Be Safe, Love Mom: A Military Mom’s Stories of Courage, Comfort, and Surviving Life on the Home Front

In her debut, Brye offers an invaluable handbook for parents of U.S. military service members. An Army brat, Air Force wife, ROTC candidate, and mother of four military officers—one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines—she draws her advice from hard-won experience. Brye explains everything, including why the rigors of boot camp are essential and how normal it is for parents to feel emotionally overwhelmed after a child’s deployment. Most comfortingly, she states that military parents are all in it together: members of the military and their families are, well, family, across all branches of service. Her best advice for both parents and service members is to remain “Semper Gumby”—that is, always flexible. Having Christmas in August? No problem. Parental stress, volunteering to help other military families, and the role of spiritual faith are also discussed. Brye doesn’t shrink from the hardest topics, including traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, and, most unthinkably, casualty calls. For nonmilitary families, her work is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who serve and by their loved ones. For military families, Brye’s book will comfort and inform. (Mar.)