Being a teenager sucks. But being a teenager with a parent away at war really sucks.
California teens Kaylei Deakin and Moranda Hern, both 16, were feeling upset and anxious about their dads being stationed in Afghanistan. Their peers just didn't get it, and they felt alone.
Instead of wallowing, they started an inspiring project called the Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs (a play on the teen book series/movie which stands for Battle Dress Uniform, the fancy way of saying fatigues). It seeks to unite young women across California whose parents have gone to war.
Why We Love Them: Deakin and Hern, who met at a leadership conference for women, both struggled when their fathers, National Guard members, were deployed. Friends fled, self-esteem and schoolwork slipped and extracurricular activities became non-existent.
Click here for more on Kaylei and Moranda after the jump.
Their shared experience of loss, frustration and isolation led the girls to come up with a way to connect the daughters of military families. Hern and Deakin quickly came up with a detailed plan for a conference to bring other young women in the same situation face-to-face.
They ironed out workshops and contacted potential speakers, then presented it to the National Guard at its headquarters in Sacramento.
The Guard was impressed, and offered their support. They're also being championed by DoSomething.org, which encourages teens who want to make a difference.
The first conference is tentatively scheduled for March 2010 in Clovis, Calif. The duo hopes eventually to plan conferences in every state.
Quote: "I hope The Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs will inspire other young people to look beyond themselves, to see a need and meet it," Hern told Lemondrop. "I created the Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs because I felt a need in my own life to connect with other military girls who understand my challenges, emotions and triumphs.
"After I identified my need, I saw the same need for peer-to-peer support in every other military girl I met. I hope The Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs inspires the youth of America to embody our mantra, UNITE, INSPIRE, LEAD."
Watch an interview with Deakin and Hern here.
Also on Lemondrop:
How I Did It -- Moving to China
Breast-feeders of the World, Unite!
Super Woman -- Vicki Gray, Motorcycle Maverick
Comments:
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Saturday 15 August
By hannah
i feel so bad for u 2 i hope he comes home soon !!!!!! i will pray for your family
love,hannah
Reply
Saturday 15 August
By DKJ
I think this is awesome! We are at Camp Pendleton & our dad is in Afghanistan also! ;( Good for you!! Contact us if you need some Marine Support!!
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Saturday 15 August
By lizlaie07
i wish that something like this would have been around when i was younger, i am now an army spouse but also am army brat my whole life my mother was the one deployed throughout my teen years starting when i was 13 in 2003 and was gone basically until i was 16 and no one understood this is graet thing these girls are doing.
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Saturday 15 August
By hannah
my dad is in afghanistan too
Reply
Sunday 16 August
By Antonio Santiago
Hang in there, Hannah!
Hugz!
Saturday 15 August
By jess
wow. I'll pray for you guys no doubt. Ugh that does suck!! =[ sorry. well atleast their fighting for our country!! go dads!! LOL
Reply
Saturday 15 August
By frank
i am a vet and bbess people like you two I wish yoyr fathers well
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Saturday 15 August
By lewis
Whay is it all about the wives and the kids oh poor little pitiful me These People enlisted or signed a contract to serve when called most go without a quarm while others Kick piss amd moan all the way these people all give a some give all and the only thing they ask is to be respected but do they get it some for a while others not at all others always but most of the ones left whore around and usually sink them so far in the hole they take years to recover do they give a care most NO just what they can get is all its all about them. Poor little pitiful me.
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Saturday 15 August
By PATSY
I am an airforce wife and i know what this girls are going thou! i can see you have never been in the armyforces why ?cann't do the time. uncle sam need men, where are you
Saturday 15 August
By Dee
Saturday 15 August
By lewisLowest RankedReportPositiveNegative
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Whay is it all about the wives and the kids oh poor little pitiful me These People enlisted or signed a contract to serve when called most go without a quarm while others Kick piss amd moan all the way these people all give a some give all and the only thing they ask is to be respected but do they get it some for a while others not at all others always but most of the ones left whore around and usually sink them so far in the hole they take years to recover do they give a care most NO just what they can get is all its all about them. Poor little pitiful me.
