Purple Up Postcards: Connecting Military Kids Across the World

In 1986, the Department of Defense designated April as the Month of the Military Child. Today, there are over 1.6 million military children who have at least one parent or guardian who are currently serving. Throughout the month, the strength and tenacity of these kids is celebrated. Whether it is living with a parent who may have to leave occasionally for an extended time period or moving just after you truly felt at home in a location, children to our military service members face challenges that other kids growing up may not. The USO supports the service member as well as their family, understanding that the reassurance of your spouse and children also being cared for contributes to your wellbeing. Teams around the organization came together at festivals, within centers, at schools and more to provide appreciation of military kids around the world.

USO Singapore

For duty stations that are overseas, known as OCONUS, the challenges facing these kids are increased and new ones may be presented, such as foreign cultures, years without seeing extended family members in person, etc. This is the case for kids currently living in Singapore.

A part of U.S. Navy Region Japan, Singapore Area Coordinator (SAC) provides shore support services to nine U.S. joint military commands present within the Republic of Singapore and is located aboard Sembawang Naval Installation (SNI). SAC currently hosts approximately 1,200 permanent military personnel and their dependents, with active duty service members making up 19 percent of the U.S. Department of Defense in Singapore, while 49 percent are dependents. Additionally, over 100 U.S. Navy ships visit the country each year, bringing in between 150 and 5,000 Sailors and Marines.

Inquiries from USO Entertainment led the USO Indo-Pacific Region Expeditionary Team to pursue establishing methods of support for the area’s service members at SAC in September 2023. What started as simple volunteer recruitment has grown into monthly programs, leading to this year’s more permanent presence. Without current USO staff, any support provided is through the generosity of the area’s USO volunteers - an active and passionate team that organized and facilitated a Thanksgiving event, various Coffee Connection spouse events, consistently greet new families at the Newcomer’s briefs and more.

“USO volunteers are crucial in organizing and facilitating events and outreach support in Singapore. They go above and beyond to create a joyful atmosphere, providing warmth while fostering memorable and positive experiences within the military community,” said Ashley DeBerry, regional operations specialist-expeditionary for the USO Indo-Pacific region. “I have been fortunate enough to witness their dedication to fulfilling the mission and the quality and effort they invest in program planning. Their contributions are vital to our mission, and we could not accomplish our work in Singapore without their support.”

Purple Up!

One way to show support for these incredible kids is by wearing purple, the color associated with military activities and organizations due to its combination of all the U.S. Armed Forces colors. Purple Up Day encourages people to wear their best purple outfits and unify in our support of military-connected children. Though annually recognized on April 15, Purple Up Day festivities tend to take place throughout the month. After all, military kids are flexible, so why can’t we be?

With the high number of military dependents located in Singapore, the team of USO volunteers jumped at the chance to join the Navy Child and Youth Program’s Purple Up: Be Your Own Hero event on April 18. Despite ill weather, over 30 families were treated to an egg hunt, crafts and ice cream sundaes courtesy of the USO, complete with purple sprinkles. The craft? Purple Up Postcards – an activity that allowed military kids to use their creativity and connect with others just like them stationed back in the states. Kids were able to leave a few words and/or drawing that they wanted to convey to their counterparts thousands of miles away.

“We had an absolute blast at the Purple Up Postcard Event in Singapore! Despite the crazy downpour, families showed up in full force to celebrate our mighty military kids,” explained USO Singapore Lead Volunteer Cortney McCurry. “Watching the kids decorate postcards for their peers in the States, and enjoy ice cream topped with purple sprinkles, you couldn’t help but smile. These kids embody strength and resilience, and it was such a joy to be a part of an event that honored them in such a fun way!”

Following the event on April 18, the postcards are traveling over 10,000 miles from Singapore to Northwest Florida and into the hands of other military children.

From Singapore to Florida

While kids in Singapore were creating their postcards, others at two schools in the panhandle of Florida were doing the same. Lori Mann, center operations specialist at the USO center at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, delivered 65 purple treat bags filled with sunglasses, beads and lollipops along with the postcards to military children at Eglin Elementary. Though a part of the Okaloosa County School District, Eglin Elementary’s location aboard Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida provided a perfect setting for this activation. The fourth graders designed and wrote letters to their new friends stationed in Singapore.

The connections continued with students at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, a private school near Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola. The school’s sizable military youth population created an ideal location for this fun activity. Some of the kids can relate to their Singapore counterparts on another level, having also lived overseas in places like Germany and Japan. The postcard exchange has also served as an educational tool, introducing kids to Singapore and where the country is located.

“I especially enjoyed it when I returned to pick up the postcards and our stellar Military Child, eighth grade student Kyleigh, escorted me from classroom to classroom. I don’t know who was more excited, Kyleigh or the other kids, when we came in and remembered their cards were going all the way to Asia,” expressed USO NAS Pensacola Center Operations Specialist Kathlyn Andrade. “They loved to point Singapore out on the map!”

Mail Call

In May, the full circle moment will be complete as both sets of kids will receive their postcards. From words of encouragement to fun pictures, the postcard exchange is connecting these kids, providing a sense of belonging as they know there are others just like them in all parts of the world.

Moving around every couple of years can be hard as families adjust to a new duty station – sometimes in a new country – and everything that comes with being relocated, such as a new school and new friends to make. As the USO always looks to strengthen the wellbeing of our service members as well as their families, cultivating relationships and connecting loved ones - no matter where they may be - is at the very core of the mission. In collaboration with the USO Northwest Florida area, USO Singapore provided an opportunity to show military children that they are not alone.