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LAWRENCEVILLE, April 4, 2011 – In recognition of this being the Month of the Military Child, mayor Judy Johnson and the City Council took time out from their monthly agenda to honor not only the youth of Company A, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry stationed here, but those of all Guard, Reserve and active duty service members.

From the left are city council members Marie Beiser and Tony Hall, the family of Staff Sgt. Bellinger –daughters Beau and Brooke, wife Ann and son John– Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Burd, 1st Sgt. Joe Neely –his wife Karen – and city councilwoman Katie Hart Smith. Seated behind them are mayor Judy Johnson and city councilman Robert Baroni.

With more than 1.8 million children under age 18 who are part of the Armed Forces community and an estimated 900,000 with one or both parents deployed multiple times, according to the Website DoD Live, the Month of the Military Child underscores the role the children of America’s service members play in their parent’s ability to serve. It is an opportunity, said mayor Judy Johnson, to recognize the heroism, the character and courage, the sacrifices and the resilience of the children of today’s service members.

“It’s only fitting that we take time to recognize the contributions of our military children, now and long after this special month has past,” Johnson said. “Through the proclamation we present here tonight, we pay tribute to their service, their commitment, their struggles and their support of their parent’s service. We encourage everyone to do the same because, ‘kids serve too.’”