Congratulations to Johnathan, 13, and Randy, 11, from Utah – the U.S. Army Reserve WINNERS of OMK’s Courageous Kids of 2021 Contest sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union!

“Johnathan really stepped up while his father was deployed,” said their mother. “He is the oldest of four kids and this was the first time his younger siblings experienced a deployment. He allowed me to lean on him. He helped more around the house and jumped in when he noticed I was having a difficult time managing doing things without his dad.

Johnathan kept things positive when it came to discussing Dad. He talked about things we can do when he gets home and suggested ways we could include Dad in what we were doing here. He never pretended that everything was perfect — just that things were different. He was my rock! I know he missed his dad, especially during #lacrosse season, but he tried his best to be the man of the house while he was away.
Their dad left in August of 2020, which was the start of our first school year learning from home! It had the potential to be a nightmare, but Johnathan was there helping to get all our computers set up and troubleshooting them when I wasn’t available to help. He set an example of resilience by not only managing his schoolwork, but also looking for ways to help instead of complaining. He also found time and energy to play with everyone, joke around, and be someone we could lean on.

Randy was the very example of resilience. In lacrosse, he took to the field every practice and game as though nothing had changed. He played harder and didn’t let the fact that his dad was away be an excuse to not try. I know that he missed his father every day, and I could see the effect it was having on him, but he never used it as an excuse.”

Johnathan and Randy each received Our Military Kids activity grants during their father’s deployment. Thank you, Johnathan, Randy, and family, for your service!