There are approximately 1.8 million children who have a loved one in the Armed Forces, and they often face challenges other youngsters do not encounter. In an effort to recognize their sacrifice, April is being recognized as the Month of the Military Child, and a traveling exhibit of artwork created by the kids of service members is making its way through some of the most important buildings in Washington, D.C., the American Forces Press Service reports.
The exhibit, which contains almost 50 paintings, drawings and writings, started off at the Department of Education. Aside from offering a glimpse into the creative minds of military children, each piece contains an explanation on the back as to why each child created what they did. Cindy Simerly, the marketing chief for the Military Child Education Coalition, says that the program is a unique representation of the challenges the military community's members have faced over the last decade.
"The exhibit is a powerful medium for military children to express their experiences over a decade of war, and to show their sacrifices," Simerly told the news source. "It's a way for the children to express themselves in a way that they might not be able to do in words."
After stopping at the Department of Education, the roving exhibit will make its way to the headquarters of the Department of Defense Education Activity as well as the house of Vice President Joe Biden.