FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: “My Mummy Is A Soldier” by Gerry Waters

“My Mummy Is A Soldier” is a book written specifically for young Armed Forces children to help them understand the deployment of their mummy.

Following the successful release of her first book My Daddy Is A Soldier in November 2008 and with public pressure from serving female soldiers “My Mummy Is A Soldier” will go on sale on May 25th 2009.

Gerry Waters is an Army person to the core. Brought up in an Army family, predominately in Germany, she married a soldier, as did her daughter Tana. Having always lived within the military community she accepted the deployments of first her father and then her husband. But when her granddaughter Shay started to ask questions about where her daddy was – during his tour of Afghanistan - Gerry started to ask herself if she was able to do anything to help young children deal with the difficulty of separation that is inevitable within a military family.

Her original picture book for her granddaughter Shay and the younger children of the army community showed simply that although daddy was going away and would be away for a while, he would come back again.  It has been an outstanding hit. “I can’t believe how well the book has been received both within our military environment and in the civilian world,” says Gerry “It’s been amazing.  The feedback has been incredible and has prompted me to put together the My Mummy book. I can count on one hand the welfare books available specifically for our community and am as yet unaware of any exclusively for mummy soldiers. I also wanted to redress the fact that female soldiers as the minority often feel they are over looked.”

This latest book in the series follows the same easy to read and photographic template of its predecessor My Daddy Is A Soldier .  The story is told in simple text and the main character tells you the story of her mother who is deployed on operations with the British Army.  The photographs focus on Sgt Bex Coates and her 3-year-old daughter Jessica who are stationed in Cyprus. The pictures are well composed with a military flavour and are recognizable to readers’ young and old alike making the book a joy for all ages to read.

The Afghan Appeal Fund will yet again benefit from the sales of the new book. President of the Afghan Appeal Fund Lady Caroline, wife of General Sir David Richards Chief of the General Staff designate says, “Following on the heels of the very popular book My Daddy Is A Soldier comes My Mummy Is A Soldier. Gerry Waters has once again found that magic formula of humour in the face of difficulties encountered by small children when their parents deploy. It helps them to come to terms with a situation beyond their comprehension - and gives them the comfort and reassurance in seeing that an absent loved one will always return - despite some tears in the short term.
 
I would also like to thank Gerry for supporting the Afghan Appeal Fund, which strives to help children in Afghanistan - who may not even have the opportunity of owning a small book like this to read with their parents at night. Our soldiers are in Afghanistan to help provide a better future, not just for Afghan children - but a safer world for all our children. Thank you Gerry - army wife and grandmother - congratulations!”

Comments from serving female soldiers who petitioned for the book:

“I truly believe that any book designed to help children understand the deployment of a parent is an excellent idea. However, it is important for me to remind people that it is not just fathers that deploy on ops.  I am a mother of 2 young boys and I am currently serving in Iraq. Despite the fact that serving mothers are becoming far less of an isolated occurrence, there is still very little support and advice aimed towards fathers left at home with young children.  Maybe a similar book could be produced to help service children understand when ‘mummy’ has to go away.”

“As a Female SSgt in the army, I think this book is an wonderful idea but however I’ve got a small boy and I think it’s not just the dads that go away it’s also the mums and I think it slips people’s mind that we have to deploy just like the dads and leave children behind.”

“What about the Mums? We are in the minority and as such often get criticised for being in the military with children anyway and even stranger looks when we say we are deploying. It’s even less acceptable in society for mums to leave their children for long spells and the nature of our roles as mothers make it really hard for the families back in the UK. I appreciate that ‘my parent is a soldier’ wouldn’t have the same ring to it, but how about ‘my mummy is a soldier’ too as there are actually quite a few of us out here on Op HERRICK and most of us would probably buy the book for our children back home!”

About The Afghan Appeal Fund

The Afghan Appeal Fund (AAF) is a registered charity started in 2006 by friends and family of the British soldiers serving in Afghanistan to raise awareness of the plight of the people of Afghanistan, particularly the children, and to raise funds to help them. The charity is run on a voluntary basis.

The AAF has funded a tented school in Kabul and a primary school in the North of Afghanistan. Further projects in the pipeline are to build and provide for two schools in other parts of Afghanistan.  More information can be found at www.afghanappealfund.org

To arrange interviews with the author please contact Mel on +44 7777 606 504 or email info@mymummyisasoldier.co.uk