By Will Bonnell
On Oct. 21st, 2011, President Obama announced the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year. Though nationwide, this plan does not affect Fort Lee. Troops from that base were brought home in April of 2011.
When Obama was inaugurated, he made his highest national security priority to end the war in Iraq. Many are delighted to say, that after nine years of conflict there, the war is over. The Iraqis have taken full responsibility for their country’s security, and are now in a stable enough environment in which they do not need the aid of the United States.
Many children and teens face the fear of losing a parent due to terrorism, but this Christmas much of this anxiety will be gone. As Iraq’s government gains more and more confidence, Iraq and the U.S. have decided that all troops in Iraq are to be out of the country by December 31, 2011.
“I feared for my mom’s well-being [when she was deployed], because she was in a foreign country that is known to be dangerous,” sophomore Sean Brown said.
Liz Brown, the mother of Brown, has been through multiple deployments both to Iraq and Afghanistan, and Brown says it’s tough not having her around.
Often deployments can be scary. About 17% of kids between the ages of 11 and 17 say they coped poorly or very poorly with having a parent deployed, as researched by Leonard Wong, PhD, a research professor at the US Army War College. Many students have experienced this, and understand this situation. Lorna King, the Mobilization and Deployment Program Manager of the Army Community Service, describes what it is like for kids of deployed troops.
“Deployment impacts certain kids differently. Some kids are more prone to things like depression, because they don’t understand,” King said.
King works with families that have a parent deployed in a foreign country. She helps both spouses and kids cope. As Christmas time is almost here, she has to help kids deal with not having a dad or mom to celebrate the holidays with them.
“No kid wants to be separated from a parent on Christmas day. It goes back to that missing piece. You just can’t bring back those moments,” King said.
Many children will be able to find relief this Christmas with President Obama’s promise. Thousands of children will be able to spent time with their deployed parents this Christmas.
“It’s not even like Christmas without my mom, it feels empty,” Brown said.