Synopses & Reviews
When you enlist in the United States Military, you donand#8217;t just sign yourself up for years of duty, you also commit your loved ones to a life of service all their own.
No one knows this better than Elaine Brye, an army-brat turned military wife turned military mom of four officers, each serving in a different branch of the military: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy.
Bryeand#8217;s father and mother met while both serving in the U.S. Army and her childhood was that of a typical army-brat, with frequent movesand#151;some to faraway countriesand#151;dinner-table conversations full of military lingo, an ever-present anxiety during her fatherand#8217;s deployments to Vietnam and elsewhere, and family vacations to national monuments and battlefields. In 1976and#151;the first year women were accepted in the service academies and ROTCand#151;Brye herself enlisted in the Air Force, where she would later meet her husband, an Air Force pilot.
Now Elaine Brye is a mom to four military officers, and for more than a decade sheand#8217;s endured countless teary goodbyes, sparse communication from boot camps and training summers, deployments, emotional airport reunions, empty chairs at Thanksgiving dinners, and sleepless hours waiting for phone calls in the night. Sheand#8217;s navigated the complicated tangle of emotionsand#151;pride, worry, fear, hope, and deep, enduring loveand#151;that accompanies life as a military mom.
In Be Safe, Love Mom Brye reflects on her familyand#8217;s military service and offers a lifetimeand#8217;s worth of insight, comfort, wisdom, and a bit of humor to fellow military moms who are navigating the unpredictable life that accompanies having a childand#151;or childrenand#151; in uniform.
In intimate and instructive essaysand#151;on topics ranging from that first goodbye on Induction Day to the comforting power of the military community, from the healing power of faith to coping with the enormous sacrifice military life requiresand#151; Brye braids together her own personal experiences with those of fellow parents sheand#8217;s met along the way, offering gentle guidance and hard-earned wisdom to those new to the sisterhood of military moms.
In this one mom doing her best to hold down the home front, readers will find a wise and endearing friend to guide them through the unpredictable life of having a child in uniform, all the while reminding us that within each military momand#8217;s personal story lies universal experiences of courage, loss, loneliness, faith, pride, and ultimately, a parentand#8217;s unconditional love.
Review
and#147;[An] invaluable handbookand#133;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, Bryeand#8217;s book will comfort and inform.and#8221; and#151;
Publishers Weeklyand#147;A compassionate, insightful guide for military parents and the rest of us who are in their debt.and#8221;and#151;Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#147;The military brat, spouse and veteran whose four children are officers has only heartfelt concern for and#145;we mothersand#8217; and, presumably, fathers. Parents might appreciate reading her comforting momilies {yes, and#145;momiliesand#8217;} while and#145;on this roller-coaster ride for which your child has volunteered you.'" and#151;
Military Timesand#147;[An] invaluable handbookand#133;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, Bryeand#8217;s book will comfort and inform.and#8221; and#151;Publishers Weekly
and#147;A compassionate, insightful guide for military parents and the rest of us who are in their debt.and#8221;and#151;Kirkus Reviews
and#147;An invaluable guide for parents and family of U.S. military service members, Be Safe, Love Mom offers both comfort and invaluable, hard-won advice from a woman who knows all about the emotional rigors of military life. Elaine Lowry Brye is herself an and#147;Army bratand#8221; and Air Force wife, one who went on to become the mother of four military officers (one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines). Bryesand#8217; is a book meant to provide sympathy and practical support to families like hers by getting real about the overwhelming emotions involved in watching a loved one enter the armed forces, and serves as a reminder to all of the sacrifices made not just by our fighting men and women but by their families, as well.and#8221;and#151;Archetypes.com
Synopsis
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 officersand#151;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 emotionsand#151;pride, worry, fear, hope, and deep, enduring loveand#151;that are part and parcel of life as a military mother.
In Be Safe, Love Mom Elaine braids together her 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. Readers looking for encouragement and hard-to-come-by information as they travel the challenging road of having a child in uniform will find Elaine a wise and trusted friend, and Be Safe, Love Mom an essential handbook to membership in a strong and special sisterhood.
About the Author
Elaine Lowry Brye grew up as an Army brat, married an Air Force pilot, and ultimately became a mom to four military officers, one each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. For the last thirteen years she has been mentoring parents as they make the adjustment to military-parent life through the USNA Parents List Serve and in other online forums. Her professional life has included a bachelor's degree in Medical Technology; a Master's in Business; training in Air Force ROTC; and certification as a Science Educator. In 2010, she spent a year teaching in Kabul, Afghanistan, gaining her own experience in a war zone. But the role she is most proud ofand#151;besides and#147;momand#8221;and#151;and which has taken her to the White House and to the stage of the Democratic National Convention, is that of dogged supporter of military families. She lives with her husband on a farm in Northeast Ohio.
Nan Gatewood Satter is a writer and independent book editor. The daughter of a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot, she lives in the Hudson Valley area of New York with her husband and son.