29 April 2020 Linda Gilday Shares Her Thoughts on the Resilience and Strength of Military Children By Mrs. Linda Gilday, Wife of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday 02:06 VIDEO | 02:06 | Month of the Military Child: A Message from Mrs. Linda Gilday April is Month of the Military Child, and on behalf of my husband Mike, I want to take this opportunity to thank, recognize, and celebrate our military children. As a mother of two boys, young men now, I understand the challenges and rewards that come with raising children in a Navy household. Military children face something that other children don’t — deployments, moves, and absences. These experiences force children to become familiar with uncertainty and change. And isn’t that a great skill to carry over into our lives now, as we adjust to different patterns due to the coronavirus? Today, the need for resilience is more important than ever. To our Navy children, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for doing your part — for the moving, being the new kid in school from time to time, and adapting to the new family routines when your parent is at work or deployed. Military children, both youth and teenagers, are strong and they set examples for their friends, their neighbors, and their local communities on how to make personal sacrifices in the service of the collective good. Let’s take time together to celebrate the patriotism, strength, and perseverance of our military children. Let’s applaud their daily sacrifices and the challenges they overcome. Most of all, let’s thank them for their love and support, which makes the life of service to the Navy possible. We also want to recognize not only the parents who raise the children, but also the Navy child- and healthcare professionals. What you do matters to support Navy children. To everyone, please join me in recognizing our Navy children and their families, not only this month but all throughout the year. Thank you very much.