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"In early Spring 2013, three mothers met for lunch to talk about their experiences of having sons serving in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Sharing pictures of grandchildren and a few glasses of wine, we are made privy to the many ways they continue to support their children as well as the lessons learned on how to best manage their own fears - whether it's through Buddhist meditation or actively supporting returning soldiers." Warmamas

"In early Spring 2013, three mothers met for lunch to talk about their experiences of having sons serving in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Sharing pictures of grandchildren and a few glasses of wine, we are made privy to the many ways they continue to support their children as well as the lessons learned on how to best manage their own fears - whether it's through Buddhist meditation or actively supporting returning soldiers." - Warmamas

Warmamas is a project about a special group of mothers. They are the mothers of soldiers who serve - or have served - in our military in a time of war. The majority of these soldiers have been deployed to the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Most have returned home. Some have not. This project attempts to provide the mothers of these soldiers a public platform on which to tell their own stories, each narrative as unique as it is universal.

The StoryCorps-Warmamas Community Archive (2013-2015) is a collection of interviews with enlisted men and women, veterans, their family and friends. The collaboration between StoryCorps and Warmamasis part of StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative which serves as a platform to allow military families to share their experiences.  Warmamas also places a special emphasis on interviewing women whose children were deployed  to serve in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. As a repository for personal reflections on the ramifications  of war, the collection includes individual testimonies and helps to document American history.

Rose (a mother) explains how her son is 20 years younger than her daughter and was always close to her. They never discussed any aspect of the military even though her husband and brother were in the navy during the Vietnam war. Her son's decision to join the army came as a complete shock. She tried to convince him not to join the army but he was determined and became a combat engineer who dealt with explosives. He was injured during one of his missions in Afghanistan when a bomb exploded and was trapped under his vehicle going in and out of consciousness. He is blessed to be alive and has been able to continue doing his job. He did have injuries to two frontal lobes and lost some hearing. She is hoping that his injuries will improve with therapy but it's hard. She has had the support of her family and people from her school who always ask about her son.

Her son surprised her for Thanksgiving and gave her a pair of diamond earrings and necklace. Patrick, her son, was being deployed again and made a point to present his gift in person because he didn’t know if this was the last time he would be seeing his mom. She advises to be strong for your child and to send care packages. She also asked her daughter-in-law not to pressure Patrick into doing anything he doesn’t want to, to not ask about what happened when he was deployed. Patrick described a situation in which his life was almost taken by a missile. The interview is in English.

Queen’s son went into the military after receiving his associates’ degree and was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. When her son was deployed, his wife was pregnant and she gave birth to his first daughter; with the second child, he made sure he was there. The interview is in English.

Patricia says that it is a relief to know that someone else shares her burden and it is an immense support. She fears for her son’s life and she is more than glad to help out the troops, because she knows that it’s not just her son; each enlisted person is someone’s child. She withholds information from her daughter-in-law so that she won’t suffer like she did. She expresses the fear that the soldiers felt when the Taliban shut down a school and not even the lives of the children were guaranteed safe. The interview is in English.

Patricia recounts how she made sure her son did the proper research before deciding on a branch of the military. She explained how well he did after he joined. She even goes into some detail about basic training and technical training. Patricia then says how her son is a natural born leader and that he was promoted rapidly due to his devotion and skill. The interview is in English.

Patricia begins by talking about sending letters or at least a sentence or two everyday through email. She is upset at the people who insult the army. Patricia says that the soldiers are dying for those who insult the army, but acknowledges that people have the right voice their disagreement. Nevertheless, those that insult don’t realize the pain they are causing. She questions what causes these inflammatory comments. She lays her faith in Christ and uses her belief as a source of strength. Her son also shares his commitment to the Lord and the manner in which he asks God to help him live one more day. The interview is in English.

Mary comments that her sons weren’t brainwashed, but rather they were matured into “good men”. She got in contact with a prayer group of other families for soldiers. She says that the meditation vastly helped her out, especially during the years of Iraq. She advises others to have faith and hope for the best. She highlights the reality of not knowing if your child has died that day, especially if you don’t hear from them. All she can do is give her support. She shares how she paints in order to vent her emotions. The interview is in Spanish.