Dyess celebrates April Child Abuse Prevention Month and Month of the Military Child

  • Published
  • By Cynthia Bradley
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Month of the Military Child. But how many of you know the history behind the movements? For example, did you know the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was used in the first child abuse case? Or a grandmother was the one who started the blue ribbon campaign? Or the Month of the Military Child was established in 1983?

It started 1874 in New York with a little girl named Mary Ellen Wilson, a nurse named Etta Wheeler and Henry Bergh, the founder and president of the ASPCA.

Mary Ellen's father died shortly after she was born and her mother boarded her with Mary Score. When her mother could not make payments, Mary Ellen was turned over to the Department of Charities. The department placed Mary Ellen with Mary and Thomas McCormack. Thomas McCormack died shortly thereafter and Mary married Francis Connolly.

The Connolly couple beat Mary Ellen on a daily basis. Her cries could be heard by the neighbors who called the police; but no one helped. Mr. Bergh sent an investigator who posed as a census worker to gain access to the home. The investigator confirmed the suspicions and Mr. Bergh contacted an attorney.

Mary Ellen was removed from the home and appeared in court dressed in ragged clothing with bruises all over her body and a gash over her left eye. She was then permanently removed from the Connolly home and raised by the Spencer family.

Mary Ellen's case led to the establishment of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In the 1960s the U.S. government passed legislation requiring child abuse reporting in all states. In 1974 the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was signed into law and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect was established.

The Blue Ribbon campaign started with a Virginia grandmother named Bonnie Finney in 1989 when Ms. Finney's three-year-old grandson, Michael "Bubba" Dickenson's battered body was found at the bottom of a canal. He died from injuries inflicted by Ms. Finney's daughter's violent boyfriend. Ms. Finney tied a blue ribbon on the antenna of her van in memory of her grandson and her silent statement spread to what we now know as the Blue Ribbon Campaign.

"I never intend to forget the battered, bruised body of my grandson," said Ms. Finney. "Bruises are black, then eventually blue. Therefore, blue serves as a constant reminder to me to fight for our children."

In 1983, then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger established the Month of the Military Child to recognize "the essential role that military child care services and youth activities play in fostering readiness and enhancing the quality of life of military families." He further stated "We take great pride in setting aside the month to recognize the contributions and personal sacrifices our children make for our corps.

Military children experience constant change, they move frequently - having to change schools and make new friends. They usually don't have the luxury of having grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins close by, so they develop their own support system within the military community. The children also experience the major stressor of deployments. And yet, somehow these children still thrive.

Some better known military children are: singer Christina Aguilera whose father served in the Army, actor Robert Duval whose father served in the Navy, singer Emmy Lou Harris whose father served in the Marines, and actor Blair Underwood whose father served in the Air Force. It takes a special kind of child to be a military child, and that is why we recognize them for the entire month of April.

Now, the next time you see a blue ribbon or hear someone talking about Child Abuse Prevention Month and Month of the Military Child in April, you will have the inside scoop. Remember, pass this information to others because education is prevention and prevention is the key to stopping child abuse and neglect in our society.

For more information, please contact Family Advocacy Program at 696-5380.