Hug-A-Hero dolls provide comfort to children of deployed military

Three-year-old Natalie Berg picked up the stuffed doll bearing the likeness of her father and held it close, smiling.

If her father, Benjamin Berg, is ever deployed overseas with the Coast Guard, Natalie's "Daddy Doll" could help serve as a valuable tactile stand-in. Bearing her father's smiling image, the doll is about the size of a large stuffed animal.

It's something comfortable that Natalie, her twin brother, Nathan, and 8-year-old brother Alexander could hold onto, even talk to, if their father wasn't physically available. The family lives in Hudson.

Lisa Berg, mother of Natalie, Nathan and Alexander, and wife of Benjamin, is the executive director of OPERATION Hug-A-Hero, which has produced the comforting creations since 2008. The dolls are produced in Michigan.

The nonprofit organization supports children of military, law enforcement and first-responder families.

The dolls are durable, washable and bear a full-body photograph of a youngster's parent.

With President Obama's recent announcement that 30,000 troops soon will be sent to Afghanistan, OPERATION Hug-A-Hero is accepting donations so that more Daddy Dolls will find their way to the arms of children who miss their parent. A donation of $25 can get a doll to a child.

Tricia Dyal, co-founder of the organization, characterized the dolls as emotional security blankets for children.

"We've even heard of children keeping their parent in the circle of family life by photographing the Hug-A-Hero doll at every significant family event, such as a birthday party or holiday celebration," Dyal said in a news release.

The organization's mission is especially close to Lisa Berg's heart. While husband Benjamin serves with the Coast Guard, she also spent about 15 years in the Air Force.

"We want to reach out to any child missing their mommy or daddy,"' she said. "We're getting so many orders. There are so many people who just sat down to Thanksgiving dinner without daddy."

For 13-month-old Allaina Creaser, her Daddy Doll has been crucial to remembering who her father is. Army Sgt. Andrew Creaser has been fighting in Iraq for much of the last year, but finally returned home to Fort Hood, Texas, last week, said his wife, Megan Creaser.

"The way the dolls are designed, it's like a miniature dad, except the dolls can't actually give hugs and kisses," Megan Creaser said. "There's a voice recorder in there, though, and it's helped [Allaina] know him and his voice; they send instructions for the recorder, and whenever they hold it the right way, the voice goes off.

"She relies on picture memory right now, and it's really helped a lot. She sees [the doll] when she goes to bed and right when she wakes up. When he came home, she knew who he was."

DADDY DOLLS
For information about dolls made by OPERATION Hug-A-Hero, visit www.operationhugahero.org.