A camp for military kids only

SANTA BARBARA, California (CNN) -- "Operation Purple" camp in Santa Barbara allows children whose mothers or fathers are deployed by the military to have some summer fun with other kids who know exactly what they're going through.

The camp, exclusively for children of deployed parents, is organized by the National Military Family Association, which runs 34 camps in 26 states.

Tanna Schmidli, chairman of the board of the association, says the camp allows the kids to "just to open up and to be together, to learn that it's OK to support one another."

"It is just absolutely incredible to watch these children, their resilience -- their love and respect of what their parent is doing." See photos of some "Operation Purple" campers »

The NMFA estimates that more than 155,000 children are currently experiencing the absence of a parent due to a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. This year, the group says, some 9,000 children applied for the 4,000 available slots around the country. Watch the campers as they play, bond »

Campers attend for a week of sleep-away, which -- besides all the usual camp activities -- also includes military personnel answering kids' questions and offering advice, as well as patriotic-themed arts and crafts activities. E-mail to a friend