Deployment tough on troops' children

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Children jumping and running around having a good time -- just like another day at the park.

Well not quite, because Friday wasn't just about hanging out with friends. For these kids, it was about learning how to deal with parental alienation.

Imany, 15, had to fight negative thoughts when her dad was first deployed.

"When he first left I was upset about it," she said. "I thought he was going to die. But you know keep in touch write letters and it's keep you positive."

The camp teaches children about how to cope with a deployed parent, and also lets children know there are a lot of others going through the same things they are going through. The event, organized by The Comfort Crew, marks the end of a weeklong camp in its second year.

Co founder Trevor Romain says children of soldiers often have to adapt to conditions most people don't even have to think about.

"A lot of these kids have to move every three years," said Romain. "A lot of these kids have to go through stress that people just don't realize on a daily basis."

Darryl Simpson, 13, said he had to adjust to his mom when she came back from deployment.

"We had to live without her for a little while," he said. "When she come back, you know people change. We had to get used to how they are."

Others, like 13-year-old Justin Nash, battle with the unknown.

"It was really hard because we just kept going on with our regular lives," he said. "But always wondering when is my dad going to get back."

Aside from outdoor sports, the campers also put together deployment kits meant to help other children like themselves. Organizers say deployment is hard enough on kids, and want the transition upon the soldiers return to be as smooth as possible.

"It's very important for us to support the transition and the reintegration process," said Maj. Les Davis, a garrison commander at Camp Mabry. "There's really no timeline for that, in many cases that will happen very rapidly in other cases it takes a little bit of time for the spouse, the solider, the children, to readjust."