German and American children and their families gathered at the Stuttgart Planetarium on June 6, 2009 to listen to a story told by General William E. Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, and Plieningen Mayor Edgar Hemmerich .

The event, called "Tell Me a Story," is a Military Child Education Coalition initiative and was hosted by U.S. Africa Command's Family Readiness Group.

The story, called "Night Catch," is aimed at kindergarten students through second graders. Ward read each page in English, followed by Hemmerich, who read each page in German. The book, by children's author Brenda Ehrmantraut, was inspired by her brother who deployed to Iraq and tells the story of a deployed father who enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son. The story was chosen to offer support and hope for families who are separated during deployments or long-distance travel. Pages from the storybook were displayed on the Planetarium dome as Ward and Hemmerich read aloud.

Additionally, planetarium director Dr. Uwe Lemmer gave a lesson on how to locate the North star and dazzled the audience with a star and laser light show.

Following the story, attendees broke into discussion groups led by Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) facilitators and explored ways that stories can open various lines of communication and help families keep in touch.

Dr. Mary Keller, executive director of the Military Child Education Coalition, said the mission of the project is to empower military children to use literature and their own stories in a way that fosters skills for resilience, strong peer and parent connections, and a sense of pride and accomplishment in a caring community.

A copy of "Night Catch", was given to each family attending the event. Children also received gift packages of glow in dark stars. The event was sponsored by the Stuttgart Community Spouses Club and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.