DENVER—Michelle Obama told dozens of military families Wednesday night that America needs to know their sacrifices—spouses or parents and children getting separated because of frequent moves and deployments around the world.
Denver was the last stop of the day for Mrs. Obama and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, on a two-day, five-city tour to showcase efforts to support military families, who often endure frequent moves and deployments that can separate parents from children for months at a time. The two visited Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and San Antonio early Wednesday. They are scheduled to visit Colorado Springs and Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.
“Your lives have been turned upside down, but you guys are doing it with grace,” Mrs. Obama told the Denver crowd, after singer Jessica Simpson serenaded them with “God Bless America.”
Before her arrival, kids and their parents raced around the bases at Coors Field, cartwheeled across the outfield, danced with Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger along the first base line, and hit pitches and snagged flies with Air Force Academy baseball team members before rain started falling. A jumbo screen showed the Rockies playing the Mets in New York.
Among those at Coors Field were two boys whose father was deployed to Bahrain and a woman whose husband is on his third deployment to Iraq, Air Force baseball coach Mike Kazlausky said.
About 1.9 million children around the country have parents serving in the military, including about 220,000 with parents currently deployed, according to a White House report.
Colorado is home to several military installations. Fort Carson alone has more than 25,000 soldiers with a total of almost 45,000 family members, according to the Army post’s website. The Colorado National Guard has about 5,300 service members.
Biden is a military mom: Beau Biden was deployed with the Delaware Army National Guard in 2008 to Iraq for 12 months.
“She knows what it’s like,” Senior Airman Zach Parker of Englewood said. “It’s a whole different world being in the military.”
Parker, 23, was supposed to be deployed to Korea, but the military deferred his assignment because his wife is dealing with cancer. He, his wife and their 1-year-old daughter were among the first to enter Coors Field on Wednesday night.
Lt. Rexford Canady of Denver, an architect who was deployed to Afghanistan last year with the Colorado Air National Guard, said serving in the military is his way of giving back. “Events like these make me feel more appreciated,” he said in between snapping photos.
Victoria Rivera, 25, said she and her husband, Staff Sgt. Francisco J. Rivera-Perez, 30, of Fort Collins, were honored to be invited after hearing about national efforts to support military families.
“We’ve heard the talk. Now we’re witnessing the action,” she said.
