Juggling military service with family life can certainly be difficult - but not impossible.

Such is one of the main themes of Military Fly Moms - Sharing Memories, Building Legacies, Inspiring Hope.

The new book, written by former U.S. Navy pilot Linda Maloney, features interviews with 70 women who all shared the dual dream of becoming pilots - and mothers.

In interviewing these women, Maloney said that there were no surprises for her because she lived the same type of life. But, she said, there may be a few surprises for those who don't already know a military mother.

"I think the general population has an idea of what military women are like ... tough and career minded," Maloney said. "These are sharp and maternal women, who just really love being moms."

In some cases, as the book illustrates, some of the pilots have to make the choice to leave the military to focus on the needs of their families.

"Getting out is heartbreaking a lot of times, but it just gets too hard," Maloney said.

The author herself waited until she retired and was in her early 40s before having children. During her interviews, she found more and more female aviators who simply didn't want to put a family on hold for their careers. Maloney said that to make this work, the women had strong family involvement and support to help out with the children when duty called.

Despite sometimes limited options and negative public opinion over the last few decades, Maloney's book paints a portrait of women who put their families first, and are able to serve their country with honor.

"What makes a blue-collar girl from the middle of nowhere think she can fly for a living, live in exotic countries, and see the world pretty much on her own terms? I honestly do not know," said Navy pilot Karen Baetzel in an excerpt from the book. "My options after local college in 1978 seemed pretty predictable."

Maloney, a Bristol, R.I., resident is one of the first women in U.S. history to join a combat military flying squadron and is a retired military aviator. She is the recipient of numerous military awards, including the Distinguished Air Medal for combat. She was also awarded for flights flown over Southern Iraq in support of the no-fly zone during her deployment to the Arabian Gulf.

The pilot-turned-author entered the Navy in 1979 and after flying in several support squadrons, she transferred to a combat EA-6B fleet squadron -VAQ-135 - in November 1993, after the repeal of the women's combat exclusion law. She transitioned to the Navy's aerospace engineering and acquisition community in 2000 and retired from the Navy in 2004. Maloney will be appearing in October at the Seattle's Museum of Flight.
For more information about Maloney, her book and other military women, visit www.lindaheidmaloney.com or www.womenmilitaryaviators.com.