Military families with a parent deployed overseas must bring a copy of the parent’s deployment orders to receive free admission. Those who have had a parent return from deployment within the past year must provide a copy of those orders as well. The Zoo also will admit kids with moms deployed overseas or children with moms who have returned from deployment in the past year for free on this day as well.

South Carolina's Operation Military Kids (SCOMK) program supports families and youth of military personnel, emphasizing outreach to families of deployed National Guardsmen and Reservists. SCOMK provides positive youth development programs and helps mobilize communities to support families of deployed members of the US Armed Forces. Staff from Operation Military Kids will have a booth set up inside the Zoo entrance with information about the organization and support programs for families.

More than 2,000 South Carolina National Guardsmen have recently returned from deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan – marking the single largest deployment of South Carolina National Guard Soldiers since World War II. Coupled with ongoing deployments of other units from the South Carolina National Guard and the Reserves, many families will be celebrating Father’s Day without their father or as a newly reunited group.

Kids of deployed military personnel aren’t the only ones receiving free admission that day; Riverbanks will also offer free admission to all fathers. The Zoo will be open from 9am to 6pm on Father’s Day.