Copyright 2008 - 2023 Benita Koeman, Operation We Are Here. All rights reserved.
Operation We Are Here is a HUB of RESOURCES for the military community and military supporters.
Military support is not a concept to embrace; military support is sacrificial action. Visit our military support TOOLKIT.
Best new books for military spouses ~ 2019
My three children have endured three long deployments without their daddy. Supporting military kids is very real to me. Our family has benefited from those who have it on their heart to reach out to military kids with good quality books. Contrary to what many believe, there are MANY books for military kids (LINK to my lists). And now I am delighted to highlight some NEW military children books!
Be sure to check out these ADDITIONAL resources:
Support for
100's of books for military families & military supporters
Best NEW books for military families and veteran families from 2019
Return to Books for the Military Community & Supporters - LINK
View the 2016 booklist - LINK
View the 2017 booklist - LINK
View the 2018 booklist - LINK
View the 2020 booklist - LINK
View the 2021 booklist - LINK
View the 2022 booklist - LINK
Benita Koeman of Operation We Are Here is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When you purchase a product that is linked to Amazon, I earn a small commission which in turn helps me to continue with my mission of providing resources to the military community and military supporters. Learn more...
Author: Planting Roots
The Bible says Christ has come to set the captives free. In the military, we understand the fight for freedom from a unique perspective. There’s a battle for liberty in the spiritual realm of life as well as the physical. As women in uniform or women in military families, we also understand the snares and pitfalls that pervade our daily lives--stress, worry, insecurity, and self-sufficiency vs. God-dependency. This six-week Bible study of Galatians 5 will empower you to identify and overcome areas of struggle we all face. In Christ, we are free. . . * From false ideas * Free from spiritual striving * Free from spiritual uncertainty *Free from guilt and shame. Better yet, in Christ, we are free to love others, follow God’s Spirit, and grow in faith! Whether you are a seasoned Bible veteran or a new recruit to God’s Word, you will learn fresh concepts and God’s good plans for you to live in spiritual freedom. With lessons and examples applied to military life, Beyond Brave will show you how to stand firm on God’s truth, even in the challenges of military experience. Go beyond the battles you face today and be brave in the good fight of faith.
Planting Roots is committed to creating resources that point women around the globe to Christ so they can plant roots of faith to thrive in military life.
Additional Bible Studies for the military are found HERE
Beyond Brave: Faith to Stand Firm in Military Life
A six-week Bible study on Galatians 5
Best new books for military children ~ 2019
Author: Brick Conners
There are no bad teams (i.e., kids). There are only less-than-perfect leaders (i.e., parents). So says former fighter pilot and parent of four, retired US Navy Captain “Brick” Conners. Conners believes good leadership drives every successful outcome, and good parenting is no different. As a Navy Strike Fighter Pilot, Brick amassed over 4500 hours and over 1000 carrier landings during multiple combat deployments. So he understands all too well the critical importance of leadership in enabling those under his command to take off and return safely. Every parent wants the same: to have our children take off into the world and its adventures, but to return home safely at the end of the day.
Conners links thrilling life-and-death experiences in leadership, adversity, and performance to practices and takeaways that will guide parents, grandparents, coaches, military personnel, and anyone else who wants to raise, develop, and lead children and young people. Through tools gleaned from his own experience as a pilot, parent, and coach, Conners shows how we can redefine our own leadership skills and develop the same in children, so that they are equipped to deal with the unavoidable hazards of growing up. As parents, if we’re not happy with how we’ve handled parenting challenges in the past, we will find ways to reevaluate and alter our course; if we have acted on values and beliefs that were not always ideal, we will learn how to take a different approach: one that can lead our children to extraordinary trajectories, increased success, and lifelong happiness.
Additional parenting books for military families are found HERE
Fighter Pilot Parent: Leading Your Kids with Lessons from the Cockpit
Author: Rachel Robertson
This popular journal guides military spouses, fiancées, partners, or special friends through the emotional journey of a loved one s deployment, from getting ready to homecoming. Offers encouragement and perspective, with plenty of blank pages for personal creative expression.
