LARKSPUR — When 14-year-old Dominic Aerts was asked what he missed most while his dad was away serving in the military, his answer was simple: “Everything.”
Dominic and 86 other kids who spent the past week at a camp outside Larkspur all had one thing in common: a military parent was spending, or had spent, an extended time away from home.
“Just him not being there, not being able to see him,” Dominic said. “That’s what I missed.”
At Operation Purple Summer Camp, kids of military parents from throughout Colorado and other parts of the country get to share their concerns, fears, triumphs and trials in dealing with their situations.
In essence, the children of those who go off to battle serve just as their parents do, said Patty Barron, a director with the National Military Family Association — whether the sacrifice comes in the form of more chores or responsibilities, missing bedtime stories or walking home from school instead of getting a ride.
“These kids serve, too, in a sense, almost side by side with their parents,” Barron said.
The kids’ experiences at home give them a head start on bonding at camp.
“They don’t have to explain themselves to one another,” Barron said. “They already know who they are.”
Across the country, 10,000 kids will attend camps at 62 locations in 37 states, according to organizers. The camps are sponsored, in part, by private groups and individual donations, including the Sierra Club.
At the Larkspur camp Thursday, military personnel from nearby bases, including Fort Carson and Peterson Air Force Base, were on hand to show kids military equipment, talk with them and even run campers through physical exercises so they can get a feel for what their mom or dad might be doing overseas.
Ten-year-old Austin Browning of Falcon, with an Army helmet on his head, climbed through an Army Humvee with a group of newfound friends.
“It’s great,” freckle-faced Austin said of the camp. “It’s just a lot of fun.”
Earlier in the week, the kids went whitewater rafting, horseback riding and rock climbing.
“Their confidence and self-esteem goes up, and it’s truly amazing,” said camp director Mary Marcantonio.
Luke Sizemore, 23, an Airman First Class serving at Peterson, is a counselor; Dominic, who attends Pomona High School in Arvada, is in Sizemore’s group.
“Hanging out with these kids and taking their minds off their parents being gone, that’s what it’s all about,” Sizemore said.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
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