This essential guide for all military families provides helpful advice and reassurance on topics ranging from boot camp, to deployment, to PTSD, from a former "Army brat" turned mother of four military kids. When you enlist in the United States military, you don't just sign up for duty; you also commit your loved ones to lives of service all their own. No one knows this better than Elaine Brye, an "Army brat" turned military wife and the mother of four officers-one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. For more than a decade she's endured countless teary goodbyes, empty chairs at Thanksgiving dinners, and sleepless hours waiting for phone calls in the night. She's navigated the complicated tangle of emotions that are part and parcel of life as a military mother. Be Safe, Love Mom braids together Elaine's own personal experiences with those of fellow parents she's met along the way. She offers gentle guidance and hard-earned wisdom on topics ranging from that first anxious goodbye to surrendering all control of your child, from finding comfort in the support of the military community and the healing power of faith to coping with the enormous sacrifices life as a military mother requires. With hard-to-come-by information and encouragement that is like advice from a wise and trusted friend, Be Safe, Love Mom is an essential handbook to membership in a strong and special sisterhood.

"What happens to our natural instinct, as a mother, to protect our child when he or she is ordered to one of the most dangerous places in the world? What gets us through the day? How do we survive?" Tracie Ciambotti Tracie's son, Josh, enlisted in the Army two days after he graduated from high school in 2005. Five months later he was on his way to Baghdad and the reality of war began to sink into the depths of Tracie's heart. She had no idea when or if she would ever see her son again. As the weeks passed, fear became the master of her days. Josh had received the best training in the world for his new job as a combat soldier with the United States Armed Forces, but Tracie had none for her role as the mother of a service member. While her son was fighting a war in Iraq, she was marching unaware and unprepared into her own battle at home. Battles of the Heart reminds us that freedom is not free. Every American needs to understand the sacrifices that military families endure for our freedom. Journey through two deployments and discover along with Tracie how to survive the challenges that military families face daily.

Rise Up Military Moms is an interactive journal aimed at helping you find strength and resilience whether you are sending your child off to a deployment, basic training or boot camp. NOTE: Rise Up is NOT a book for just reading. It's a guided journal to help you work on you as you travel this military mom journey. We give you weekly things to work on, think about and research to help enrich and strengthen your experience as a military mom. As a military mom, it can be an emotional roller coaster full of unknowns and fear. I often wished I had a guide to get me through those tough times. That's what Rise Up Military Moms is all about. With "Rise Up Military Moms," you will have 6 months of weekly guided journaling. Each week features ways in which you can take action to awaken your strength, energize your spirit, and push through your fears. You'll also find positive insights to inspire and uplift you through your military mom journey. There is also room for writing reflections, thoughts, and introspections. This journal is perfect for mothers of service members from all branches of the military: Army moms, Air Force moms, Marine moms, Coast Guard moms and Navy moms. As you go through this journal for military moms, know that you are amazing! You raised an incredible person that is a member of the best trained military in the world.

In these personal stories, 45 Ohio mothers open their hearts and share what it feels like when your son or daughter leaves home to fight a war.Some were stunned to learn one sunny afternoon that their "baby" had enlisted in the Marines. Others had long been familiar with military life. But all knew their life had just changed the day their child called and said, "Mom, I'm being deployed . . ." They discovered the strange mix of pride and fear. The anxiety of not knowing exactly where in Iraq or Afghanistan your son is, whether your daughter is facing mortar fire or enduring heat and boredom. Elation at the arrival of the briefest postcard or email message. The daily dread, when returning home from work or a trip to the grocery store, of seeing a government car in the driveway and two soldiers at the door . . .Any parent who reads these stories will feel their power--and will gain a greater understanding of the sacrifice made by parents as well as their children in our military service.

A collection of essays by children whose parents are serving or have served in the United States military.

Advice from One Grieving Mom to Others When Kim’s three-year-old son tragically passed away, she found plenty of resources on grieving. She says what she really needed, though, "was someone who would give me advice for living, not just grieving . . . How do I get through the grocery store without crying? What do I do with my son’s things? When will my mind stop replaying the emergency room scene?" Now, ten years later, she’s written that book. With raw vulnerability, a deep well of wisdom, and the practical knowledge of someone who’s been there, she walks grieving moms through the life-after-death process from how to plan the funeral to how to deal with friends, family, holidays, and birthdays. This is a profound and powerful resource that’s invaluable for the mom who has lost a child—and for her friends and family who want to love her well.

Have you ever had a little one question the meaning of deployment? Join the very brave and loyal family dog, Ace, as he smuggles himself aboard his dad's deployment-bound aircraft, seeking to discover answers for himself and the family left behind. Air Force Ace brings reassurance to any child facing the deployment of a loved one that their service member is happy and proudly doing important work for us all.