To help protect military mothers like herself, Eva set out to change the laws in her home state of Kentucky. "I was floored because I really thought I would be protected. The Service Member Civil Relief Act protects us from our employers. If I get deployed and I come back, my employer has to give me my job back," she says. "They also protect our cell phone contracts ... but not our children."

Eva took action by aligning herself with the National Guard Association and legislation consultants who helped her draft a resolution. A state senator picked it up, and eventually, a law that protects military parents' rights in custody hearings passed.

This was a triumph for soldiers in Kentucky, but some states don't offer the same protection. "I did assist four other states in getting their laws changed," Eva says. "To date, there are 36 states that have changed their laws."