Operation Purple Camp registration is here

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Debbie Lockhart
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Teenagers of military members across the nation can come together Aug. 8-14 for Operation Purple Camp, which helps children learn coping methods to overcome the stress deployments can put on families.

According to the camp sponsor, the National Military Family Association, more than 155,000 children have at least one parent deployed in support of the Overseas Contingency Operations. NMFA created OPC in 2004 and designed it to help prepare children for this separation.

The free, one-week camp takes place at 62 locations in 37 states and territories across the country -- for the last five years, Mountain Home Air Force Base Youth Programs' camp has been held in Donnelly, Idaho.

The camp offers a variety of activities to help develop and strengthen relationships, learn skills to cope with the stress of deployments, meet peers who are in similar situations and make friends.

During Mountain Home AFB's OPC, campers are split into four flights led by two counselors, one of which is an active-duty military member. Throughout the camp, flights come together to complete flight challenges, horseback ride, participate in a high and low ropes course, and white water rafting.

"The staff at Mountain Home Youth Programs sees the effects of deployments on young people every day," said Dianne Lawson, Mountain Home Air Force Base youth programs director. "When we learned about this opportunity, we felt this would be a great way to help teens cope with these effects in an outdoor environment experiencing activities they may never have had a chance to do before. It also puts them in contact with other teens in the same situation. Many of our Army National Guard teens in particular may be the only teen in town with a deployed parent. This camp gives them a new support system."

Each camp is "purple" because it is open to children of service members of any branch of service including children of members of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

"OPC helps me see that I'm not alone," said Zack Hall, who attended the camp last year. "The biggest problem I had when my dad left was feeling like no one understood me and what I was feeling. When I went to OPC in 2009, we did the Wall of Honor, and it made me see there were others who felt the same way I did. It helped me out tremendously."

According to the Web site, www.nmfa.org, "The program aims to help military children experience carefree fun while learning coping skills to deal with war-related stress and fostering relationships with others who know what they are going through."

Registration for OPC started March 15 and applications are only accepted online. Visit www.operationpurple.org to register. There are 52 spots available.
For more information, visit www.nmfa.org.

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