Military children celebrated at Kentucky Capitol

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — From having to spend time away from parents to moving homes frequently, children of military families can often face a lot of unique challenges. A day to honor them is set aside each year.

Military Kids Day at the Kentucky State Capitol is meant to show military children that their family members’ service and sacrifices are noticed. The day included drone flying, aviation simulators, and a scavenger hunt, just to name a few. Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs Steven Bullard said registration was uplifting to see.

“Today, we have 161 children with us who are military-connected children. Army, Navy, Air Force, and we love having them here. They bring a lot of life to the capitol, and they show people that military service is about family,” Bullard said.

Karen Lamberton is the spouse of Kentucky Adjutant General Hal Lamberton, and she spent the day with the kids, getting to know them personally.

“We always talk about the sacrifice families make for their service members, and the kids make extra sacrifices. They grow up to be resilient and adaptable and try to focus on how these traits will benefit them as they become adults,” Lamberton said.

The kids had the chance to tour the state capitol and chat with leaders like Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. Sophia Penn and McCoy Harvey agreed that they’ll never forget this.

“I got to skip school, so I really like that. It’s also just interesting to see new things. I probably would’ve never gotten this chance again, so I really like that I was here today,” Penn said.

“I’m really thankful. I came here before, but now I’ve learned a lot of new things,” McCoy added.

Lamberton said while being a military child can come with a lot of challenges, thanks to this event, it’ll come with a lot of memories that they’ll carry forever as a family of service.

“If we don’t demonstrate that by doing events like this, taking them in and showing them who we are, then we’re failing in that position. I want them to know that to me, they’re very special, loved, and we take care of them,” Lamberton said.