The beautiful botanical design of this third edition evokes thoughts of growth, hopefulness, and progress through the days of deployment. Sewn teal-blue hardcover with yellow ribbon.
New and enhanced features include:
- Gentle writing prompts
- Encouraging quotes
- Practical ideas and tips
- Variety of page formats
- Log to record special moments
Additional military deployment journals are found HERE
Deployment Journal for Spouses (3rd Edition)
Authors: Johanna and Daniel Gomez
The Adventures of a Military Brat: The Big Move is the second book of the children's book series The Adventures of a Military Brat. Ride along with a courageous young girl as she faces the challenges of a military family move. Learn how she says goodbye to friends, cherishes favorite memories, and prepares for her new home, all while delivering a touching message of hope and optimism. The Big Move shows how a military family uses positive coping techniques to prepare for an upcoming move.
The Adventures of a Military Brat book series is specifically designed to meet the needs of children growing up in military families. Each book will identify unique experiences and challenges a military lifestyle brings; such as reuniting with deployed parents, moving, and making new friends. The characters of this series emphasize positive messages and take readers on a journey that is familiar to every military child.
View the entire list of military move children's books HERE
The Adventures of a Military Brat: The Big Move
Author: Juanda Bryant
Sequel to the first Mini Adventures of Danny and the Deployer book, in Operation Care Package, Dad is now deployed and another adventure begins.
Danny and the Deployer have to put together a care package. What is in the care package? Why is it classified?
Meet Danny’s new friends and join in with them on this adventure!
View the entire list of books for children with a deployed parent HERE
The Mini Adventures of Danny the Deployer: Operation Care Package
Author: Dominique James, Ed.D.
Nothing is the same when a parent has to leave home for a while. See how things are different for these military kids when their dad goes on deployment.
View the entire list of books for children with a deployed parent HERE
When You Are Away
Author: Tyler Benson
The Chicago to Mackinac Island sailboat race has entered the final mile of their 333 mile journey, but they're in trouble. An overnight weather shift is causing high gusts and huge waves. More than 350 sailboats are trying to make it to the finish line in the Round Island Passage. The Coast Guard is on high alert, but Onyx's puppies, Search and Rescue, are rambunctious and creating a distraction on the response boat. The puppies are still in training and haven't learned to stay calm and listen to commands like Onyx does. But when the crew needs assistance locating and rescuing the drifting sailor, Search and Rescue prove that they can truly live up to their names.
View the entire list of children's books about the U.S. Coast Guard HERE
The Adventures of Onyx and the Race to Mackinac
Author: Nicole Burch
With an engaging tone to the writing, and illustrations done in a colorful and detailed style, this book is sure to become a pre-deployment favorite for children of all ages and will help reassure them that their veteran will miss them immensely while they are away.
View the entire list of books for military kids experiencing a military deployment HERE
If I Were Deployed
Author: Gayle Krause
A young boy and his soldier dad share special moments by looking at the moon each night. But when Dad comes home a wounded warrior, his son discovers it’s the power of love that kept them connected all along, and he plays a major part in his father’s recovery.
View the entire list of books for military kids experiencing an injured military service member HERE
Daddy, Can You See the Moon?
Author: Soldier Mom
While You Were Away: Deployment sketchbook for children, great place for drawing, doodling, sketching and a safe place for expressing feelings during a deployment
This sketchbook is great for young children to draw pictures and express themselves while a parent is deployed. Large space for a drawing, lots of room to tell a story. Save this sketchbook to give to the deployed parent once they return. Grab one for your little one or give it as the perfect gift!
View the entire list of deployment journals for military families HERE
While You Were Away
Author: Julie Dueker
Because of You Old Glory Flies is a collection of heartfelt poems and illustrations to say thank you to all who have served, or currently serve in the United States military. In creating this book, Julie Dueker and Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II, a.k.a. The Freedom Rock Painter, have combined their unique talents and passions for God and country to show America's heroes we are forever in their debt. They pray this book touches the hearts and lives of those who open it and share it.
