Julie LaBelle has been making a difference in young children's lives for many years, with careers ranging from preschool teacher to practical nurse. But Julie's most challenging role was mothering her three young children during her Marine husband's deployments, and then years later standing by when their son enlisted and deployed with the Marines.

Julie wrote the activities in My Dad's Deployment and My Mom's Deployment with 20/20 hindsight. "These books are entirely based on things I should have done with my children, but didn't, during deployments," Julie says. Julie gets a do-over in life by sharing activities for young children that will be loved by parents and children alike as they face deployment together.

Her poem “Just Like You!” in Military Life: Stories and poems for children was inspired by her son, who grew up to be a Marine just like his dad. Their Marine neighbors were also good role models for how to play hard in the mud and get hosed off at the end of the day “Just Like You!”

Julie lives with her husband in Seattle.