Dignitaries from Congress, the Armed Services and the American Red Cross descended on Bear Hill 4-H Camp Thursday in celebration of Military Day at the 2008 Operation Purple Camp.

Sen. John Sununu, (R-NH,)  representatives from the NH National Guard and its Family Program, along with Skip DeHart, Red Cross manager of services for military families in New Hampshire, all had the opportunity to tour camp and meet some of the youth whose parents are in the Armed Services.

Operation Purple Camp is funded by the National Military Families Association. This week-long, residential summer camp hosted 103 children of all military service members, with preference given to families experiencing deployment, preparing for deployment, or adjusting to reunification.

Operation Purple Camp's goal is to impart the message to these young heroes that they serve, too. The camp helps military kids experience a fun-filled week at camp, while they learn coping skills to deal with deployment-related stress and foster relationships with other, similarly situated, military kids. On Thursday, they also had the opportunity to interact with Armed Services representatives who are in active service and been through deployment. A highlight for the kids was watching a demonstration of well-trained dogs and their handlers who support military actions.

I had the opportunity to serve lunch, with help from 4-H Youth Development Program Leader Wendy Brock, Associate Director Jim Grady, Brigadier General Stephen Burritt, Col. Deborah Carter and Chaplain Wayne Santos, all from the NH National Guard. A surprise presentation was the naming of the garden next to the dining hall in honor of Wendy Brock, for her support of 4-H Camps. A "gold" shovel was unveiled to mark the presentation to her.

UNH Cooperative Extension, 4-H Youth Development program partners with all branches of the military, the military's NH Joint Family Support Assistance Program, military support groups, and many other organizations to form the outreach effort called Operation: Military Kids.