(This article first appeared in Sunday’s Wisconsin State Journal)
Andrew Leckel already was waking up with nightmares about his father?s second yearlong deployment in Iraq. One day he came home crying because his first-grade classmates had inadvertently fueled his fears by talking about soldiers being killed in the war. His mother, Heidi Leckel, says her son?s experiences underscore the need for parents, teachers, neighbors ? everyone ? to be more aware of how hard the long-running wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are hitting children of soldiers.
Mentioned: Laura Pettersen, a UW Extension employee who is project director for the state chapter of the Defense Department?s Operation Military Kids, which provided camps and support for 2,861 youth in 2010.