David Dean, 12, of Wiesbaden, Germany, sits in the front of a canoe Thursday as Alan Bywater, 14, of Heidelberg, paddles. The two are participating in the Camp A.R.M.Y. Challenge’s sports and fitness camp this week in and around Bitberg, Germany. All the campers are children whose parents are deployed, recently deployed or preparing to deploy. (Steve Mraz / S&S)
Nearly 80 children of deployed parents are kicking soccer balls, paddling canoes and climbing rock walls during this week’s Camp A.R.M.Y. Challenge.
The sports and fitness camp, being held near Bitburg, Germany, is one of three destination camps this summer offered by Installation Management Command-Europe Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s Child and Youth Services. A space camp and an island adventure camp will take place in the coming months.
The A.R.M.Y. acronym stands for adventure, resilience, memories and youth, and Thursday’s events at the camp seemed spot on with the acronym.
Tristan Zuniga of Katterbach, Germany, was the first in his group Thursday to scale a rock-climbing wall. The 13-year-old said the climb was scary only because of the spiders on the wall. "This is cool," he said. "I’m Spider-Man."
The campers also crossed a gully on a rope bridge. With one wire for the high school- and middle school-age children to walk on and another wire above their heads to shuffle their hands over, the feat took some courage.
"I thought it was going to be a thick rope," said Chanelle Cohen, 14, whose father is deployed. "It was pretty thin and wobbly."
That being said, Chanelle made it across the gully and back with ease. For soccer, the campers are being put through drills by six Olympic Development Program coaches on hand for the week.
The campers had a common bond entering the week — they are all children of deployed servicemembers.
"You feel like you’re home here," said Roscoe Johnson, 13, whose father is deployed from Wiesbaden. "You’re not the only person who has a parent deployed."
The purpose of the camps is to support youth directly affected by deployments, said Joe Marton, Child and Youth Services specialist and Camp A.R.M.Y. Challenge director. "When we look at Child and Youth Services, we’re about trying to provide those experiences that youth can take part in and hopefully develop skills that they can use now or throughout their lives," Marton said.
