Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. (September 9, 2024): There are very few professions that require a spouse to regularly say goodbye to their family while heading to far flung places to defend our nation. The Air Force understands the pressure this places on military families and has developed a comprehensive program to teach children how to cope with a deployment. In this photo by Senior Airman Elizabeth Figueroa, children of service members move a simulated injured Airman during a Kids Understanding Deployment Operations (KUDOS) event that included other age-appropriated games.

The KUDOS event hosted forty families with eighty kids, ranging from ages 4 to 13, who proceeded through different deployment stations such as a mock fitness test, an obstacle course, and they learned about the roles of fire and emergency services, security forces, medics, and the explosive ordnance disposal team.

KUDOS gives the youngsters the opportunity to ask questions about mom and dad’s job and what happens during a deployment. The goal is to convey this very important information to families while having fun doing it. Younger children may need simple explanations while older siblings often require help assuming unfamiliar roles like managing household expenses and paying the bills. Families must also adjust to living without a significant other for long periods of time. Even after a member returns, families may still need help readjusting to normal routines.

The KUDOS program urges parents to maintain a calm atmosphere; keep familiar routines, and to minimize exposure to reminders of absence of a loved one. The key is to talk to youngsters in a language they understand and to reassure them that things will stay routine until the family is reunited.

Few professions in the world demand more of its members than the U.S. military, particularly when deploying overseas. The Air Force KUDOS effort will hopefully help our service families cope.