View the entire list of books celebrating military veterans (Veterans Day books) HERE
Because of You Old Glory Flies: Poems of Gratitude for Our U.S. Military and Veterans
Author: Kathy Woodbury
Our children progress from babies to adults in the blink of an eye, and we as parents are left wondering, "How did that happen?" With humor and biblical insights harvested from years of military travel, ministry, and raising two boys, author Kathy Woodbury reveals candid truths she has captured during the process of cultivating babies to adults. From a transparent glimpse of life in an imperfect family, readers are able to identify with this entertaining question: How Did They Get Taller Than Me? Each chapter proposes delightful and biblical encouragement in the formation of baby to adult. We study our children, we enjoy our children, we fight for our children, and we give our children to the One who knows HOW to make them who they are to be. In the end, our faith answers the question: How Did They Get Taller Than Me?
Additional books helpful for military parenting are found HERE
Additional stories about military spouses are found HERE
How Did They Get Taller Than Me?
More BEST new books for military families!
Author: Renee Nickell
A compelling memoir about a sister who embarks on a journey to seek purpose when her world crashes down after her Marine aviator brother is tragically killed on a ground mission in Afghanistan.
When Renee's brother, a Marine Corps aviator, is tragically killed in action, she quickly realizes that siblings are often the "forgotten mourners," fighting through PTSD with virtually no support or community. As a result, Renee shares her honest, raw, and at times, gut-wrenching account of what it is like losing a brother to war, while giving others an inside glimpse into the devastation a military family endures for the cost of freedom.
Always My Hero takes you on a nostalgic journey through their childhood and Sam's sacrifice. This extraordinary memoir will have you laughing one moment and moved to tears the next. Get to know Sam and the amazing Marine he was through the eyes of his sister and fellow servicemen. Discover how to exchange sorrow for strength, to crawl out of the trenches of despair and finally find...hope.
Additional books for and about Gold Star families are found HERE
Always My Hero: A Sister's Inspiring Story of Love, Sacrifice, and Hope
Authors: Christina and Jodi
Military Spouse Adult Coloring Book: Hand-Designed Mandalas, USA Flag, Inspirational Sayings and Bible Verses
Support your military families with our hand-designed coloring book by Christina & Jodi.
Our military spouse adult coloring book is a great way to encourage your husband, wife, friend or family member. We included a variety of military hand designs such as the American Flag, Combat Boots, Mandalas, Dog Tags, plus Bible Verses and Inspirational Words.
You will love this book to help you relax, encourage, inspire and see where your creativity will take you.
Features:
- Special coloring pages. Every page is uplifting and encouraging which will allow you to relax while your spouse or loved one is deployed or even sitting right next to you.
- Beautiful Hand Designed Art. 24 duplicated hand-drawn pictures, 12 for you to color and if you wish 12 to share with a loved one. Add Your Splash of Color and Creativity!
- Single sided pages. No bleed through coloring with our black-backed pages.
Additional books to encourage military spouses are found HERE
Military Spouse Adult Coloring Book
Author: Caroline Johnson
A fresh, unique insider’s view of what it’s like to be a woman aviator in today’s US Navy―from pedicures to parachutes, friendship to firefights.
Caroline Johnson was an unlikely aviation candidate. A tall blonde debutante from Colorado, she could have just as easily gone into fashion or filmmaking, and yet she went on to become an F/A-18 Super Hornet Weapons System Officer. She was one of the first women to fly a combat mission over Iraq since 2011, and one of the first women to drop bombs on ISIS.
Jet Girl tells the remarkable story of the women fighting at the forefront in a military system that allows them to reach the highest peaks, and yet is in many respects still a fraternity. Johnson offers an insider’s view on the fascinating, thrilling, dangerous and, at times, glamorous world of being a naval aviator.
This is a coming-of age story about a young college-aged woman who draws strength from a tight knit group of friends, called the Jet Girls, and struggles with all the ordinary problems of life: love, work, catty housewives, father figures, make-up, wardrobe, not to mention being put into harm’s way daily with terrorist groups such as ISIS and world powers such as Russia and Iran.
Some of the most memorable parts of the book are about real life in training, in the air and in combat―how do you deal with having to pee in a cockpit the size of a bumper car going 600 miles an hour?
