Betty Mohlenbrock

As a mother, and wife of a former Vietnam flight surgeon, Betty Mohlenbrock is acutely aware of the distance between a child and a military-deployed parent. Betty’s organization United Through Reading helps to lessen this distance by creating DVD’s of deployed parents reading books aloud to their children back home. This remarkable effort gives children a chance to hear and see their parent, even though they are thousands of miles away.

Established during the Persian Gulf War and initially offered by the United States Navy, United Through Reading has now expanded to the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard. Inspired by her experience with her daughter, Betty did not want children of deployed parents to feel alienated by the distance between them. Her effort has helped to bring thousands of families closer together even when they are far apart. To read more about United Through Reading, visit http://read2kids.org/united.htm.

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