Truman Sponsors Children's Day In Preparation For Spring Deployment

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) hosted a Children's Day April 24 in anticipation of the ship's upcoming Spring deployment.

The burden of a deployment can weigh heavily on many Sailors and their families. Sailors can spend lengthy periods of time at sea away from their loved ones, and that can create many challenges.

Military families find ways to cope with the separation, and Truman Sailors decided to host a version of Bring Your Children to Work Day, enabling children to see where their parents work and get a better idea of what to expect during deployment.

For some children, this is the first time their parents will be gone for an extended period of time.

According to Chief Electronics Technician (SW) Elizabeth Barnes, Truman Children's Day coordinator, events like this help military children understand why their parents are leaving and why their work is important.

"The kids don't necessarily have the tools to communicate and handle it the way adults do," said Barnes. "The understanding they can get from these family events might ease some of their frustrations of being away from their parents."

The three-hour event included a puppet show, a book reading and tours of shipboard spaces.

"The Navy is full of so many unique individuals," said said Lt. Cmdr. Ross Mackenzie, author of a children's book on deployment. "Not very many people are aware of what goes on within the military regarding the sacrifices we make, so these events are crucial to let the people know exactly what we do."

Truman is scheduled to deploy late this year with the Truman Carrier Strike Group, comprised of USS Normandy (CG 60), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), USS Ross (DDG 71) and German Frigate FGS Hessen (F221).


For more news from USS Harry S. Truman, visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn75/.