Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. --
The military lifestyle is often hard on families who move
every two or three years, or who have to learn to live without a family member
on deployment. More than 20 years ago, Marine spouses created a support network
called L.I.N.K.S (Lifestyles, Insights, Networking, Knowledge and Skills) to
share tips and tricks for coping with these challenges. Now this concept has
been used to help their children as well.
L.I.N.K.S. for Kids, held July 23 aboard Marine Corps
Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., combined fun games with military and flag
protocol, chain of command, and coping mechanisms when a parent is on
deployment. Soldiers from Fort Irwin stationed at Barstow-Daggett Airport who
live in base housing, as well as MCLB's Marines, were on hand to help with the
program.
Organized by Julie Wilbanks, Family Readiness Officer and
director of Marine Corps Family Team Building, and Jill Crumpler,
administrative assistant for MCFTB, the program kept the children engaged and
enthusiastic all morning. Games such as Twister had Army and Marine
installation locations glued to the floor cloth, demonstrating that sometimes
the many moves a military child makes can be as confusing and hard to manage as
the acrobatics needed to win at Twister.
Photographs of the Army and Marine chain of command,
beginning with the Commander in Chief, inspired a "who is…?" game.
Debbie McGough, School Liaison Officer, was the mystery guest in "What's
my Line," where the younger children had to guess what her job was. They
offered a variety of duties, from "garbage lady" to "helicopter
pilot" to "engineer."
Adam Diaz, Exceptional Family Member case worker, led the
group in "Simon Says," and even the Marines and Soldiers found
themselves dropping out when they obeyed a command not issued by "Simon."
The younger children, led by the teens, shared their
experiences with their parent's deployment. Some said they used Skype to keep
in touch. One teen made a scrapbook for her dad. A young man advised, "Do
something to distract yourself. Get a hobby."
Army Sgt. Bruce Adams said, "The best thing you can do
is to send them a letter or care package. I still have some of my letters and
postcards someone sent me. Send homemade cookies. It's like getting a Christmas
package. But don't send Skittles. They come in our MREs, and after six months
you never want to eat them again."
Crumpler explained the Marines' unofficial slogan
"Semper Gumby," a reference to the bendable toy. "When you're a
military kid you need to be flexible because things change a lot," she
said. "Be brave. Help your younger brothers and sisters to be brave,
too."
The children also ran an obstacle course wearing full-sized
uniforms, which provided laughs and challenges as they negotiated a tunnel, ran
through hoops, crawled on their bellies, did jumping jacks and push-ups, all
while dragging duffle bags behind them and holding up their droopy pants.
And what did they have for lunch? Meals, ready to eat, of
course!