"What happens to our natural instinct, as a mother, to protect our child when he or she is ordered to one of the most dangerous places in the world? What gets us through the day? How do we survive?" Tracie Ciambotti Tracie's son, Josh, enlisted in the Army two days after he graduated from high school in 2005. Five months later he was on his way to Baghdad and the reality of war began to sink into the depths of Tracie's heart. She had no idea when or if she would ever see her son again. As the weeks passed, fear became the master of her days. Josh had received the best training in the world for his new job as a combat soldier with the United States Armed Forces, but Tracie had none for her role as the mother of a service member. While her son was fighting a war in Iraq, she was marching-unaware and unprepared-into her own battle at home. Battles of the Heart reminds us that freedom is not free. Every American needs to understand the sacrifices that military families endure for our freedom. Journey through two deployments and discover along with Tracie how to survive the challenges that military families face daily.