For much of her adult life, Jennifer Mack has had two primary roles, as a single mother and as a member of the military. She and her daughter Whitney Cotten came to the StoryCorps mobile booth in Oklahoma City to talk about how sometimes those roles have conflicted, especially after a deployment in 2004, but also how those challenges have allowed Jennifer to pass on the value of strength and resiliency to her daughter.

This story was produced for KOSU by Rachel Hubbard and Dustin Drew, with interviews recorded at StoryCorps, a renowned nonprofit organization celebrating the stories of everyday Americans.

Thank you to Phillips Murrah law firm for sponsoring StoryCorps' visit to Oklahoma City.