|
America Supports You is a Defense Department program that spotlights corporate and public support for the nation's men and women in uniform.
The children - from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia - all have parents deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and have received a grant award from Our Military Kids.
"We are very pleased the White House offered these tickets to Our Military Kids. The families were so appreciative and excited to visit the White House and see the president," said Linda Davidson, executive director of Our Military Kids. "We are grateful for the opportunity to honor and recognize these families in a small way for the sacrifices they have been asked to make while their loved one is serving our country."
The Our Military Kids families were invited as spectators to the baseball game played by the McGuire Air Force Base Little League Yankees from New Jersey and the Dolcom Little League Indians from Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Conn. After the game, they were treated to a picnic lunch served on the South Lawn of the White House.
President Bush warmly greeted each family, posing for photos and signing autographs. The president thanked the families and their loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan for their service to our country.
Organization officials said Our Military Kids wants to ensure school-age children of deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard military have the opportunity to participate in youth sports, fine arts and tutor programs without the expense of such programs creating a financial burden on a family that has already been asked to make sacrifices and accept new challenges.
Our Military Kids is funded by contributions from corporations, governments and individuals. Major corporate sponsors of the program have been General Dynamics; Northrop Grumman; Lockheed Martin; Boeing; the Freddie Mac Foundation; Rolls-Royce; Avpro; and the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld.
(From an Our Military Kids news release.)
