Pediatric Clinic Supports Month of the Military Child

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amber Carter
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – It has been said that military children are like dandelions. They can put down roots and bloom anywhere the wind carries them. Month of the Military Child, celebrated in April, highlights the resiliency, strength and courage of military children.

“They didn't sign up for the lifestyle and stressors of being a military child, but they do deal with the consequences,” said Capt. (Dr.) Steven Williams, 60th Medical Operations Squadron staff pediatrician. “I've met children who have moved six times. They are always the new kid in school. On top of that, they are constantly under the stress of a parent's potential deployment. The children of the military should be applauded for their bravery and for their resilience.”

Williams and his team at the David Grant USAF Medical Center Pediatric Clinic at Travis Air Force Base, California, care for approximately 4,500 military children ranging in age from newborn to 18.

“The most important thing to do, in my opinion, is to take care of the children of those who serve,” said Williams. “We owe our Airmen that. They need to know that while they are away on deployment or a (temporary deployment) or when their family is struggling with the stresses of a (permanent change of station) that at the very least their children are taken care of. They need to know that their children are happy, healthy, well and cared for.”

April may be the month that we take a little extra time to recognize the sacrifices of military children, but the mission of the Pediatric Clinic is year round.

“At the Pediatric Clinic, we treat every month as if it were the Month of the Military Child,” said Senior Airman Hugo Estrada, 60th MDOS medical technician. “I believe keeping military children healthy enhances readiness by allowing members to have one less stress in their lives. Military members have busy, stressful days at work and if their loved one, such as their child, is not doing well, their focus will not be all on the mission. The mission takes a lot to be completed correctly and efficiently and as long as the children are happy and healthy, parents have one less thing they have to worry about.”

The Pediatric Clinic takes pride in their mission to monitor appropriate growth, development and health of all ages.

“My favorite part about working here at the Pediatric Clinic is the fact that we are helping these kids,” said Estrada. “Kids are pure-hearted and deserve to be healthy and to get better. The best times are when a child returns after being sick and they are laughing and running around, and the thought that we helped is just priceless.”