by Rebecca E. Tonn
Children of deployed servicemembers attended an Operation Purple camp at Farish Recreation Area, near Woodland Park, July 25-31. Campers came from all branches of the military, and 55 percent of campers were from Army families.
Farish is 655 acres of mountain woodlands at 9,000-feet elevation and has three fishing lakes. Campers of all ages fished, rode in paddleboats, went horseback riding, hiked and did tie dyeing.
Teenagers, ages 12-16, went rock climbing at Red Rock Canyon Open Space with Outer Edge Performance, practiced archery, went white-water rafting and did Outdoor Recreation's Rope Challenge Course.
Younger campers, ages 7-11, went to the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park; the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument - where they earned junior ranger badges; and on scavenger hunts and nature walks and did macramé and other crafts.
Sixty people, many of them active-duty military, volunteered as counselors, cooks and staff for the 126 children and teenagers who attended the first Operation Purple camp in the Pikes Peak Region. Operation Purple camps across the nation are sponsored by the National Military Family Association.
Tracie Modrell, logistics and activities lead for Operation Purple Camp Colorado, said that 15 pallets of dry goods (food and toiletries), two pallets of ice and one pallet of watermelon were donated by the suppliers/vendors of the Fort Carson commissary.
"It's overwhelming to see what the Colorado Springs community has come together and done (for this camp)," said Modrell, whose husband is a Kiowa helicopter pilot at Fort Carson.
Sixty-five Soldiers from 183rd Maintenance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Area Support Group volunteered each day at the camp, setting up tents, cots, lights and a generator before camp started, and assisting with anything camp organizers needed during camp, Modrell said.
"I can't begin to say how amazing the 183rd has been," Modrell said.
Campers were enthusiastic about Operation Purple. Jessica Hewatt, 8, said camp was cool and she liked horseback riding and fishing.
"My dad will be proud of me that I went fishing because that's his favorite thing to do," Jessica said, smiling.
Louis Eder, 12, especially enjoyed archery and rock climbing. "I'm going to tell my dad that I had tons of fun; it's my first (archery) lesson and I've already had a bull's-eye. Yesterday, I climbed over a ledge where no one could see me on a 5.8 route (intermediate-level rock climbing at Red Rock Canyon)," Louis said.
July 29 was military day at Operation Purple and teenagers and children were treated to a variety of static and interactive displays provided by local military installations.
Fort Carson's 183rd Maintenance Company, 68th CSSB, 43rd ASG, provided Humvees for children to ride in and set up an interactive night-vision goggle station; Buckley Air Force Base brought a Black Hawk helicopter; Navy recruiters brought an F-18 flight simulator; and North American Aerospace Defense Command/U.S. Northern Command brought a satellite communications van.
This camp was unique because it is the only Operation Purple camp to be staffed and run solely by volunteers, said Cynthia Clagg, National Military Family Association deputy director of youth initiatives.
"I'm really impressed with the fact that this was put together by volunteers, unlike our other camps. The kids are enjoying themselves and the staff is doing very well with the kids," Clagg said.
According to the NMFA's Web site, the goal of these free summer camps is to bring together youths who are experiencing some stage of a deployment and the stress that goes along with it. Operation Purple camps give children the coping skills and support networks of peers to better handle life's ups and downs.
For more information regarding National Military Family Association or Operation Purple, go to www.nmfa.org.