WHAT is your major malfunction??? These are two teenagers who miss thier dads and wanted to let they are NOT alone!!!! These children are not making thier father's contribution any less than what it is...they're trying to help other children understand the same thing!!! QUIT BEING SO HATEFUL...and give the girls the credit they deserve
Saturday 15 August
By Pamela
you are an unfeeling inconsiderate idiot. The fathers may have signed on for this, but the children did not. They did not ask for their families to be split up. They did not ask to grow up without their parent. I think what these young ladies are doing is very commendable. It proves that there are teenagers who can find constructive ways to deal with their frustrations. You could take a lesson from these young people and consider others and their feelings more than your own
Saturday 15 August
By Christina
I think you are a jackass to make such a comment, most likely you are selfish and just benefit off the freedom you receive from the efforts others put in, or some jerk born to the silver spoon, yes we do enlist i am former army but we do it cos we wouldn't have monies for college of rich parents to take care of us, we do it so we can make something of our self and be productive pro active people in this world. if it wasn't for people like me who knows were this great nation would be or end up. so before you say we are feeling sorry for the jobs we chose remember that your sorry ass has freedom because of us, has the right's and the chances that you do have because of us and in return we ask that you appreciate the job we do. cos we don't want to be poor or live of the government or feel sorry for the chances we were not given, we made our chances and gave our self respect by doing the jobs most would never want to do or do willingly like we do.and if you can't be thank full to us for what we do do then please feel free to leave the US because we loose our lives, our limbs or loved ones and a piece of our self every time we come into combat and defend ingrates like you. leave this great nation to those who respect and deserve it.
PFC
Christina Rivera
Saturday 15 August
By DONALD STOVER
LEWIS. YOU NOT ONLY CAN NOT CONSTRUCT A PROPER SENTENCE BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE IN THE MILITARY OR BE A MILITARY DEPENDENT. IF IT WAS NOT FOR THESE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES YOU WOULD NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO POST YOUR UNEDUCATED COMENTS. I FOR ONE STAND WITH THEM AND AGAINST IDIOTS LIKE YOU. YES I SERVED IN THE MARINE CORPS AND DID A TOUR IN VIETNAM. IF YOU HAVE NOT SERVED OR BEEN A DEPENDENT OF SOMEONE WHO SERVED SHUT UP AND APPRECIATE YOUR FREDOMS.
Sunday 16 August
By Valita
Yo Lewis quit being a freaken dick military is so freaken important what are YOU doing with your life don't be a heartless a**! I was raised by military parents and i'm fortunate enough were they weren't deployed but i know i would be terrified for them and everything would have changed. You don't know what it costs them and their families, so shut your mouth and at least be considerate. Didn't you learn if you don't have anything nice to say don't flippen say it. Yea they signed up and guess what your lucky to have someone defending YOUR freedom and that you DON't have to do it yourself cuz with your attitude you probably wouldn't make it. Have some respect, i commend those girls and wish there was more people like that.
Sunday 16 August
By L
YES you are pitiful - quit trying to garner sympathy by belittling someone else. YES, the soldies DID sign up, but I am sure the 16 yr old kids weren't around then, so I am sure they didn't. Signing on to the National Guard isn't like signing up for the Army -it is a RESERVE unit. So, shut up and please don't have kids - as it won't be their fault their parent is a moron.
Girls - I commend you for coming up with the idea for the support group - I bet a lot of teens (boys and girls) will benefit just by the knowledge that someone actually "gets it"!
Sunday 16 August
By Danielle
you know what shut up! people are giving up alot to give the freedom you have! and your just going to sit there and act like it means nothing to you. without the military you wouldn't be able to do have the things you can do now! if you really want to understand whats going on how about you join the military then im sure you'll really understand. its not a game or a job really the military is almost like thier life! so sit there and disrespect what they do for a living just becasue you don't want to hear about it cause guess what you're going to hear about cause its everywhere!
Sunday 16 August
By Susan
That's a very sad comment. Did you have a bad experience with a military wife or child? Sure our military personnel volunteered to serve our country and signed contracts but that doesn't make their seperation from their families and their families seperation from them any less painful.
We are so blessed to have young men and women who are willing to volunteer and sign the contracts and go over to the terrible places they have to go. They are the ones who keep our country free so we have the right to make hateful comments like you just did without the fear of repercussions from our government.
These girls aren't sitting around crying and as you say, saying "poor me". They should be admired for their willingness to do something about how these seperations affect them.
Sunday 16 August
By Clyde McCormick
GET BENT!! Your attitude sucks!!These kids aen't complaining. they have decided to do soemthing useful! Your comments are neither useful nor worthwhle and appear to be misplaced. The guys who signed up made what was probably a patriotic decision. Most of the time that decision was made before they had childen and families to be considered . Yeah, the families bought into it. But not the kids, they didn't have a choice. When their fathers had to deploy they were likely faced with a certain single parent stigma and the misjudgement of their Liberal peers that Dad's decision was a political one rather than Partriotic (almost never a political decisionto be a soldier). Get off it and make a useful contribution to the human race!!
Sunday 16 August
By Anon
Grow up and stop blaming your problems and attitude on everyone else. Life isn't always great or fair, but my brother gave his life for this country and you will respect that.
Sunday 16 August
By Curtis
Damn dude, you have some real issues! I would suggest that you seek immediate medical attention.