Leland Street Elementary Celebrates Military Families

Ivan Adame, Editorial Intern

On April 15, students, parents and teachers gathered to honor members of all branches of the military and the coast guard at Leland Street Elementary School’s military assembly.

The school observed April as the month of the military child. The month of the military child was declared by the Department of Defense in 1986 to recognize the lives of children of military families.  There are about 2 million such children in the United States.

“These children make sacrifices and are courageous as their parents serve our country,” said Shauna Brodsky, psychiatric social worker for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “They face frequent moves, significant life changes, and separations from a military parent when he or she is deployed to war or goes away to work to train for weeks, months, or even years… to date we have approximately 70 students that come from military families here at Leland.”

During the event, students spoke about their experiences as a military child and explained the functions of each branch of the military. Afterwards, students lined up with their parents, who were dressed in uniform.

“My dad fixes army trucks and is a commanding officer,” said Jaylon Davis, a student who has lived in three other states and attended six other schools. “He is a good officer and he has gone away for weeks— sometimes months at a time.”