In 1986, Defense Secretary Caspar Weingberger designated April as Month of the Military Child, a time when each branch of the military service recognizes the sacrifices made by the children of parents who are serving our country. During April, military bases around the world will honor these young American heroes with special events just for them.

You don't have to have a family member serving in the military to get involved. Here are two websites with information and ideas on how we can all say thanks to our military and their families:

Month of the Military Child was created by a partnership between The American Legion Auxiliary and Connect And Join. Here, educators can find ideas on ways to recognize and pay tribute to military children through the use of arts and crafts.

America Supports You was created by the Department of Defense to give citizens the opportunity to express support for our troops and their families. You can send an encouraging email and find links to your state to see how you can get in involved locally.

When a parent is serving their country, their children are serving, too. Over 1 million children currently have at least one parent serving in the military on active duty. These families endure long separations and often are required to move multiple times during their parent's service. This is a time to pay tribute to these kids and recognize the commitment, sacrifice and support they show as they face the special challenges of being a military child. To those children, and their parents, I would like to say thank you!