Not just a memoir, this book also aims to change the conversation and to inspire and attract the next generation of men and women who are tempted to explore a life of adventure and service.
Additional books about women veterans are found HERE
Jet Girl: My Life in War, Peace, and Cockpit of the Navy's Most Lethal Aircraft, the F/A-18 Super Hornet
Author: Becky King
In I’ll Lend You My Daddy, young boys and girls find ways to manage their feelings about deployment (from goodbyes, to the first night, to missed birthdays) as they eagerly await their fathers’ return. Through the support of family and friends, care packages, and calls, these children grow strong with the knowledge of what it means to serve, generating pride from within, that makes glorious reunions all the more sweet by book’s end.
I'll lend you my daddy.
He works for us all.
He keeps the world safe
And answers our call.
- Makes a wonderful book for discussion with military children who have difficulties sorting through their emotions such as sadness, fear, or separation anxiety
- Provides a source of connection for military children with deployed family members to the greater universe of families who go through a similar experience
- Reflects children from diverse families with touching illustrations from the talented Valerie Valdivia in a 32-page full-color picture book format
- An ideal gift for families with young children, preparing for deployment for the first time and during deployment
- A valuable tool for teachers and educators who encourage appreciation for our nation’s armed forces and also for the children of those families who make sacrifices every day of the year, including birthdays, Independence Day, Veteran’s Day, and Memorial Day, and other holidays of remembrance and appreciation
- The simple rhyming verse makes for an excellent read-aloud or read-together that is sure to please young listeners and readers
A heartwarming story of love, courage, and comfort during deployment for military families with the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.
For kids ages 4-8.
View the entire list of books for military kids experiencing a military deployment HERE
I'll Lend You My Daddy
Author: Duane K. L. France, LPC
When a service member leaves the military, they are leaving a unique way of life. Whether it’s the early mornings, the time away from family, or simply the connection to other service members, the daily life of someone who served in the military is not common to those who never served. By any definition of culture, the military is a separate sub-culture: it has its own way of dress, of transmitting information from one generation to another, its own unique characteristics that define the lifestyle. Leaving that culture can be challenging.
This book is the third compilation of articles written by Duane France, a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor. With his blend of lived experience and clinical training, this book explores the need to undergo a psychological transition from one phase of life to another. Whether a service member is carrying the impact of past experiences, currently undergoing transition and change, or are trying to establish who they will become, Military in the Rear View Mirror can help service members, veterans, their families, and those who support them understand more about the military mindset.
Additional books regarding this topic are found HERE
Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life
Author: Patricia A. Campbell, M.Div., M.S.
Young Tiba the elephant has a lot of emotions and isn't always sure what do with them, especially when those emotions are related to loss. One day, Tiba loses a favorite hat--a reminder of a friend who moved away. Tiba becomes upset and has trouble thinking clearly. It feels like there's a whole bee's nest inside Tiba's chest. This is grief, and it happens often.
When Tiba experiences failure at school, the same negative emotions intrude. Tiba wallows in anger and sadness, but there are ways to heal even the deepest emotional wounds. It's important for young elephants to talk about their emotions and learn from loss. Sometimes, it's helpful to just look at pictures of the ones we miss--but always be open to healing.
Today, young people experience incredible pressure brought about by multiple losses in their lives and around them. More than ever, they need guidance in creating a language to express themselves and begin to cope in healthy ways. Adults also need direction in guiding youth. Sometimes It Takes an Elephant is a unique guide that allows adults to engage children about grief in an entertaining, playful way. Together, parents and children can learn to express difficult emotions and ask difficult questions.
View the entire list of books for military kids experiencing loss HERE
Sometimes It Takes an Elephant
Author: Erin Morris
Ever wonder what a soldier actually does? Why does he dress that way? Could I be a soldier one day? Private First Class Sam Smith is a soldier in the U.S. Army. Come along with Sam as he tells all about what its like to live, work, and (even) relax like a soldier.
View the entire list of children's books about the U.S. military HERE
Who is Sam the Soldier?
