Photo of soldier moms breastfeeding their babies in full uniform goes viral

• Air Force veteran Tara Ruby was inspired to take the photo after hearing that Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas was getting a new nursing room 
• Ruby, who is now a photographer, wanted to decorate the walls with pictures of military moms breastfeeding their children
• Ten moms volunteered to be part of the shoot and received full approval from their commanding officers for the pictures
• Ruby posted one of the images on her Facebook on Friday, where it's been shared nearly 7,000 times  

A photograph of a group of soldiers breastfeeding their children in full uniform has gone viral as part of a campaign to 'normalize' feeding babies in the military.

The picture was the idea of Tara Ruby, who served in the Air Force from 1997 to 2001, when breastfeeding or pumping milk meant finding an empty office or bathroom.

So when Ruby, who is now a photographer, heard that Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, was opening a nursing room at its headquarters, she wanted to contribute in some way. 

This photograph of a group of soldiers breastfeeding their children in full uniform has gone viral as part of a campaign to normalize feeding babies in the military

She offered to take and donate photographs featuring military moms breastfeeding their children as a way to show support.

'Seeing a picture like that helps mothers understand they can be an active soldier and provide support to their children,' she told CNN.  

A photo on Breastfeeding in Combat Boots., a Facebook page set up by Robyn Roche-Paull

Ten active duty soldiers showed up in full uniform to shoot the photos. One of all them breastfeeding at the same time has been shared 7,000 times since Ruby posted it on her business's Facebook page. 

'Today I believe we made history,' Ruby wrote in the post. 'To my knowledge a group photo to show support of active duty military mommies nursing their little's has never been done before.

'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. Juggling the tasks and expectations of a soldier, plus providing for their own in the best way they possibly can, makes these ladies even stronger for it.' 

Ruby said she first posted the photograph Thursday night, but it was removed from her page, presumably by Facebook, which does not allow pictures of naked breasts on the site. So she posted it again. 

The photo has received heaps of praise from military moms, but there has also been criticism from people questioning whether the picture goes against any codes of conduct. 

This picture of an Air Force servicewoman breastfeeding her baby is on the Breastfeeding in Combat Boots Facebook page, which was set up by Robyn Roche-Paull

Several woman have shared photos of them feeding their babies while in uniform on Roche-Paull's page

In this picture a soldier discreetly uses a breast pump while with other troops 

This new mother also shared a photo of her pumping her breast milk while in combat gear

Meanwhile other moms are pictured breastfeeding their babies in soldiers' accommodation

Robyn Roche-Paull, the founder of Facebook page Breastfeeding in Combat Boots and author of a book by the same name, revealed that she had received a stream of hate mail after sharing the photo. 

The abuse was so much so that Roche-Paull announced that she would be taking a break from the page. 

However, Ruby wrote on Facebook that all of the mothers featured in the photos received approval from their commanding officers, and that the breastfeeding in their camo is not against the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 

She is also happy to see that, today, the Army is giving active duty mothers the support they need. 

'Sometimes, you hit a point in your military career where you have to choose between being a soldier a mother.' 

'And a photo like this helps mothers, so they don't have to choose.'   

Three soldiers are pictured enjoying their private nursing room at Fort Bliss in El Paso