Meet three amazing women. Far from ordinary, in charge of kids, kitchen, homework and everything in between. They sacrifice their lives to give birth and their time to raise families. I met them at Fort Jackson and asked what happens when mom deploys or is reassigned to a new Army post. I struggle to find the words to describe what I learned. Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. Motherhood as a soldier takes on an entirely new meaning. It requires courage and unwavering strength.

Jamila Smith

Meet Jamila Smith, a Sergeant Major with 3 children. She is confident, honest and unafraid to admit the truth. She speaks confidently with me. “The scariest thing is when you move to another location,” she said. “The childcare plan begins all over.” She relied on her grandmother to care for her then 1 year old. On assignment for 39 months to Italy she said her child did not know her when she returned. She was later deployed to combat zone in Afghanistan leaving her child again in the care of a relative. Her greatest challenge was giving birth to her 2nd child, a preemie. “The Army doesn’t have regulations for this and I had to leave my child 2 hours away.” She credits her Army family and her faith for getting her through.

Heidi Patrick

Heidi Patrick, a captain and a new mom, sees up to 500 new recruits a week as they prepare to enter basic training. She joined the Army in 2008 because she said she needed a change and had a strong pull towards strong women. Infant Theodore is 9 months old. Heidi’s husband has primary duty of childcare. “I don’t know how people do it with both parents working.” Even though her husband cares for Theodore, she misses her baby. When asked what was easier, basic training or motherhood, both said basic training was simple. “In basic training you are told everything and you just do it.” Motherhood is entirely different. Jamila and Heidi, both at different stages of motherhood, had similar concerns. “Losing weight, balancing work duties and motherhood while trying to get back in shape to meet military requirements creates a lot of pressure and stress.” Heidi will be deployed every 18 to 24 months for 9 to 12 months at a time.

Madonna Soriano

Major Madonna Soriano, a 20 year member of the U.S. Army is mom to a 2-year-old girl. She entered the military for educational benefits. “I didn’t want to be a broke student,” she said, She works for U.S. Army recruiting Battalion Columbia. She told me life before motherhood was a lot more flexible. “We are soldiers 24 hours a day. We do not clock out.” Madonna was dedicated to her job before giving birth. “Your priorities are clear when you add a baby to your life in military,” she said. After speaking with each woman, I realized something profound. Each had entered the Army for different reasons, their struggles were of varying degrees, but one thing remained consistent: each has quiet courage, unwavering strength and fierce dedication to family, the military and their own personal goals. This was a blessing for me to be able to see first hand and to be in the presence of such strong focused women.