Military suicides: Through a Child’s Eyes

Through a Child’s Eyes
By LESLIE MCCADDON
October 6, 2012

Shannon, Tim and John.

These names, prior to our trip to the TAPS National Military Survivors Seminar in Washington, D.C., in May were not names I heard spoken in our home. Now, they receive nearly daily mentions and are always accompanied by big grins on my three children’s faces.

TAPS provides Good Grief Camps for children who have experienced the loss of a military family member (usually a parent or a sibling). These camps are offered on the same days and at the same times as the children’s parents are receiving support through educational and sharing seminars throughout the day.

The organization offers open arms to those affected by military suicide: “You are warmly invited to join TAPS for a special program of comfort and support for all those grieving the suicide loss of a loved one who served in the Armed Forces,” it says on its website.

I decided to ask my daughter, Madeleine, 8, about her experience at the Good Grief Camp last May as we traveled on an airplane to the National Suicide Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp in San Diego.
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