Texas Sgt. First Class (Ret.) Dana Bowman, the First Double Amputee to Re-Enlist in the US Army & Trevor Romain, Award Winning Author and Illustrator of Self-Help Books Will Talk with Children at Bob Beard Elementary and Film a Documentary
San Antonio, Texas — The Comfort Crew for Military Kids and the USO are coming to San Antonio as part of a worldwide tour to help military children. There are more than 2 million military children in the United States who are dealing with really tough issues and are in great need of support. Of those, approximately 1.2 million are school-aged children and about 900,000 of them have had a parent deployed at least once in the first decade of the War on Terror.
Texas Sgt. First Class (Ret.) Dana Bowman, a Special Forces Soldier and a member of the U.S. Army’s elite parachute team, the Golden Knights, is the first double amputee to re-enlist in the United States Army. He will speak to children at Bob Beard Elementary School and participate in a special symposium later in the evening to bring attention to the special needs of our nation’s military children, many who have lost a parent in combat, experienced the loss of a loved one, is separated from a family member due to deployment, or is coping with fears associated with a family member’s injuries sustained during combat.
Following a February 6, 1994 accident that gained worldwide attention Bowman and his teammate Sgt. Jose Aguillion collided midair during the team’s annual training. The two divers slammed into each other at a combined speed of 300 miles per hour. Aguillion died instantly. Bowman’s legs were severed from his body. Nine, months later, he turned tragedy in triumph when he became the first double amputee to re-enlist in the United States Army.
He will be joined by Trevor Romain, an award winning author and illustrator of self-help books who speaks with thousands of military children about the unique challenges they face growing up as a military child.
“It is about being real and sharing stories. I mix humor and encourage the children to express themselves,” said Romain. “For some, just knowing that there are other kids out there going through the same thing as they are can be so comforting.”
According to the Department of Defense over 45,000 service members have been physically injured and over 229,000 service members have been treated with traumatic brain injuries, and the Office of Veteran’s Affairs estimates that over 800,000 service members return with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The presentations, tailored to children in length and content, open with kid friendly jokes followed by the showing of the video “With You All the Way! Dealing With Deployment.”
In the weeks following the presentation, children will receive the With You All the Way Military Empowerment Pack containing videos and resources to help both children and parents. Romain has been working with the USO for the last five years visiting approximately 80 military installations and letting children know they are not alone.
The Comfort Crew is filming a documentary in San Antonio on Tuesday, Feb. 21 to help military families and children cope with loss. The media is invited to attend the filming at Bob Beard elementary school from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and a symposium that begins at 5:30 p.m. at KLRN at 501 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78215.
###
The Comfort Crew for Military Kids
The Trevor Romain Foundation was first organized with broad goals: to create resources for children facing adversity. Our research for these resources led us to discover that there are 2 million military children in the US who are dealing with really tough issues and are in great need of support.
To that end, in May 2010, the Trevor Romain Foundation established the Comfort Crew for Military Kids, an initiative to help foster resiliency in school-age military children. This initiative is comprised of resources meeting the unique challenges of military life and includes the Foundation’s Deployment Resources, Grief Support Resources, and Caregiver Support Resources.
Whether a child has experienced the loss of a loved one, is separated from a family member due to deployment, or is coping with fears associated with a family member’s injuries sustained during combat, a comfort kit will be developed to include resources that are both educational and comforting to that child. In general, a comfort kit will include a topic specific DVD, a journal for self expression, a keepsake box, an informative booklet for caregivers, and a plush toy representing Trevor Romain’s Comfort Crew.