Fort Hood Sentinel

For children, a parent’s deployment can be a scary time full of unknowns and uncertainties.

On Saturday, about 200 Fort Hood children got a glimpse of what their parents experience when they deploy. During a day-long mock deployment at Comanche Chapel, children and youth ages 3-18 learned about Iraq and Afghanistan, went through a mock Soldier readiness processing where they received shots and eye examinations, tried on tactical gear, ate a Soldier-appropriate Jimmy Dean lunch and went on a road march.

The exercise was an effort to help demystify the deployment process, Stephanie Mello, event coordinator, Fort Hood Army Community Service, said.

“We decided kids need to know it’s their deployment too,” Mello said.

To further the message, several Fort Hood and area agencies set up information tables inside Comanche Chapel and offered educational materials about dealing with deployments and the stress of Army life.

The event was an effort to alleviate fears and anxiety children often associate with a deployment and to answer some of their questions by showing children what their parents’ experience is like.

“We did this so our kids don’t have to be so afraid,” Mello said.

The morning started at 8 a.m. with registration that included platoon assignments and equipment issue. Equipment issue included a backpack filled with a compass, an Operation Military Youth dog tag, a field journal, a pen, a disposable camera, a canteen and other items. The children also received badges with their name, rank and platoon assignment.

Once registered, children headed out to the parking lot of Comanche Chapel for their morning formation and a briefing from Fort Hood Soldiers.

In their platoon formations, children learned about the Warrior Ethos, to always place the mission first and never leave a fallen comrade. They also learned to say “Hooah” with appropriate inflection and gusto.