Author: Ann Crossley with Ginger Perkins, www.armyspousehandbook.com
- A comprehensive, easy-to-read resource for Army Spouses
- The Army Spouse Handbook will help you be the best Army Spouse you can be
- Army culture distilled for today's Army Spouses
- A resource for all Army Spouses — privates' Spouses to generals' Spouses
- The Army Wife Handbook updated for today's Army
The Army Spouse Handbook: A Necessary Guide for any Army Spouse
Author: Planting Roots
Bloom where you’re planted. Great advice. But what does that even mean? What does the Bible say about flourishing? Jesus said he came to give us abundant life. More and better life than we have ever dreamed of. As military women who are constantly uprooted, we don’t always experience this. At some duty stations, we flourish. At others, we struggle to survive. Flourish Wherever the Military Sends You will help you experience abundant life wherever you are planted. Based on solid principles from the word of God, this study of Psalm 92 will teach you:
- How to show gratitude when all you want to do is complain
- How to praise God for who he is, not just what he does
- How to spend time in God’s presence even when life is hard
- How to love others when military life stresses you out and wears you down
The Bible teaches us how to thrive. Join us on a journey through Psalm 92 and begin to live the flourishing life Jesus promised.
Additional Bible studies for military families are found HERE
Flourish Wherever the Military Sends You
New books about caring for the military community
Paws to Comfort: An Everyday Guide to Learning How You Can Help Mend Our Disconnected World
Authors: Jen Marr with Skye Quinn
You've been there. You rush into the grocery store and head down the bread aisle right into someone you know has cancer. The executive that just lost his job. The acquaintance whose brother recently died by suicide.
You don't know what to say to them. You feel anxious. You want to do the right thing and do something to help but what if you make them cry? What if you make it worse?
Our intentions are good, but our skills are woefully underdeveloped. Never has there been a time that calls for learning how to comfort more. Despite our 24/7 technology, we struggle to navigate the turbulent waters of an increasingly divided, isolated and disconnected world as we see escalating anxiety, depression and suicide rates.
Searching for a solution, we found one close to home and close to our hearts. Dogs. Dogs are natural-born comfort givers. They instinctively know how to make us feel better.
This book is born of three core beliefs: that comfort is critical to mending our disconnected world, that comfort is a skill that can be re-learned and that we can learn a lot about comfort from dogs.
Resources for supporters of military and veteran families
- Practical insights in caring for
Military and veteran family resources
- Christian encouragement
- Deployment support for
- Downloads and printables
Operation We Are Here
Follow us on
resources
Authors: Adam Davis and Lt. Col. David Grossman
Together you can make it through anything
We live in a troubled society, and those maintaining order and justice are some of the most overworked, unappreciated, and underpaid. The nature of their jobs is stressful both personally and relationally.
Bulletproof Marriage is a 90-day devotional that applies biblical principles to support and strengthen the marriages of military members, law enforcement officers, and first responders. Each day includes a Bible verse, an inspirational reading, quick tips, action steps for both husband and wife, and a prayer.
Learn how to:
- transition smoothly from duty to home.
- resolve conflicts and develop healthy communication habits.
- manage lifestyle stressors and cultivate resilience.
- build trust and encourage intimacy.
Sometimes the greatest love is not to sacrifice your life but to live a life of sacrifice. Invite God to help you make your marriage bulletproof.
Additional books to encourage military marriages are found HERE
Bulletproof Marriage: A 90-Day Devotional
Author: Amanda Huffman
Women of the Military is a compilation of 28 stories of women who have started their path to military life, are currently serving, separated or retired. There are 4 stories from women in the process of joining, 14 stories from Air Force members, 8 stories from the Army, 1 from the Navy, and 1 from the Marine Corps. Women have served in the American military since as far back as the Revolutionary War. As years passed the role of women in the military has grown and changed. In 1948, women were allowed to serve in the US Military outside of war periods. During the Vietnam War, Cmd. Elizabeth Barrett was the first women to hold command in a combat zone. In 1976, the first woman attended a military academy. In 1998, female fighter pilots flew the first combat mission. And in 2016, after years of women serving in combat roles during Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom, all jobs were open to women in the military. There is such a rich history of women serving in the military. And while at one point in time most women served in the role of a nurse. Today, women are a part of every job. The role of women expanding military wasn’t by chance. Instead, it was from women proving over and over again that they were a valuable asset and could be used and relied on in the field of battle.
