Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby

[pauldun170]

Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby
By RUSS BYNUM, AP Military Writer Russ Bynum, Ap Military Writer Mon Nov 16, 9:32 pm ET

SAVANNAH, Ga. – An Army cook and single mom may face criminal charges after she skipped her deployment flight to Afghanistan because, she said, no one was available to care for her infant son while she was overseas.

Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, claims she had no choice but to refuse deployment orders because the only family she had to care for her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task, already caring for three other relatives with health problems.

Her civilian attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said Monday that one of Hutchinson's superiors told her she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care.

"For her it was like, 'I couldn't abandon my child,'" Sussman said. "She was really afraid of what would happen, that if she showed up they would send her to Afghanistan anyway and put her son with child protective services."

Hutchinson, who is from Oakland, Calif., remained confined Monday to the boundaries of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, 10 days after military police arrested her for skipping her unit's flight. No charges have been filed, but a spokesman for the Army post said commanders were investigating.

Kevin Larson, a spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield, said he didn't know what Hutchinson was told by her commanders, but he said the Army would not deploy a single parent who had nobody to care for his or her child.

"I don't know what transpired and the investigation will get to the bottom of it," Larson said. "If she would have come to the deployment terminal with her child, there's no question she would not have been deployed."

Hutchinson's son, Kamani, was placed into custody overnight with a daycare provider on the Army post after she was arrested and jailed briefly, Larson said. Hutchinson's mother picked up the child a week ago and took him back to her home in California.

Hutchinson, who's assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, joined the Army in 2007 and had no previous deployments, Sussman said. She said Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with the father.

The Army requires all single-parent soldiers to submit a care plan for dependent children before they can deploy to a combat zone.

Hutchinson had such a plan — her mother, Angelique Hughes, had agreed to care for the boy. Hughes said Monday she kept the boy for about two weeks in October before deciding she couldn't keep him for a full year.

Hughes said she's already having to care for her ailing mother and sister, as well as a daughter with special needs. She also runs a daycare center at her home, keeping about 14 children during the day.

"This is an infant, and they require 24-hour care," Hughes said. "It was very, very stressful, just too much for me to deal with."

Hughes said she returned Kamani to his mother in Georgia a few days before her scheduled deployment Nov. 5.

She said they told her daughter's commanders they needed more time to find another family member or close friend to help Hughes care for the boy, but Hutchinson was ordered to deploy on schedule.

Larson, the Army post spokesman, said officials planned to keep Hutchinson in Georgia as investigators gathered facts about the case.

"Spc. Hutchinson's deployment is halted," Larson said. "There will be no deployment while this situation is ongoing."

___

Russ Bynum has covered the military based in Georgia since 2001.

[wildchild]

then she should pay back all the pay she has recieved fraudelently since her enlistment. the job entails going overseas if you can't do it don't take the money. too many people join for three hots and a cot, then when it's time to do their job they want to run and hide. BS.

[Homeslice]

Maybe people should think first before having a child?

[karl_1052]

then she should pay back all the pay she has recieved fraudelently since her enlistment. the job entails going overseas if you can't do it don't take the money. too many people join for three hots and a cot, then when it's time to do their job they want to run and hide. BS.

Truth!

[tommymac]

Maybe people should think first before having a child?

If they did brooklyns population would be cut in half :lol:

I say sucks to be her, it snot like its a regular job and they were shipping you out. You took an oath to make that commitment so live up to it.

Tom

[the chi]

But the bigger question here is, whats the REAL Story?

Granted all you guys speak truth, she shouldnt have signed up or had a kid if she couldnt meet her commitment, but no military division is going to ship you off if there is no other care taker for your kid.

People who run into that issue just arent shipped off. Shoot, I know married military members who get out of orders because their kid has asthma and "needs" both parents because of the "special" need. Im calling BS on her story.

[CrazyKell]

But the bigger question here is, whats the REAL Story?

Granted all you guys speak truth, she shouldnt have signed up or had a kid if she couldnt meet her commitment, but no military division is going to ship you off if there is no other care taker for your kid.

People who run into that issue just arent shipped off. Shoot, I know married military members who get out of orders because their kid has asthma and "needs" both parents because of the "special" need. Im calling BS on her story.

