DVDs Address Deployment Issues for Military Children

FALLS CHURCH, VA. – Military pediatricians and youth professionals developed DVDs to help military children understand and deal with the emotions related to a family member’s deployment.

The United States Army Medical Command and the American Academy of Pediatrics produced "Military Youth Coping with Separation: When Family Members Deploy," to address a variety of deployment-related concerns for teens. For elementary age children there is a, “Mr. Poe and Friends Discuss Reunion After Deployment” DVD. The animated host, Mr. Poe, mentors and provides guidance to children and family members as they discuss deployment.                                                                                       

Maj. Keith Lemmon, an Army pediatrician and adolescent medicine subspecialist, first became aware of the need for more support for deployed families when he was sent to Afghanistan in 2002. The experiences of Maj. Lemmon and his family during his deployment inspired him to address the affects of deployment on adolescents. His wife, a teacher, suffered with situational depression and his son’s behavior changed negatively. While “Military Youth Coping with Separation” tackles numerous issues teens face during deployment including fear of injury or death, stress brought about by changes in the home, it also offers coping techniques for dealing with the absence of a parent or loved one.

“Our goal is to reduce the anxiety and fear surrounding a military deployment, and let children know they are not alone in the struggles their families are facing,” said Lemmon. 

Lemmon decided to make the DVD peer to peer, with teenagers relating their own deployment-related stories and offering advice. “We know adolescents are more comfortable discussing these kinds of emotional issues with each other rather than adults,” Lemmon said. 

Cameron Lucke, a teen whose family experienced deployment, guides viewers through candid interviews with other military teens.  The interviews capture true feelings and coping strategies of military youth. Teens interviewed advise their peers to listen to the deployed parent rather than the media or to avoid watching the news completely. They also encouraged others facing the same issues to speak to someone. Recommended sources of support are family members, friends or trusted adults, such as a teacher or their doctor.

For younger children, “Mr. Poe and Friends,” uses cartoon characters to talk about deployment issues. The animated host, Mr. Poe, interacts with families at the airport as they await the return of their deployed loved ones. The video features the voices of real military children, parents, and youth serving professionals who have experienced deployment.
 
Both videos are available for online viewing on the American Academy of Pediatrics Deployment Support Website. They are also available for ordering, in DVD format, through Military One Source at 1-800-342-9647.

To find more family resources visit the Military Spouse Network.