The “hidden epidemic” among military children / June 2025

OCF MINISTRY NEWS 

• Sign up for summer programs at the Conference Centers: Visit ocfusa.org/CCexperience to find the right program and week for you at Spring Canyon (Buena Vista, Colo.) or White Sulphur Springs (Manns Choice, Pa.). https://www.ocfusa.org/CCexperience/  

• Connect with OCFers at USNA and USAFA: 

• OCF at USAFA: Pre-Inprocessing Day Reception (Class of 2029), 24 June, Monument, Colo. https://www.ocfusa.org/event/ocf-at-usafa-pre-inprocessing-day-reception-class-of-2029/  

• USNA OCF: Class of 2029 Open House, 25 June, Annapolis, Md. https://www.ocfusa.org/event/usna-ocf-class-of-2029-open-house/  

• Volunteer as a Local Leader at one of these locations: Columbus AFB, Fort Campbell, Fort Drum, Fort Eisenhower, Fort Jackson, Fort Riley, Fort Stewart / Hunter AAF, Goodfellow AFB, JB Charleston, MCAS Beaufort, MCB Quantico, Norwich University, NSB New London / Groton, Schofield Barracks / Wheeler AAF, Sheppard AFB, Texas A&M University, The Citadel, Tyndall AFB, University of North Georgia, USCG Air Station and Base Kodiak, USCG Air Station Miami, USCG District 11 and Base Alameda, USCG District 13 and Base Seattle, USCG Sector Key West, USCG Sector St. Petersburg, USCG Station Port Canaveral, Virginia Tech. When you are ready to volunteer, complete our quick List Me form so that members can find you on the OCF Directory and OCF staff can equip you based on local needs. https://www.ocfusa.org/list-me/  

• Help OCF steward its ministry buildings: Email Director of Infrastructure and Facility Management Joe Orosz ([email protected]) to get more information or offer your expertise in master planning, design, construction, and/or facility maintenance. mailto:[e-mail]  

GUEST SPOTLIGHT 

Today’s guest spotlight features Claire Anderson, a military child and new graduate of Liberty University. Claire joins the podcast to talk about the military kid experience, informed by her own upbringing and her recent honors thesis, titled “Analysis of the At-Risk Mental Health of Military Children and Proposed Intervention Plans To Be Implemented by Mental Health Professionals.” 

Having gotten connected to OCF through friends as a freshman in high school, Claire shares how her summers at White Sulphur Springs, particularly her work with youths attending the Camp Caleb program, piqued her interest in the military child experience. She and Josh discuss some statistics from her thesis research, connections to The Performance Paradox: The Unexpected Way to Grind Less, Grow More, and Unlock Success by Eduardo Briceño, and a Biblical view of trials.          

If you would like to share your own story, complete the form on OCF’s “Be a Guest” webpage. Alternatively, if you have an idea for a guest or topic we should consider for a future episode of the show, send an email to [email protected]. 

POINTS TO PONDER 

As you listen to this conversation with Claire, here are a few questions to ponder in your personal time, with a small group, or with a mentor: 

1. If you’ve grown up in the military and/or raised children in the military, what of your own firsthand or secondhand experiences relate to what Claire discussed today? 

2. How did the statistics shared during this episode impact you? 

3. What factors of the military lifestyle have you seen contribute to low mental health, and how might you work to address and/or mitigate those factors? 

4. Claire’s thesis and interview talks about taking a “strengths-based perspective,” and Josh mentions Romans 5:3-4, too. How can our relationship with Jesus transform our view of trials we may experience?