No Heroes here

For the past several months, a battle has been brewing between what Military Brats should be, would be, could be called.  Operation Champs, while claiming they are not out to remake, rename or rebrand Military BRATS into Champs have certainly tried their best to do just that.  *BRATS* in this case is an acronym for many things including Brave, Resilient, Adaptable & Tolerant...*Champs* in this case is an acronym for Child Hero Attached to Military Personnel.   Nope, sorry, No Heroes Here.  No one is a Hero for being born into a certain lifestyle, any lifestyle.  Heroes are the ones who signed their lives on the dotted line for service to their country without reservation.  Military Wives are a special breed all their own, they have chosen to love a Hero and a life of constant struggles, sacrifices and worry. BRATS are basically drafted into that life, we have no choice or say in the matter. We were along for the ride, for years we had heard "If the Military wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one."   We live life in the shadows of those Heroes, knowing that our actions are a direct reflection on their careers and we have the ability to make or break them.  Our Hero is responsible for us, thus the title "Sponsor."

Enter Operation Champs, on the surface they did a great thing by providing free pre arranged child care to our service members BRATS in a limited area.  This was highly supported and  applauded by the BRAT community at large.  However, when we learned that this gracious service was being taken on the road and turned into a dog and pony show via "whirlwind trips" to the Pacific and European DoD *Department of Defence* schools, while in the mission statement of Op Champ that it was to bridge a gap between Military BRATS and their civilian counterparts, we vetted them a little closer.  What we found was very interesting and not the altruistic actions that were being presented.  When questioned about their attempt to rebrand us in what was perhaps a more politically correct term, rather than explain their vision, they ignored requests and hid comments.  Once that was called into light, this was their response: (taken from their webpage)

Operation CHAMPS Defends Itself Against False Criticisms

BETHESDA, MD, November 24, 2014 – Operation CHAMPS, a nonprofit organization that provides free babysitting services to families of wounded warriors and other military and veteran families, defended itself today against a spate of harsh, unfair and incorrect assertions on social media that Operation CHAMPS was trying to supplant or undercut the widely used term BRATS to describe the children of military and veteran families.

“CHAMP” stands for Child Heroes Attached to Military Personnel. The acronym was coined in the popular children’s book The Little CHAMPS, which extols the virtues of military life and spotlights challenges children face in military families. Sales of The Little CHAMPSbook help cover the costs of programs, training and overhead of the nonprofit organization Operation CHAMPS. (www.operationchamps.org).

In recent weeks, Operation CHAMPS’ Facebook pages, Twitter and email accounts have been barraged by accusations that Operation CHAMPS was trying to substitute “CHAMPS” for the widely used term “BRATS” in public discourse as a way to describe the children of those who serve in the United States military.  Jennifer Fink, CEO of Operation CHAMPS, called those assertions “unfounded, uninformed and untrue.”

“The members of Operation CHAMPS understand that many children of military and veteran families proudly call themselves BRATS.  We also understand that many people in the civilian and military-connected communities see the term brat in a less favorable light,” Fink added. “Neither the book, The Little CHAMPS, nor the organization it supports, Operation CHAMPS, intend in any way to replace BRATS as a term in wide usage or to demean the term in the minds of the public or the people who proudly call themselves military BRATS.  The acronym CHAMPS in no way rejects or denigrates the term BRATS.  Operation CHAMPS exists to provide necessary support and gratitude for military-connected children and their families.”

However, their prior words directly refute their claims:  Taken from a U.S.O article dated:Thursday; 22 Oct 2012

"Some may wonder: “What’s wrong with the term, military brat? Why C.H.A.M.P.S?”

While most children of military personnel learn over time that “brat” is an endearing term, their civilian peers are not likely to understand. More importantly, the Finks believe the term might even lend to a negative first impression for C.H.A.M.P.S.

The modern word brat actually came from an acronym that dates back hundreds of years into the British Empire. It originally stood for British Regiment Attached Traveler.

“We declared our independence 236 years ago and it’s about time our Little C.H.A.M.P.S did the same,” Debbie Fink said. “There’s no need to give them a label that may add to their already challenging situation. Why not call them what they are? Little C.H.A.M.P.S!”

- See more at: http://www.uso.org/little-champs-book-helps-military.../...

'Little C.H.A.M.P.S' Bridges Understanding Between Military Families, Civilian Neighbors | USO

USO.ORG

IMHO:  It was all a bunch of Bravo Sierra, and when they were repeatedly questioned about their statements vs their actions, they bailed and pulled the plug on the one aspect that actually held merritt;The free, pre arranged in their limited area babysitting.