Operation Purple Camp, unique opportunity for military kids Published Aug. 24, 2007 By Senior Airman Megan P. Lyon 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- -- As most Americans teens spent the summer hanging out with friends or spending their time doing things they enjoy, teenagers from military families at Mountain Home and across the United States face a unique burden that many their age never face -- they watch their parents deploy to potentially dangerous areas of the world to support the Global War on Terrorism. To help these teens cope with deployments, the National Military Family Association, one of the few national organization whose focus is the military family, offers the teens and pre-teens an outlet to share their feelings and meet others their age going through the same issues. Operation Purple Camp Idaho ran from Aug. 12 to 18 geared exclusively for those ages 12 to 18 years old with a parent either preparing to, currently or recently returned from a deployment. During the week the campers stayed at Cascade Lake, learned life lessons to help them adapt to deployments and family reintegration. "One of the most impressive things was watching them overcome their fears and to step up to challenges that showed up," said Staff Sgt. Ryan Hendrickson, 366th Logistics Readiness Squadron and one of the active-duty military volunteer counselors. Over the week, the campers participated in whitewater rafting, zip line tour, rock climbing, horseback riding, bowling and ice skating in between the lessons. "In the beginning, there were some conflicts between some of the campers, but by the end of the week they were hugging each other, exchanging phone numbers and crying because they were sad to see each other go," said Diana Lawson, 366th Services Squadron youth program director. "The camp was a good opportunity to learn about yourself and push yourself to do things you normally wouldn't do," said Carly McMullen, one of the attendees of this year's camp this year. On the camp's last day, organizers hosted a brunch to showcase what the campers experienced over the week and what they had learned. "It's nice to come to a place where everyone understands what you're going through because they're going through it too," said Cherisse Cano, a camper whose mother, a U.S. Army reservist, just returned from an 18-month deployment. "The young men and women here spent the last week experiencing new situations and learning what we called life lessons. Ask them to tell you about them. These lessons will last them throughout the rest of their lives." Ms. Lawson told the available parents and guardians during the closing of the ceremony.