How do we know what happened beyond the highlights written in history books? I wanted to answer these questions so I started a journey. A journey to hear the stories of military women.
Today I host a podcast, Women of the Military, where I get to talk to women who have served in the military. But before the podcast, my interviews were back and forth on paper. I have put together these stories. Women who have served as far back as Vietnam and as current as those entering the military in 2018. Stories from women who have served in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to serve as a female in our military, you need to read this book.
Additional books about women veterans are found HERE
Women of the Military: A Compilation of Stories from American Women Service Members
Author: Sandy Hanna
Ignorance of Bliss tells the true story of ten-year-old Sandy, who moves with her American military family to Saigon, Vietnam, where her father, the Colonel, serves as a military advisor to the South Vietnamese Army.
In 1960s Saigon Sandy finds a world of crushing poverty and extraordinary beauty; a world of streets, villas, and brothels, where politics and intrigue reside between plot and counterplot. Blissfully living a life of French decadence, Sandy maneuvers between coups, spies, bombings, corruption, and scandal as she and her thirteen-year-old brother, Tom, run an illicit baby powder and Hershey bar business on the black market along with a life of school, scouts, dance parties, and movies at the underground theater.
But when the Colonel's Vietnamese counterpart, Colonel Le Van Sam, delivers and expose on the current ruling Diem regime, Sandy finds that her constant spying on her father's activities has brought her face to face with the reality of Vietnam and the anti-American sentiment that pervades it. This coming-of-age story takes place in a turbulent country striving for nationalism, giving the reader a stunning look into the life of military dependents living abroad and the underlying ignorance that surrounds a misunderstood time in history.
Additional books for and about military brats are found HERE
The Ignorance of Bliss: An American Kid in Saigon
Authors: Carlos R. Evans and Rosemarie Evans
A true story of hope and courage in the face of astonishing challenges
During his fourth deployment, US Marine Corps Sergeant Carlos Evans stepped on an IED--and the loss of both legs and his left hand was just the beginning of the struggle for his life.
For the next two years, he and his wife, Rosemarie, went through the rehabilitation process together. As a nurse and mother of two young children, Rosemarie was used to caring for people, but the task of taking care of her triple-amputee husband brought new challenges every day. In addition to his limb loss, Carlos faced PTSD and developed an addiction to painkillers. He was sure Rosemarie's life would be better without him--and that it might have been better if he hadn't survived at all.
But unlike the majority of marriages put under similar strain, Carlos and Rosemarie stayed together. With the help of family, friends, and--most importantly―a strong faith, they've built a solid marriage and discovered a ministry they never expected. By the hand of God, their story, which began in devastation, has turned into one that draws in and lifts up more people than either of them would ever have dreamed.
Not only will disabled veterans and their loved ones find help here, Carlos and Rosemarie's captivating journey also speaks to those who long for stronger marriages, care for loved ones with disabilities, or are facing a new normal in their own lives, small or large. It is a powerful resource for leaning on God in the midst of life's great difficulties--and for finding ways that, through faith, profound loss can bring incredible blessing.
Additional books for and about Wounded Warrior families are found HERE
Standing Together: The Inspirational Story of a Wounded Warrior and Enduring Love
Authors: Anthony Price and Keith Carey
In the summer of 2012, one man was introduced to the idea of our nation’s Gold Star Families in a very personal way.
Since that day, that one man has worked tirelessly to find a means and method to do anything to promote the honor of any Gold Star Family in the United States; even if it meant going to another country.
Born the ninth child in a family of thirteen, Anthony Price has never had it easy. And that may have been the ingredient needed to live out this story.
Yours, Very Sincerely and Respectfully is that story. Taking the closing line from Abraham Lincoln’s famous Bixby Letter, the title encapsulates the message in five words better than any other description.
The story laid out in this book tells everything. It tells you how it began. It tells you why Gold Star Families are important. It details the pitfalls of starting a charity, raising money, and the dangers of riding a motorcycle nearly twenty thousand miles to get the mission accomplished.
