I began working with the DoD in 2014, and have had a variety of government roles and positions since then.

Below is a piece I wrote during my time with the Recruitment Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as their Recruitment Communications Program Manager.

The article was first posted to my LinkedIn on April 22, 2020, and the original piece can be found on here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/celebrating-month-military-child-brittany-l-reid/

Celebrating the Month of the Military Child

Written by: Brittany L. Reid, Recruitment Communications Program Manager
NGA Talent Acquisition Center

Did you know that April is officially designated as the Month of the Military Child? It’s time to honor the sacrifices that military children make as their loved ones work hard to protect our world.

     Military children have to deal with many hardships as they grow up. Often, their loved ones can deploy for months at a time without the children knowing exactly when they will come home. In addition, military kids move around a lot because of their parents’ varying assignments, including those overseas. But perhaps what is most taxing, is when they have to adjust their lifestyles due to loved ones returning home from deployment with physical injuries or psychological trauma.

      All of this, coupled with the recent affliction of COVID-19, have made matters particularly hard for children this year. Many may have family members who were deployed and are unable to return home due to travel restrictions. Others may be unable to find some semblance of stress relief with their friends because they’re having to shelter in place.

     But still, they persevere. These children are steadfast, strong, resilient, and serve as a true testament to the unified spirit of our great nation,

     April was designated as the Month of the Military Child in 1986 by then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. There are many ways to celebrate the month, including “Purple Up!” Day, which involve people wearing the month’s official color: purple. Why? Because, purple is the result of blending the main colors from all five branches of the military, and thus, represent kids with family members across all of the armed forces.

     While different regions may celebrate the occasion on different dates, for the state of Virginia, today, April 22, 2020, has been designated as Purple Up! Day.

Other methods include:
-Having kids share stories from key moments of their lives in a creative way: drawing pictures, writing stories or poems, making songs, etc.
-Asking them what is the most fun place they’ve been to and why they love that location.
-Wearing purple and sharing photos on social media.
-And more!

      So, make sure you take time today to show a military child that you care!

      I would like to personally extend my deepest gratitude to military kids all around the world, as well as their families, for their dedication and sacrifice in making sure that we’re safe every day.

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Website references: 

https://www.military.com/spousebuzz/blog/2008/04/month-of-the-military-child.html

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/student_family/military/resources/military_children/index.shtml

**Note: #PurpleUpVirginia The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) VDOE encourages people share their Purple Up! and Month of the Military Child photos by using the hashtag #PurpleUpVirginia on social media. VDOE will be reposting your efforts on our various social media platforms.

Photos and/or descriptions of your activities can also be sent to Dan Dunham, military family education liaison, at dan.dunham@doe.virginia.gov, for sharing with the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.

The Military Child Education Coalition also provides numerous resources through their Month of the Military Child Tool Kit.