They cheered as two large helicopters circled overhead on a sunny Wednesday at Camp Erdman in Mokuleia.

The choppers were being flown by Marines from Kaneohe Bay and pilots with the U.S. Coast Guard, adding significance to the cool factor for camp participants who had parents in those branches of the military.

About 160 children are participating in the weeklong "Operation Purple" camp, which ends Saturday. They have participated in traditional camp activities like archery and swimming, but also talked about what it is like to have one or both parents in the military.

"They are so brave at such a young age," said Christi Schaefer, a camp counselor. "They say goodbye to their parents for so long. I don’t know how that is because my parents are not in the military, so it’s been eye-opening but they are really brave," she said.

Cody Carver, an 11-year-old who is entering the seventh grade, has a father in the U.S. Marine Corps. His father, Darrell Carver, is a first sergeant and has been deployed six or seven times, mostly to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.

Cody and his family will soon be moving to Texas. "I’m sad but I’m excited," he said.

But before the move, he got to enjoy the helicopter demonstration, as well as a hike through the Waianae Mountains.

Brandon Applewhite, an 11-year-old who attends Holy Family Catholic Academy, is proud of his Air Force parents, Laura and Willie Applewhite. He is enthusiastic about camp, and rock-climbing is his favorite activity so far.

And Kaitlyn Davis, an 11-year-old Mokapu Elementary School student, appreciated the demonstrations.

"I liked seeing all the jobs the military can do and seeing their helicopters and boats," Kaitlyn said.

Kaitlyn’s father, Paul Davis, is a first sergeant in the Marine Corps and was deployed to Afghanistan in April. He is likely to be there until November.

Kaitlyn said his time away is hard on her mother, who looks after three children.

"These kids are moving all the time," said camp counselor Bridget Laszewski. "They taught me more than I taught them. After camp for a week we really become like a family," Laszewski said.

In addition to the helicopters, campers enjoyed a dive tank demonstration by the Navy SEALs and other activities on Wednesday.

This first session for Operation Purple camp at Camp Erdman was June 5 to 11, with about 150 participants. The program was developed by the National Military Family Association and is supported by Goldman Sachs Gives, the Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation.

The campers are encouraged to keep journals about their feelings when their parents are deployed. Advice and resources for military children and parents can be found at www.health.mil/Themes/Military_Children.