Operation Give a Hug

Providing military children a way to hug their deployed parents until they can do it for real

Donate

Last year, I worked with a second grade boy who was having difficulty anticipating his father's 3rd deployment. On the day Dad deployed the boy was so emotional he could barely talk. When he saw me he gave me a big, long hug then looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "Can I have a Daddy Doll please?"  

The dolls help me too.  The support I give the kids and families is with words and actions.  I hope it helps and stays with them.  Sometimes it is just so nice to see them take something tangible away that will provide support and comfort.  It gives me a symbol to hold on to also.   School Counselor, Fort Lewis, WA

If possible, I would like to request one of the dolls for my 2 and a half year old son.  I am in the USAF and currently deployed to Afghanistan for one year in support of the US Army.  My current deployment came just after spending nearly six months in Iraq and with only four months between the two deployments.  I am an individual augmentee working as a mentor to the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the team that I am with goes out almost on a daily basis to mentor the ANA and assist them with making their country a better place. During both deployments I have sent digital pictures to my wife, who would then print them off for my son.  He then takes them, gives them a hug or a kiss and carries them around until he wears them out.  Once he has worn them out, he asks for more and does the same thing again.  USAF Captain

And then...Thank you for sending the "Daddy Doll" to my son. Here is a picture of him with it in a box while he is watching one of his favorite TV shows.   He does various things with it and I think he enjoys seeing a picture of me in it when he is playing or traveling with it. Thank you.  USAF Captain

I took this photo tonight of my son sleeping.  He was

really missing his dad tonight.  He wrote his dad a letter and told him that he really loves his daddy doll because he can hold it and see his daddy's smile.  I still can't thank you enough for sending us these dolls. My husband will be coming home for R&R for Christmas which is soooo exciting.  It's been almost eight months since we have seen him.  Thank you again.   Sue, Fort Campbell, KY

The Daddy dolls from Operation Give a Hug really helped my children, Evan and Emily, cope with their Daddy's deployment to Iraq. Even though Daddy is home from the war, they continue to provide hugs to the kids when Daddy is gone for weekend drills and annual training. Thank you, Susan!!

Leane, spouse of an Army Reservist

Let me first start off by saying thank you from the bottom of my family’s heart.  My husband deployed to the Middle East in 2004 for one year.  This was by far the longest amount of time he had ever been away from us.  During that time my daughter was five.  Needless to say, she had a very difficult time when he left for Iraq.  I was lucky enough to have met Susan, the founder of Operation Give a Hug, and not only did she help me through my husband’s deployment, she helped my daughter immensely.  She gave her a “Daddy Doll.”  From the day she received it, until the day he came back, she slept with it every night.  Whenever she missed him I would tell her to give her daddy doll a hug and kiss.  The doll brought her great comfort and eased her stress.  It would have been so much more difficult to pass the time without it.  Again, many thanks for what you have done for my family and for thousands of others!   Felita, spouse of an Army Captain