On Mother’s Day, let me thank military mothers everywhere. I tried to explain what I owe my wife, Patty, the mother of our two children, in Marathon War:

“…Patty and I had two children, Ryan and Kelly, and tried hard to maintain a loving family. Moving frequently with too much time away in the field, on temporary duty, or on deployments made it a challenge, and Patty often had to be both mother and father.  The kids grew up strong, independent, and wise in the ways of the world…I was proud of my children, extraordinarily so. And what I felt for Patty I could never fully express. Intelligent, caring, and compassionate, Patty had moved some twenty-five times during my career, constantly uprooting her own career as a speech pathologist and educator in favor of my latest job and requisite new duty posting. She was always there for our kids, and became a leader in her own right, volunteering to lead family readiness groups and help army spouses and kids in need. She was the foundation of our family.”