http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_207_Military_Mom.mp3 An estimated 700,000 children have had a parent deployed overseas since 9/11. Breanna Bodden is 9. Both her mother and step-father were deployed to Iraq. Then her father was sent there, too. Dick talks to Breanna's mother, Rebecca. Plone 2.0 http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_207_Military_Mom.mp3/logo.jpg http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_207_Military_Mom.mp3 <h4>MILITARY MOM<br /></h4><p class="imageleft"><img class="image-left" src="resolveuid/481a0ff187299f5ab7c2b8af616465a0" alt="WBRebeccaBreanna.jpg" height="100" width="100" />Rebecca Hagler and Breanna<br /></p><p>An estimated 700,000 children have had a parent deployed overseas since 9/11. Breanna Bodden is 9. Both her mother and step-father were deployed to Iraq. Then her father was sent there, too. Dick talks to Breanna's mother, Rebecca Hagler, who is still serving in Iraq.</p><p>Rebecca talks to Dick about the difficulties she has trying to maintain her role as a mom, how she stays in touch, and her pride in her daughter.</p><blockquote><p><i>I wonder if I am doing the right thing by her [Breanna]. Is she going to hate me forever, thinking I abandoned her? Is she going to be emotionally scarred for life?<br />-Rebecca Hagler</i></p></blockquote><ul><li><a href="http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_opinion_seplet060918/" target="_self">Read the letter </a>Rebecca's wrote to the Army Times <br /></li><li>Watch North Carolina Governor Easley's <a href="http://www.governor.state.nc.us/News/VideoClips/default.asp" target="_self">"State of the State" </a>Address (Choose the 2/19/07 address. Skip ahead to 9:45 to see Breanna)</li><li>Find a variety of <a href="http://deploymentlink.osd.mil/deploy/family/family_intro.shtml" target="_self">family support links </a>for deployed military <br /></li></ul><p><br /><a title="Add To This Story" class="addbtn" href="resolveuid/cc2a8297b6c0d5c86538f03c46448d35" target="_self">Add to this story</a></p><h4><br /></h4><h4>SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN</h4><p class="imageleft"><img class="image-left" src="resolveuid/2fce4830b6a06c0f0426d36c0b1bc43c" alt="Teri Reid" height="100" width="100" />Teri Reid<br /></p><p>The prolonged absence of any parent can be hurtful for a child. Their behaviors can become intensely anti-social and even self-destructive, especially when that absence goes on for a year or more.<br /><br />Teri Reid is a pediatric nurse practitioner based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She's treated children who've suffered greatly from a parent's deployment. And she's also developed a solution to the problem: videotaping the deploying parents before their departure and playing the tape regularly for the children left behind. It's the only use for television she'd ever recommend for a 2 year-old.<br /><br /></p><blockquote><i>Under 2 years of age, the child would have forgotten [his/her father] and would have been very frightened when this strange man came home in a year. And that's what these soldiers carry around in them, this fear. But when I tell them we can prevent it, they're so relieved. Their whole face changes. They're so relieved that they can prevent their child from forgetting them just by something this simple.</i><br /><i>-Teri Reid</i><br /></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><a title="Add To This Story" class="addbtn" href="resolveuid/cc2a8297b6c0d5c86538f03c46448d35" target="_self">Add to this story</a></p> Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:00:00