Linda Davidson and Gail Kruzel Fertel co-founded Our Military Kids in 2004 in response to the September 11 attacks and the repeated, lengthy overseas deployments by members of the Army National Guard. Many times these families were too far from a military base to take advantage of programs offered there and were in communities without the traditional support that families would receive if they were on base.
The two were motivated by a quote from a service member who said,
“Please don’t send cookies, care packages or socks. Just help take care of our children.”
With this in mind, Linda and Gail set out to help military kids manage a difficult time in their lives. In addition to receiving support for an activity of their choosing, the children also receive a letter thanking them for their service and a “Top Secret” packet of items to both recognize and help the children connect with their military parent.
What began as a pilot program with the Virginia National Guard families quickly expanded to include deployed and Reserve families throughout the United States. In 2008, as post-9/11 troops returned home with serious combat injuries, the program was expanded to include children of severely injured service members and veterans from all branches of service.
Linda Davidson
Davidson started the program in an effort to thank and acknowledge the American families who were fighting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Davidson led the program for 15 years and retired from Our Military Kids on December 31, 2018.
Prior to founding Our Military Kids, Ms. Davidson was Vice President of Administration & Finance for another non-profit serving military families. Other previous work experience includes 19 years with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in their National Federal Marketing Contracts Department, Commission Accounting, and in Sales Administration servicing federal government customers. Prior to IBM, Ms. Davidson served as an accountant and membership campaign director for the Madison Chamber of Commerce in Madison, Wisconsin.
Ms. Davidson holds a degree in Accounting with additional studies from the University of Wisconsin.
Gail Kruzel Fertel
Ms. Kruzel Fertel knew first-hand the hardships that families face when a family member is away in service to our country. Her husband, Joseph Kruzel, a senior Pentagon official, was on a diplomatic mission to Bosnia when he was killed in a Humvee accident. Her children were ages 12 and 14 at the time. She knew how important it was to keep her children involved in their extracurricular activities, and to get tutoring help when their grades slipped. Founding Our Military Kids was a natural outgrowth from her personal experience.
Prior to founding Our Military Kids, Ms. Kruzel Fertel worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs at the Pentagon. Additionally, she worked as a program developer for Ohio Medicaid Policy and was a consumer advocate in the White House/US Office of Consumer Affairs. She holds a BS from the University of Maryland and did additional graduate work at The Ohio State University.
Newly remarried in 2010, Ms. Kruzel Fertel left the program that year to travel with her husband, spend time with her grandchildren, and get involved in church and charitable causes in Northern Virginia.