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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.


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