Military life can be tough on the whole family, especially little ones.

There are deployments, moves, and for some – the loss of a loved one. Now there is a summer camp where these kids can have some time to just be kids.

Since 9/11, more than 2 million American men and women have been deployed; 44 percent of them are parents. Jennifer Malone is a military wife and mother, who knows it’s not easy on her two kids to have a dad in the military.

“For them, it’s always the unknown because they don’t know ‘Is he coming? Is he going? How long is he going to be gone?'” explained Jennifer.

That’s when Kaitlin and her younger sister Allison found Camp Corral. It’s free for military kids.

“We send children from military families to summer camps all over the country, specifically children whose parent has been wounded, injured, ill or fallen,” said Former Director of Annual Giving Megan Ley.

Founded in 2011, Camp Corral has grown to 19 sites in 17 states and has served more than 21,000 kids.

“We understand each other and we can just bond and just talk about our experiences and how we feel,” said Kaitlin.

Camp directors go through mental health training to help campers open up, like when Allison was upset her father was about to be deployed.

“It’s something that she would not have shared with me because she knows I was stressed about it, too,” said Jennifer.

Jennifer has seen the confidence level in both her daughters grow since they first attended the camp.

“I think it’s giving them coping skills and the independence that they would not have gotten, that I can’t give them,” said Jennifer.

And most importantly, the camp allows kids to be kids.

“There is hiking, there is fishing, canoeing,” describes Ley.

“I’m just saying ‘amazing’ so many times because that’s how I’m describing it. It’s just been so life-changing!” said Kaitlin.

If you’re interested in seeing if Camp Corral has a location near you, check out www.campcorral.org because spots are filling up quickly. Many locations have a waiting list.