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When former Air Force service member Tara Ruby was on active duty, she noticed an issue for the female soldiers: “Support for breastfeeding moms wasn’t even an option to consider,” she said on Facebook. She hoped to change that and came up with an interesting idea.
Progress in the Military
When Ruby was serving, she remembers having to find an empty bathroom or office to pump her milk; it was hard to find privacy. So she was excited to hear that a nursing room was being built in the headquarters of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Ruby decided the room’s walls needed some decorating. She had become a photographer after she finished serving and wanted to donate a photo to the room. She had a specific vision: a picture of military mothers breastfeeding. “I thought it was be nice to offer some photographs as an additional show of support,” she said. “Seeing a picture like that helps mothers understand they can be an active soldier and provide support to their children…Sometimes, you hit a point in your military career where you have to choose between being a soldier and a mother, and a photo like this helps mothers so they don’t have to choose. ” 10 women showed up for the shoot.
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The photo is making history
She posted the photo on Facebook, which has reached over 8,000 shares. The story has been picked up by several different media outlets as well.
“Today I believe we made history. To my knowledge a group photo to show support of active duty military mommies nursing their little’s has never been done,” Ruby said. “It is so nice to see support for this here at Fort Bliss. Through the guidance of my military friends, the Fort Bliss P3T Program and Breastfeeding in Combat Boots, our Garrison command and our Public Affairs, we were able to show that even our mommies in uniform can provide for their babies.”
She is taking a stand
The photo disappeared off of Facebook for an unknown reason. Ruby was not fazed and posted it again.
“I was active duty a long time ago when support for breastfeeding moms wasn’t even an option or a consideration. We have come so far. Breastfeeding their babies doesn’t make them less of a soldier, I believe it makes them a better one,” she said. “Juggling the tasks and expectations of a soldier, plus providing for their own in the best way they possibly can, makes these ladies even stronger for it. I want to say Thank You to everyone that saw my vision, and helped us in succeeding in making it come true. I am 100% for #normalizebreastfeeding. How about you?”
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