Page 70 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2023

We Salute You
April is the Month of the Military Child
story by Cherie Ward photos courtesy of Jennifer McCullough and U.S. Department of Defense
LEFT: The McCullough family, Michael, Jennifer and their children Mason, Connor, and Avery.
Like wildflowers growing and fluttering in a field, military children are full of grace, strength, and resilience wherever their soldier-parent’s journey plants them. And while military members serve around the world, we often forget the challenges faced by their children. Military families move on average every two years, impacting military children through changing schools and support networks.
Keesler Air Force base in Biloxi is one of the largest employers in South Mississippi and the second-largest Air Force technical training base complete with cyber training and a medical center, therefore the Gulf Coast is accustomed to seeing military men and women along with their families on a daily basis. There are more than 11,000 active and civilian personnel on the annual payroll and currently, almost 3,000 students are enrolled in public and private schools throughout Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Gulfport, Harrison, and Jackson counties.
That’s a lot of military families calling the Coast home, even if it is just temporary.
As recognition, the United States Department of Defense celebrates military children in April for the more than 1.6 million military children who face many challenges and unique experiences as a result of their parent’s service. Each year, national, state and local government, schools, military
serving organizations, companies, and private citizens join together to celebrate the sacrifices made by military children across the nation, with several celebrations happening this month all along the Coast.
And with a retiree population of about 15,000 across the Magnolia State, a lot of military families choose to call the Gulf Coast home when their service is complete. And that’s exactly what the McCullough crew of Gulfport did when U.S. Army Col. Michael McCullough was up for retirement. He spent 29 years being active military with 27 of those years overseas.
“We wanted to settle into retirement near a beach, with friendly people and good food,” said Jennifer McCullough, who is from New Orleans and no stranger to the Coast. “When my husband and I started talking about retirement and settling down, there was no question – we were going to call the Gulf Coast home.”
They have three children, Mason, a junior at the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach, Connor who recently joined the United States Marine Corps, and Avery, a junior at St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi.
“Out of all the places in the world we have lived, we call Gulfport home,” she said. “This is a hidden gem and we love living here.”
70 | April 2023
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