Photo Credit: JGoodale Photography

There are conflicting accounts of when the first Father's Day was celebrated, but it's certain that in 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson, through an executive order, designated the third Sunday in June as the official day to celebrate. In 1972, President Richard Nixon officially recognized it as a national holiday.

Since then, honoring fathers worldwide has become a great tradition. Unfortunately, when dear old dad is deployed, military families must come up with creative ways to celebrate. We asked, you answered: Here are some inspiring ideas from military spouses to celebrate fathers in spite of distance:

• Susan R. and her children had two celebrations - one on Father's Day, and one when her husband returned from deployment! Just because a father's not there, you can still spend the day celebrating and honoring his role in the family.
• Erin G., Michelle M., and Meghan L. have their children create special art projects to send to dad. Make a special photo album of shared moments between a father and his children, and send it as a reminder of how much fun you've had and what the future might hold.
• Kathleen H. traced her daughter's hands onto paper, measured the distance across her outstretched arms, and then secured a string of that length between the paper hands to send a hug to dad.
• Father's Day gifts are typically ties, beer-of-the-month club subscriptions, and money clips … things military fathers can't exactly enjoy in a hostile environment. So Shannon S. had special dog tags made for her husband. Dog tags are the perfect gift he can keep with him wherever he goes. Shannon told us her husband says he takes them with him whenever he travels because they are so special to him.
• Ashley F. has her children create a care package for their dad on Father's Day itself, so they'll be spending the day thinking of their dad. She also tries to have her girls spend time with an uncle or grandfather, as they often provide more comfort when dad is deployed on his special day.
• Colleen L.'s son made a care package full of Legos and a couple matchbox cars so he could “play with dad” even while they were apart.
• Tiffany R. is doing a “Day in the Life” photo album to capture her son's daily activities! She also put together a “Daddy Survival Kit” for her husband's return, complete with energy drinks, snacks, and daddy-themed movies!

Hopefully these ideas will inspire some creative ways for you to celebrate the military father in your family, especially if he's deployed.

Happy Father's Day from MOAA to all the amazing military fathers!