Freddie Kendall lives with his Mum, Dad and his younger sister Gracie in Mansfield. He has been awarded ‘Little Trooper of the Month’ after coping with his Dad being away from home since October 2023 and missing Freddie start school for the first time in September.

Freddie is autistic and has a stammer, which means he’s found it particularly difficult, both mentally and physically, to adapt to life at school, especially without his Dad by his side.

Freddie has felt the absence of his Dad deeply over the last year, and has had many tough days where he has felt overwhelmed by his feelings. Freddie does speak to his Dad regularly via FaceTime but doesn’t interact much and struggles with the reality that his Dad won’t be coming home soon. While the family were reunited for one week in October, Freddie’s Dad won’t be home this Christmas and is not due to be permanently back in the UK until October 2025.

The family have been using resources from Little Troopers to help Freddie through deployment and recently received one of 2,500 ‘Christmas Smiles’ boxes, sent to children who have parents serving away this Christmas.

Freddie’s Mum, Alicia, comments: “Despite the challenges of having his daddy deployed and navigating the world through the lens of autism, Freddie continues to shine brightly. Even on the toughest days, Freddie never lets it dim his light. His heart is full of kindness and compassion and his love for his friends and his family always shines through. We are all so fortunate to witness the love, light, and joy he spreads wherever he goes. He is our special little trooper.”

Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, adds: “Starting school for the first time when your parent is deployed is hard enough for any child but Freddie has also faced additional challenges that have made this a particularly tough year for him and his family. We hope Freddie wears his Little Troopers medal with pride and I’m sure he can’t wait to show his Dad on his return.”

Freddie will receive a medal, voucher and gift certificate from Little Troopers for his award.

This month, our Little Trooper of the Month Award has been sponsored by technology group, Thales.