Jul 5, 2026 · 41 min
The Heart of a Soldier’s Child: Celebrating Military Kids and Community with Sara Ashley returns to the Ruck Up Buttercup podcast after a break due to solo parenting and military life challenges and welcomes Sara, a Deployed Love volunteer and Fort Benning school liaison officer. Sarah shares her family’s connection to the military through her husband’s DoD fire service career and her experience teaching in Vicenza, Italy, highlighting how military school programs and youth sponsorship help kids acclimate, build resilience, and form lasting bonds. The conversation emphasizes the unique strengths of military children, the importance of community for families, and encouraging kids to “shoot your shot.” Sarah announces her new children’s book, “The Heart of a Soldier’s Child,” written in poetic stanzas and illustrated by her former military-student artist; it releases July 4 on Amazon, with a portion of proceeds donated to Deployed Love. 00:00 Welcome Back Update 00:32 Meet Sara Volunteer 01:22 Sara Military Journey 02:44 School Liaison Connection 07:04 Why Military Kids Thrive 08:26 Resentment To Gratitude 09:35 Cliques And Belonging 12:35 Skills For Life After PCS 16:39 Freedom STEM Spotlight 19:05 Shoot Your Shot Advice 20:58 Social Media Connections 21:23 Inspiration in Italy 22:42 Finding the Illustrator 23:29 Crafting a Classic Look 26:21 Book Release and Why It Matters 31:11 Giving Back to Deployed Love 31:48 Advice for Parents and Kids 38:23 Dedication and Farewell Follow Sarah here Website: https://authorsarahwest.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wisemanpublishinghouse Find us or reach out here: Website: www.deployedlove.org/podcast Facebook: www.facebook.com/ruckupbuttercup Instagram: www.instagram.com/ruckupbuttercuppodcast Email: ashleybrown@deployedlove.org