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Child Abuse Prevention Month – Our responsibilities to children

  • Published
  • By Col. Gary Goldstone
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Commander
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  A little girl neglected, left alone to fend for herself since birth became the subject of a Pulitzer Prize winning feature story last year. The story dramatically unfolds as she is found by Florida social workers at age 7 in what they say was the worst environment they had ever seen.

The conditions, so filthy and dank and vermin infested, paled in comparison to the complete lack of love and attention given to this child named Danielle. The lack of affection, or any human nurturing, had turned her into a feral child, one who could not walk, talk, or communicate. She did not cry or react. She weighed 46 pounds and could not feed herself.

The author, Lane DeGregory, describes the seemingly hopeless life ahead for this child with her disabilities until after months in the hospital and a short stay in foster care, two angel parents stepped in to adopt her. Danielle was everything Bernie and Diane Lierow didn't want, yet they felt they could help her somehow. Thus began a journey for their family to connect, lift and unlock the vacant stares of this little girl.

The father had an especially touching connection with Danielle, who responded to him immediately by actually looking at him when they first met. Even now she is able to hold up her arms, which signals her request to be held by him. Their 9-year-old son shows her the simple pleasures of childhood, like how to eat ice cream and pet a dog. Every day spent with her new family is a new day of discoveries and new-found abilities.

Far too often we see other tragic stories in the news, and sometimes even in our own communities, of neglect and abuse. It's unthinkable that it happens, yet we know it does. We owe it to not only our own children, but all children, to be aware of the signs of abuse, to not tolerate abusive or neglectful behaviors, and to intervene when needed.

The Air Force is deeply committed to taking care of our families and it spends a large amount of time and effort to create an environment supportive of parents and children. There are unique issues that military families face, and because we have a vast amount of resources at our disposal families aren't left to fend for themselves.

The Air Force is valiant in its efforts to provide resources for all types of family situations--those with special needs, addictions, health or spiritual needs--and we have a number of workshops and classes being offered throughout the month of April as we focus special awareness on the health and well being of our children.

These classes are brought to us by the Integrated Delivery System, which is a team of people from all areas of expertise who have joined forces to present a well-rounded and thorough approach for strengthening and caring for families. There are classes on talking to teens about alcohol use, learning the love languages of children, teaching teens about dating standards, and they've offered special reading activities for parents and children, just to name a few. There are many other helping classes designed to provide tools for improving parenting skills, and raising and caring for our families.

The Air Force does not tolerate abuse or neglect in any form toward children or spouses, or toward any child under our care or stewardship. That is why the Air Force is careful to work toward prevention of these issues through education, support groups, home visits and ensuring resources are available.

What happened to Danielle should not happen to any child. Thankfully, concerned neighbors and social workers finally rescued her and a new family is healing her. Let's make sure we do the right thing in our own families and be aware of others who may be in distress.

We each have a personal responsibility to respect our children and nurture them. We have the obligation to provide for their physical, mental and spiritual needs, and to teach them to be good citizens. To keep our Air Force strong, we must develop and sustain strong families. So be a good role model. Take advantage of the classes available through the Airman and Family Readiness Center, the Health and Wellness Center, the Chapel, and the Family Advocacy Program