Meet Emmit and Nolan, the winners of OMK’s Courageous Kids of 2020 Contest in the US Coast Guard Reserve category!

Emmit, 7, and Nolan, 9, are the sons of an US Coast Guard Reservist who was deployed overseas during 2020.

“Having a parent deployed overseas for an extended period of time is hard on kids, no matter what their age,” said Diana, the boys’ mother. “My son, Emmit, has demonstrated great resilience during these past nine months and still continues to as we await his father’s return home. I specifically remember one day after school when he told me that he cried at school because he missed his daddy. I thought it was strange that the teacher didn’t bring this up to me so I asked him, ‘Did anyone see you cry?’ He said, ‘No. I was just sitting there and started to think about Daddy and how much I missed him and then started to get sad. Then I pulled my mask over my eyes to wipe my tears.’ He wanted to put on a brave face, to show his classmates that he was doing okay, when deep down all he wanted to do was hug his dad. We have a Daddy Doll that we got when he was deployed three years ago. Emmit was four at the time and probably didn’t feel as deeply as he does this time around. Every time he misses his daddy, he goes and gives his Daddy Doll a squeeze.”

“During my husband’s deployment, we have been fortunate to be able to stay in touch via text, phone, and FaceTime. While Daddy shows off some of the cool morale stuff he is doing down range, Nolan likes to show Daddy how proud he is of him through various songs he has been learning on the piano. Nolan is extremely proud of his dad and his service to our country. Although we all miss him dearly, Nolan understands the importance of dad’s job. His resilience is shown through his pride for his dad. Playing these songs for his dad reminds him of the importance of why his dad has to be away.”

Check out our social media every Mon, Wed, and Sat throughout April’s #MonthOfTheMilitaryChild for more amazing stories from this year’s Courageous Kids of 2020! Read all of their stories here: https://www.ourmilitarykids.org/contest-winners