opportunity to show our gratitude, respect, and awe of our youngest ranks. This year, Safe Harbor Coronado, in collaboration with Coronado Unified School District, our School Liaison Officer, our Military Family Life Counselors, and several military instillations held celebrations to honor military children.

Coronado Middle School hosted a weeklong spirit dress up week with a special Wellness Wednesday event to celebrate military kids. The Magicians of HSM-35 and Naval Special Warfare Assessment Command were on site during student lunches to share stories, allow students to try on equipment, give out swag, and say thank you. Students especially enjoyed trying on tactical gear and donning night vision goggles to see what it is like to operate in the dark.

Meanwhile, Silver Strand Elementary enjoyed a military themed dress up spirit week and the PTO hosted a special breakfast catered by Night and Day Café and Panera to honor military kids. Service members and their kids were greeted by a student created art wall curated by Military Family Life Counselor Grace Medrano. They were treated to a professional family photo with a purple backdrop, and a delicious breakfast. The celebration culminated with a special Friday Flagpole led by 4th and 5th grade Anchored4Life Team Leaders in which the kids shared original poems, songs and thoughts about the joys and trials of being a military child.

Coronado High School and Village Elementary also participated in this special month. Village Elementary hosted a dress up spirit week, participated in boot camp style workouts in PE, read books about military life, and the Anchored4Life team handed out dog tags and dedicated a bulletin board to military connected kids. At Coronado High School, the Student 2 Student club created goodie bags to hand out at lunch with popsicles to say thank you to our military youth.

Throughout the month, all students were encouraged to “purple up” to show solidarity and support for military kids. Purple represents all branches of our military, including active duty, reserves, national guard, and veterans. It combines the blues of Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force, Army green and Marine red. Further, dandelions can be seen throughout the month as a symbol of the resiliency of military kids. Dandelion poems, songs, and artwork are a highlight of the month. Just like a dandelion, military kids bloom wherever they land, are resilient, adaptable, and beautiful.

Dubbed ‘the silent ranks’, the families of our active-duty service members, including their kids, are the lifeblood of sustaining a ready and resilient military force and are an integral part of a caring and connected community. Though they have no uniform, do not train to fight, and do not deploy, military families also selflessly sacrifice and serve. These are the ones who are frequently uprooted and transplanted in a new area, by no choice of their own, showing strength, grace, and resilience through adversity. They learn to say hello and goodbye, to deploy and reintegrate, to miss someone yet thrive, to adapt to new people and places, and to shine, all while many of them are still learning their ABC’s. These “brats” are more than deserving of a month of recognition and celebration.

Safe Harbor Coronado provides low-cost counseling, youth and parenting programs, and community education. For more information go to SafeHarborCoronado.org, sign up for the e-newsletter, and follow us on social media @SafeHarborCoronado to make sure you never miss a Safe Harbor Coronado event!

Warmly, Danielle Maske Executive Director, Safe Harbor Coronado danielle.maske@safeharborcoronado.org 619-522-6884 Ext 1# 516-697-4055 mobile *formerly Coronado SAFE Outlook-mq4y1pb1.png