An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Local News | May 26, 2022

Tips for Talking to Your Kids About Current Events

Military families have a unique connection to war, regardless of when or where it occurs.

For military children – who know that their parents regularly train, prepare, and deploy for military missions as part of their job – current events can cause stress and anxiety. Streams of media images and reports about troubling news events can be outright scary.

Talking to kids openly and honestly about the events they see and hear about can help validate their feelings and make them feel reassured that they are safe and loved, said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Eric Flake, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington.

During these conversations, he recommends parents:

  • Keep it simple and honest
  • Validate their kids' feelings
  • Express feelings about how the family might be impacted by what's going on
  • Highlight the values and strengths that people demonstrate during hard times

Flake highlighted the importance of military parents explaining to their children that the reason for their military service is to protect children and make them feel safe.

"Everyone, but especially children, like to feel safe and secure," he said.

"Reassurance is key."

An important part of that is reassuring children that feelings of anxiety are normal, the behavioral specialist said. Parents can help externalize or label feelings and remind children that adults get anxious, too. Children need to understand that it's OK to feel scared or anxious.

"It's a healthy response, and we all feel it," said Flake. "Having an emotional response and being sensitive to the suffering of others is healthy and should be supported, not turned off."

It also helps to provide children with the coping skills needed to "ride through" times when anxiety is particularly difficult to manage, he added.

"Do healthy things to help bring down the anxiety levels, like eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep," he added.

He recommends the following resources to ease kids' anxiety:

  • Eat a meal together without distractions
  • Go on walks together and talk about things that interest the child
  • Talk about what is going at the level that the child understands
  • Develop a personal growth mindset and teach children about this concept

Military children face unique anxieties, even in the best of times, for example that their parents will be leaving for a deployment, or that their family will be moving, said Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Kara Garcia, a staff pediatrician at the 96th Medical Group in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

"Leaving friends, schools, familiar parks, churches, and changing routines can be very disorienting for children," she said.

"It's important as a parent to talk about the certainties and constants: that they are loved, that the adults around them are happy and healthy, that things will turn out OK in the end."

But if a parent feels that their child is excessively anxious, Flake recommends they make an appointment with their primary physician.

"There is also 24/7 help anywhere in the world to address anxiety concerns via Military OneSource, including virtual counseling," he said.

For more information, talk to your health care provider, your local Military & Family Life Counseling Program, or school counselor.

U.S. Air Force personnel assigned to the 36th Medical Group learn to use the Military Health System Genesis program at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Jan. 12, 2024. MHS Genesis is an advanced electronic health record, that has replaced several legacy systems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Allon Lapaix)

MHS GENESIS Deploying in Guam

Local News
Jan. 18, 2024

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – Military Health System GENESIS deployed here, Jan. 13th, 2023.MHS GENESIS is...
Read More
The front of the Ehrling Bergquist Medical Clinic at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

MDG announces holiday season family day schedule

Local News
Dec. 18, 2023

The 55th Medical Group recently announced its holiday season family day schedule for the Ehrling Bergquist...
Read More
Sailors from USNMRTC Okinawa enjoys cake the morning of the MHS GENESIS launch.

MHS GENESIS Now Operational in Europe, Pacific

Local News
Dec. 12, 2023

MHS GENESIS, the Department of Defense’s new electronic health record, is now operational in the European and...
Read More
Air Force physician chosen to lead military’s largest medical network

Air Force Physician Chosen to Lead Military’s La...

Local News
Oct. 13, 2023

An Air Force physician with over 30 years of service became the first director of the newly designated Defense...
Read More
Anyone Can Get Vaccinated!

New COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for 2023-24

Local News
Sep. 18, 2023

This page is being updated based on the Sept. 12, 2023, decision and recommendation by the Centers for Disease...
Read More
NMCP Bell

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Receives Level I...

Local News
Aug. 28, 2023

PORTSMOUTH, Va - PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Aug. 24, 2023) -- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) has been...
Read More
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Victoria McPhall hands Lt. Laken Koontz an intrauterine device (IUD) at Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River. IUDs are one of the many birth control options offered during the clinic’s Walk-in Contraceptive Clinic every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m.

Military Health System: How Ideas Are Adopted to...

Local News
Aug. 24, 2023

New evidence-based practices can improve health care, yet they don’t always get adopted. There are many...
Read More
Defense Health Agency’s 2022 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Douglas Rozelle (center) stands with his team from Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio following their completion of the Medic Rodeo, a grueling four-day event challenging Air Force Medical Services personnel’s physical stamina and combat medical knowledge in 2019 at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. Rozelle was a technical sergeant during the competition. (Courtesy Photo)

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of Year Credits T...

Local News
Jul. 17, 2023

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Douglas Rozelle has been “aiming high” since 1983 when his parents, Dana and Larry,...
Read More

Jan. 18, 2024

MHS GENESIS Deploying in Guam

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – Military Health System GENESIS deployed here, Jan. 13th, 2023. MHS GENESIS is the Military Health System’s advanced electronic health record that replaced several legacy systems. This system provides greater interoperability of patient information across all military hospitals, clinics and Veteran Affairs.

Dec. 18, 2023

MDG announces holiday season family day schedule

The 55th Medical Group recently announced its holiday season family day schedule for the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic.

Dec. 12, 2023

MHS GENESIS Now Operational in Europe, Pacific

MHS GENESIS, the Department of Defense’s new electronic health record, is now operational in the European and Indo-Pacific regions.

Oct. 13, 2023

Air Force Physician Chosen to Lead Military’s Largest Medical Network

An Air Force physician with over 30 years of service became the first director of the newly designated Defense Health Network Central, the military’s largest medical network, on Oct. 1.

Sept. 18, 2023

New COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for 2023-24

This page is being updated based on the Sept. 12, 2023, decision and recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter.

Aug. 28, 2023

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Receives Level II Trauma Center Designation

PORTSMOUTH, Va - PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Aug. 24, 2023) -- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) has been awarded provisional designation as a Level II Trauma Center by the Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Health.

Aug. 24, 2023

Military Health System: How Ideas Are Adopted to Help Patients, Providers

New evidence-based practices can improve health care, yet they don’t always get adopted. There are many reasons for this, including a lack of awareness, lack of training and implementation support, and a reluctance to doing things differently than in the past—to name a few. Even mandates to adopt a certain new service or practice may not overcome some of these barriers.

July 17, 2023

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of Year Credits Team, Spouse for Achievement

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Douglas Rozelle has been “aiming high” since 1983 when his parents, Dana and Larry, now retired U.S. Air Force master sergeants, welcomed him into the world at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Later, his career took a different path because of his manager at a local pharmacy.

July 17, 2023

Defense Health Agency’s Top Noncommissioned Officer ‘Aims High’

Defense Health Agency Noncommissioned Officer of the Year U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Fisher competed in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Noncommissioned Officer of Year competition in Washington, D.C in May 2023. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in August 2023.

July 17, 2023

Department of Defense Stateside Deployment of MHS GENESIS Complete

Deployment of MHS GENESIS, the Military Health System’s new electronic health record, is complete at military hospitals and clinics in the continental United States, and now sights are set on transitioning overseas this fall.