Military Moms: Amazing Stories of Deployment, Single Parenting + Going Without Sex

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Compiled by Erika Rasmusson Janes on Sep 13, 2012 at 5:06PM

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Military Moms: Amazing Stories of Deployment, Single Parenting + Going Without Sex

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Heidi B.

Age: 37

Number of Kids: 2

Where They’re Stationed: Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla.

Her Military Connection: Husband Daniel is an instructor pilot in the Air Force

Number of Times She’s Moved for the Military: 5

Her proudest moment as a military wife and mom: When my husband returned from his second deployment to the Horn of Africa (Operation Enduring Freedom) in 2005, I had both kids in my arms when he and his compatriots stepped off the plane. It's hard to top the feeling of standing on the flightline watching the plane come in from the distance, land and the uniformed heroes -- including your husband -- step off the plane and into the arms of their loved ones.

How she keeps her family close during deployments: We consult a world map and keep a calendar to track when he'll be home. My husband’s first deployment was when my oldest son was just 8 months old. His world was turned upside down -- he went on a nursing strike, and stopped sleeping through the night. The best thing we did for both kids was make home movies of Daddy reading. We put those on the TV every single day during his deployments, so he won’t be a stranger when he came home. He and I stay connected through email. I tell him every minute detail of our days; he tells me what he can – which is almost nothing. We also send pictures of the kids, artwork they’ve done, and comfort food from home.