The USO Remembers the Sacrifice of Military Moms on Mother’s Day: ‘We Are in This Together’

(Illustration - Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Mother’s Day is a chance for all families to honor their matriarchs. It is also a chance for the nation to tip their hats to the mothers of American military service members.

One military mom was inspired by her son’s service to give back rather than receive.

Brandi Elias, from California, is a mother to Duncan, a member of the U.S. Navy. The proud mother is also Inland Empire Center Operations Supervisor for the Bob Hope USO team in California.

As of May 2020, 20-year-old Duncan is planning imminent deployment on a Navy warship as a Quartermaster Sailor Apprentice (QMSA), and Brandi is preparing herself for the family’s separation.

“Being a military mom is not for the weak-hearted,” Brandi said, according to United Service Organizations. “Honestly, it is totally normal to begin to cry when you walk into your absent child’s bedroom or burst into tears when a certain song comes on the radio.”

“It’s totally normal and you’re not crazy,” she further added, for the benefit of military moms everywhere who are raising America’s heroes. “We are in this together.”

Brandi herself comes from a long line of military servicemen. Both her father and stepfather are veterans—of the Army and Marine Corps respectively—whilst both of her grandfathers served in the Army during the Second World War. It had been a lifelong dream of Duncan’s, said Brandi, to follow in his family members’ footsteps.

Brandi joined the Bob Hope USO team as a volunteer when Duncan enlisted in the Navy in August 2018. The mother of two young men soon found solace in the shared experiences of her colleagues at USO.

According to data from the U.S Council on Foreign Relations, in 2018, the active component of the U.S. military comprises just under 1.29 million people. Thus Brandi’s demographic—military parents—is a sizeable one.

The military mom, missing her son after he enlisted in the military and departed to boot camp, soon found that taking care of other people’s children at Bob Hope USO was a therapeutic endeavor.

According to USO, Brandi even offered to cover night shifts during Integrated Training Exercises, during days when planes full of troops would arrive at different hours at night, further deepening her understanding of military life and strengthening her connection to her family.

After having the opportunity of providing service to members of the military when they were exhausted and in the most vulnerable times, in January 2020, Brandi made the decision to switch from being a volunteer to being an official Bob Hope USO staff member.

Bob Hope USO, founded in honor of the late American entertainer and philanthropist, provides USO services at six centers across California. According to the organization’s website, Hope performed his first USO show in Riverside, California, on May 6, 1941; his dedication to the troops spanned almost six decades before he passed away on July 27, 2003.

In addition to recognizing military moms on Mother’s Day, Bob Hope USO hailed the month of May 2020 as “Military Appreciation Month.” Staff encouraged their social media followers to “give thanks to our military heroes, especially as they combat COVID-19,” posting on Facebook on May 2.

Additionally, on Mother’s Day itself, Bob Hope USO posted another special message for military moms everywhere. “Happy Mother’s Day! And a special thank you to all military moms, including our very own Brandi Elias,” they posted on Facebook.

“[S]he, like all military moms, have shaped our nation’s heroes,” they further wrote.

Brandi acknowledged that she may spend future Mother’s Days, holidays, and birthdays without her son, Duncan, and expressed solidarity with other mothers missing their service member children in the same way.

“Support groups help,” Brandi reflected, speaking to USO. “For each branch of the service, you can find military mom groups on Facebook; lean on them and just know that you are not alone.”