The story explains how someone with a dream, passion, and maybe an insane amount of stubbornness will win the day. Persistence will bring ideas to light more than any other ingredient.
Additional books for and about Gold Star families are found HERE
Yours, Very Sincerely And Respectfully: The True Story of the Gold Star Ride Foundation's 2018 Journey Across, Around and Through America, Honoring Gold Star Families
Author: Joanne Steen
A compassionate guide to help Gold Star parents cope with the grief and loss of their military son or daughter.
Author Joanne Steen tackles the subject that terrifies parents of military personnel―the death of their son or daughter on active duty. In short, easy-to-read chapters Gold Star parents find thoughtful explanations and trustworthy advice for coping with military grief. Steen weaves together realistic examples with voices of other Gold Star parents, connecting the readers to the wisdom of those parents who have walked in their shoes.
Chapters for relatives, friends, and professional service providers of Gold Star parents are also included, supplying them with what they need to know about military loss; what to expect in the parents; and best practices on what to say and ways to help support them. Gold Star parents will find a path to survive their life-changing loss and develop the resilience to move forward.
Joanne Steen has more than twenty years’ experience in the grief and loss field, with a specialty in military loss. She is a board-certified counselor, instructor, Gold Star widow, and the founder of Grief Solutions, a training company on grief, loss and resilience. Steen is also the coauthor of Military Widow: A Survival Guide (Naval Institute Press, 2006)
Additional books for and about Gold Star families are found HERE
We Regret to Inform You: A Survival Guide for Gold Star Parents and Those Who Support Them
Author: Kathryn Troutman
In the past, it's been tough for military spouses to establish their own careers. The federal government has stepped in to help. Just since 2017, the number of jobs specifically targeting military spouses has increased 70% on USAJOBS. This book, the only federal job guide for military spouses, is now updated with the latest winning strategies!
Additional military spouse employment books and resources are found HERE
The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses: For Federal Careers
(Ten Steps to a Federal Job)
Author: Bethany Patterson
Daddy's Submarine displayed with bright colors and beautiful pictures helps children understand the complex life of submarines and the hardships of submarine deployments.
View the entire list of books for military kids experiencing a military deployment HERE
Daddy's Submarine: The Life of Submarine Children
Authors: Johanna and Daniel Gomez
The Adventures of a Military Brat: My Military Life is the first book of the children's book series The Adventures of a Military Brat. Join a brave boy as he shares the challenges and opportunities of growing up as a military brat. Follow him as he reunites with his family, anticipates an upcoming move, adjusts to his father's recent return, makes new friends and shows pride demonstrating military traditions. My Military Life presents a perfect opportunity to share the unique culture of growing up in a military family with non-military children.
The Adventures of a Military Brat book series is specifically designed to meet the needs of children growing up in military families. Each book will identify unique experiences and challenges a military lifestyle brings; such as reuniting with deployed parents, moving, and making new friends. The characters of this series emphasize positive messages and take readers on a journey that is familiar to every military child.
View the entire list of children's books about the U.S. military and military family life HERE
The Adventures of a Military Brat: My Military Life
Author: Planting Roots
Whether you are a uniformed woman or a family member, military life can be challenging. Are you weary? Do you feel stuck? Does the noise of life or the pace of your military journey feel daunting? Perhaps you’re managing moment by moment, dreaming about the day or the place you’ll finally feel free from your burdens and free to live the life you always imagined. We have good news for you. Someday is today. Your promised land is exactly where you are right now. God’s promise of freedom for the believer is not conditional, nor is it an unattainable goal to which we persevere. Freedom is the abundant life graciously awarded to each of us every day, in every moment of every day.
Free to Be Brave features moments with God written by military women for military women. Like you, we juggle life on the move paired with the every day challenges of military life. Join us for daily devotions designed to remind you of God’s promise of freedom from weariness, fear, conflict and guilt. Discover the blessings when we live in Christ’s freedom to be brave, authentic, grateful, and expectant. Together let’s embrace our freedom and enjoy this military life!
Additional devotionals for military families are found HERE
Free to Be Brave: Moments with God for Military Life
