A photograph of a squad of 10 breastfeeding soldier moms in the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss in Texas has gone viral.
Tara Ruby, the photographer who organized the photo for display in a room for nursing mothers, said she was pleased by the response to the picture,
according to the Army Times.
She said when she asked for volunteers dressed in uniform breastfeeding their children, she had hoped to get two or three, but 10 turned out.
Ruby, a former active duty soldier, is married to a soldier assigned to the 1st Armored Division.
"Today I believe we made history," Ruby wrote on her
Facebook page. "To my knowledge a group photo to show support of active duty military mommies nursing their little's has never been done. It is so nice to see support for this here at Fort Bliss."
The photo has had more than 13,000 likes and nearly10,000 shares on Facebook since it was posted on Friday.
"I was active duty a long time ago when support for breastfeeding moms wasn't even an option or a consideration. We have come so far. Breastfeeding their babies doesn't make them less of a soldier, I believe it makes them a better one," said Ruby.
The Fort Bliss Public Affairs and Garrison Command signed off on the photo project and Ruby told
CNN she was particularly pleased with the support on base.
"I think it's great the Army is supporting active duty mothers," said Ruby. "Sometimes, you hit a point in your military career where you have to choose between being a soldier and a mother, and a photo like this helps mothers so they don't have to choose."
The nursing soldier photo also found support online.
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