Washington – Senator Evan Bayh sponsored legislation to designate today, May 15, 2008, as Military Kids Day in the United States and at military bases abroad.  The bipartisan resolution, which passed by unanimous consent in the Senate last night, honors children in military families and the sacrifices they make when their parents serve in the Armed Forces. When deployed away from their permanent duty stations, 46 percent of service members have children they leave behind.  There are more than 1.2 million children of U.S. active duty service members.

Military Kids Day also highlights the work of the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) Annual Essay Contest.  This year, children were asked to write about why their military parents are heroes.  Their essays and creative artwork will be published by the ASYMCA in My Hero: Military Kids Write about their Moms and Dads. The ASYMCA annually provides more than 400,000 military families with essential services, such as educational programming, health and nutrition services, and spousal support.

“The children of our service members make an extraordinary sacrifice when they are separated from a parent,” Senator Bayh said.  “Their parents are true American heroes, and these kids deserve all the support we can offer them.”

The Military Kids Day resolution was co-sponsored by Senators Bayh, Pat Roberts (R-KS) and 19 other senators.

###