On September 11, 2001, I was called back into active duty with the United States Air Force. I was a Security Forces member with the Iowa Air National Guard. This set in motion a series of events that took me away from home several times during my activation. My daughter, two and a half at the time, had a very difficult time understanding why her mommy was going away and leaving her behind. In her little world, coping with something of this magnitude was foreign for her. Amazingly enough, at such a tender age she was more concerned with my welfare than she was with her own. She decided to send along with me her favorite doll, Baby Jeff, to keep me safe.

Baby Jeff and I ended up doing a tour together in the desert. I took many pictures of her on post with me so I would have something to share with my little one when I got home. As my activation ended, the pictures went in a photo album and things slowly returned to normal.

My daughter is now in school and part of her school activities involve "show and tell." As I was tucking her in one night, she reminded me that the following morning was her turn. Shear panic set in and the hunt started for the cool "show and tell" that she so desperately wanted. I happened to spot Baby Jeff and suggested she take her. We decided to send the pictures and write out the story of how Baby Jeff ended up in the desert. Her teacher sent her and the story to the principal's office. The principal called me and left me a message stating that I should consider publishing the book. Well, the rest is history...