By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

Every morning at 7:50 sharp, they raise the American flag over their camp and listen to a military anthem. They quietly think of their families halfway around the world and hope they are safe.

Afterwards, they crunch down Frosted Shredded Wheat cereal and head off for a day of archery, swimming, photography and other electives.

Camp Purple is a week-long program being held at Bear Brook State Park. It is designed for children ages 8 to 16 with family members in a branch of the armed forces. This is the second year of the camp, and 92 campers are having the time of their lives.

Wendy Brock is the 4-H state program leader, and is happy the kids have a chance to forge new friendships and relate to others in the same situation.

"The purpose of this program is to provide kids with a normal camp experience. We're interested in kids being kids, not necessarily how they feel about the war," she said. "At the same time, it lets them feel pride for what their parents or brothers and sisters do."

She added, "The great thing about the the (Bear Brook State Park) facility is that it showcases the environment, and encourages peace of mind. The kids entertain themselves, and there really is something for everyone."

Chris Conlon is camp manager and works with the University of New Hampshire 4-H Co-op extension.

"The main goal of 4-H is youth development, and it's important to prepare these kids for adult challenges," he said. "We employ international staff. It's great because when the parents of these campers are traveling all over the world, the world is coming to their kids."

New Hampshire is sixth in the nation among states that have sent the most personnel overseas. Campers representing every branch of the armed services are attending the program.

Also attending the program is Major Keith Lemmon, M.D., an active-duty pediatrician in the Army who was deployed in Afghanistan for six months from July 2002 to January 2003.

With a wife and three children of his own, Lemmon has a vested interest in the health of these campers and children of all military personnel.

"The goal of interviewing these kids is to help prepare them for the experience of having their parents go through deployment," he said. "In my work, I've started to see a pattern emerging: lots of people don't know about the otherwise normal emotional cycle of deployment."

Lemmon served a three-part role in Afghanistan. He was a field surgeon for U.S. troops, he evaluated the health of enemy prisoners of war, and ministered to the needs of Afghani children at aid stations.

He said the families of active duty soldiers receive counseling from the military, but there is a unique challenge for families of reserve troops, who generally receive care from civilian health care providers.

"My wife is a teacher, and we had two children at the time of my deployment," he said. "We are a solid family. If anyone could tough it out, we could, and we still had a few behavioral, communication or spouse issues. I figure that for new families it could be even worse." Ryan Cyr, 14, of Auburn, Maine, is the son of a reservist who returned from an 18-month tour in Kuwait.

"I was worried about my dad sometimes, but he did a good job of staying in touch," he said. "I.m just really glad to have him back."

Cassie Pelton, a 13-year-old from Brookline whose parents are both active-duty Army, was impressed with the camp.

"I didn't think there were going to be any other military kids here," she said. "It's much better than the other camp I went to. I can make new friends and meet people just like me."