How does Paulsen describe his mother in the memoir, Eastern Sun, Winter Moon?

Paulsen's mother indulges in promiscuous behavior and alcoholism, both of which allow her to temporarily escape the problems common to military wives: fear, loneliness, and uncertainty. Although Gary clearly resents her weaknesses, he also admires his mother's strengths. She methodically nurses the mangled victims of a shark attack and unhesitatingly organizes at Okinawa a raid of the ship's pantry to give food to starving Japanese women and children. While she is sometimes emotionally removed from her son, at other crucial times she is close and supportive.