April 2022 - My Hero Crate

A Life On The Road

It can be hard to be a service member’s kid. Your parent works long hours and gets sent away for weeks and years at a time. They’re often sent to dangerous parts of the world to do a dangerous job. You can either be scared for their safety, or too young to understand the danger their in. Even if none of that happens by some chance, you still have to deal with constantly moving.

Living Overseas

Most military kids get used to moving relatively quickly, even if leaving a friend or beloved location can be heartbreaking. What is harder to adjust to is when you are stationed with your family overseas. I don’t just mean emotionally difficult. Learning about a new culture can be emotionally rewarding to many kids. However, adapting to a new culture is tiring to even the most enthusiastic child. This is especially true during holidays.

Holidays In Other Countries

No country does Easter quite like the US. Although parts of Europe certainly have their version of the holiday that they celebrate fairly enthusiastically, the way they celebrate is markedly different. Being closer to the Vatican and historical Christianity, Easter aligns more with Catholic tradition in Europe. That doesn’t necessarily mean the holiday is overtly religious, so much as the dates, parades, and celebrations incorporate more from Lent, Palm Sunday, Black Friday, and the Pentecost. Also, it shouldn’t be controversial to point out that no one does decadence and gifting quite like the United States. America does Easter big, loud, expensive, flashy, and above all else filled with chocolate.

Homesick

If there is one thing that makes a child homesick, it’s when something they expect to be extravagant is toned down by a new culture. April is the month of the military child, and also a month where many military children are dealing with a nasty case of homesickness. If there is a military child in your life, making sure the Easter Bunny visits is the best way to help them combat homesickness. My Hero Crate offers an Easter Basket loaded with all of the holiday favorites children in the United States have learned to love. Give them all the eggs, chocolates, bunnies, and activities that makes Easter such a special holiday for so many of our hero’s children!

War In Ukraine

As of the writing of this article, the Russian military under orders from Vladimir Putin is continuing its assault on the nation of Ukraine. The news is filled with reports of horrors and of heroism every day. There is a very real fear that if our nation does too much or too little, the situation could spiral out of control and create a devastating war. How did we get here, what do most service members know, and how can you help to support our heroes as we all wait for answers?

A Little Background

There is a lot of complicated history concerning Ukraine and its history with Russia, and it is hard to get into all of it. A full understanding of the dynamic between these two countries would need to include a discussion of a lot of complicated topics. However, the reason the conflict between these two countries is so significant to us is because of our role in NATO. Although Ukraine is not a NATO member, it is bordered by them and does receive regular NATO support. Putin considers NATO to be encroaching on Russian sovereignty, and in many ways, this war is his way of telling NATO to back. If tensions with NATO cannot be cooled, there is a very real possibility that NATO allies led by the US will go to war with Russia.

What Do Our Heroes Know?

Something that is important to keep in mind while all of this is going on is that it’s very likely that any service member you can name knows almost nothing about what the military may be planning to do about Ukraine. Despite the concept many people have of the military being this tightly efficient machine, the truth is that every branch of the military can be a little chaotic. Your hero likely won’t know any earlier than you will if the military is going to deploy to handle the situation.

Taking Care Of Our Heroes

A soldier might not be able to tell you “if” or “when,” but they certainly know “who.” If things continue to escalate, there is a very real possibility that every currently enlisted member of the United States armed forces will be sent into a major war with Russia. That is fairly daunting information to be carrying if you’re a soldier. There’s a decent chance that the hero in your life is more nervous and stressed than they’ve been in years. Now more than ever, our service members need to know that we have their backs. My Hero Crate offers gifts to help the men and women in uniform relax and rejuvenate while they wait for news. These are trying times for service members. Knowing they have support from home makes all the difference.

Month: April 2022

Easter Abroad