I posted previously and did not see my post so I am posting again. We are trying to get our names out their and let more and more people become aware of what we are doing for the children of our deployed men and woman. I am the photographer on a project called Operation Baby Battalion. We have been tirelessly been working for the past five months on a project that has become so increasingly important that I personally have put my own photography business on hold. We are creating a calendar called Operation Baby Battalion. We have traveled from Tampa Florida to Kileen Tx to photograph children whose moms/dads are or have been deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. It became inherently important to us when one of my clients asked for a specific photograph to be taken of her son for his dad while he was deployed. She wanted to see her little 18 month old Gary in his dads military issued boots from behind with nothing on but a diaper. This was such a sweet sentiment that my partner/mother approached me a few days later with the idea of the calendar. I have taken over 600 photographs of over 50 children between Tampa and Kileen to finally come up with 14 for the project.
This project has been taken on by us with very limited time and resources. We have recieved no donations, no outside help, no funds or fundraising, and no financial support from any outside sources. We have worked on this entirely from one little ladies savings account to make an effort to "Take the politics out of patriotism" and recognize these amazing little heroes. We have been frustrated at the lack of recognition of the sacrifice that this little ones make. They struggle and fight through each day with a mom or dad gone. We as adults easily forget the birthdays, holidays, ballgames, and recitals that these kids struggle through without that parent. As the news reported many of these kids are dealing with a second and even third and fourth deployment.
We will be marching on here at OBB (operation baby battalion). We have had such an outpour of support from local veterans organizations, businesses, and individuals. We will be completing the calendar and it will be for sale by September 1, 2007. This will allow us to raise money to meet our goal of 1 million dollars. God willing we meet that goal and then some so that we may continue this crusade to show support and recognition of these children and provide donations to the organizations that give them resources for coping.
We have decided to continue our endeavors by creating an Operation Baby Battalion Yearbook. We loved these photographs so much (and I loved taking them) that we wanted to show the world all of them not just the 14 chosen for the calendar. This yearbook will be a tool for these kids, a common ground, a little something in common to share with those that they meet along the way. These kids often move frequently and this book would allow them to show their friends and families something that is important to them! We love these kids, we support them, we appreciate their sacrifice and will march on to show that any way we are able. Please feel free to visit our webpage at operationbabybattalion.com and email us with any information or questions you may have.
God Bless and Thank you
Tyna Surace-Partin
Photographer Operation Baby Battalion
Naturally Amazing Photography