Exactly. But using logic to think about the "real" story is frowned upon around these parts. :whatwhat:

[the chi]

Exactly. But using logic to think about the "real" story is frowned upon around these parts. :whatwhat:

EEK! I forgot! :lol:

[Cutty72]

All she has to do is put in for a Hardship, and she won't have to go on the deployment.
We had quite a few people put in for hardships before we got deployed. We have also had a couple sent home because of hardships that have come up since we left.

Sometimes things happen in life that you have no control over that warrant a hardship. If you are able to put in a hardship every time your unit gets deployed for a 20+ year career, you probably shouldn't have joined.

[Cruzergirl]

The way I read it, she had a plan for her child but that situation fell through 5 days before the deployment.

Seems to me she did everything right. What is done is done, she has a child, I'm not going to judge her for that...who hasn't made a mistake, trusted the wrong guy, not been exactly religious about birth control (hell, the pill is only 97% effective).

Cut the girl some slack.

Maybe, just maybe, the Army was, perhaps, not quite so flexible or willing to help this person out.

But hell, let's all rush to judgement...

[the chi]

All she has to do is put in for a Hardship, and she won't have to go on the deployment.
We had quite a few people put in for hardships before we got deployed. We have also had a couple sent home because of hardships that have come up since we left.

Sometimes things happen in life that you have no control over that warrant a hardship. If you are able to put in a hardship every time your unit gets deployed for a 20+ year career, you probably shouldn't have joined.

:clap: Thats what Im talking about. The timing of her mother bringing the child home is just so coincidentally a week before she is supposed to leave...Im thinking she just didnt want to go.

And you'd THINK, with free health care, she'd know how to not get knocked up.

[Rider]

Tough fucking shit. Give her a dishonorable discharge and send her out on her ass. Having a baby IS a choice and she chose to violate the terms of her enlistment. See ya in the unemployment line, bitch!

[the chi]

The way I read it, she had a plan for her child but that situation fell through 5 days before the deployment.

Seems to me she did everything right. What is done is done, she has a child, I'm not going to judge her for that...who hasn't made a mistake, trusted the wrong guy, not been exactly religious about birth control (hell, the pill is only 97% effective).

Cut the girl some slack.

Maybe, just maybe, the Army was, perhaps, not quite so flexible or willing to help this person out.

But hell, let's all rush to judgement...

I applaud your kind thoughts. I've spent pretty much my entire life with half my family in the military, with tons of kids, single parents and being married to military, it just doesnt happen. No commander would tell you to put your kid in foster care for a deployment.

[Cruzergirl]

Tough fucking shit. Give her a dishonorable discharge and send her out on her ass. Having a baby IS a choice and she chose to violate the terms of her enlistment. See ya in the unemployment line, bitch!

Wow. Just Wow.

[Cutty72]

Tough fucking shit. Give her a dishonorable discharge and send her out on her ass. Having a baby IS a choice and she chose to violate the terms of her enlistment. See ya in the unemployment line, bitch!

That is a bit extreme...

[Cruzergirl]

I applaud your kind thoughts. I've spent pretty much my entire life with half my family in the military, with tons of kids, single parents and being married to military, it just doesnt happen. No commander would tell you to put your kid in foster care for a deployment.

Thanks!

I have been in the military for over 22 years. All I'm saying is that to me it looks like she doesn't deserve what she's getting.

And I don't know about that last thing about the foster care. I've met some pretty shitty officers who couldn't give a crap less about anyone but themselves. :lol:

But yeah, most of the parents I know in the military both find a way to make it work and sometimes do not. Just depends on the family and the person. Hard for ME to make that call about someone.

[tommymac]

Tough fucking shit. Give her a dishonorable discharge and send her out on her ass. Having a baby IS a choice and she chose to violate the terms of her enlistment. See ya in the unemployment line, bitch!


But then we all have ot pay for her by her going on welfare and medicaid.

Tom

[Rider]

That is a bit extreme...

Yeah the dishonorable might be a tad extreme, but so is Dereliction of Duty, Failure to Obey a Commanding Officer and AWOL all for not showing up at her assigned duty station.

[Rider]

But then we all have ot pay for her by her going on welfare and medicaid.

Tom

We'd be paying for her NOT to serve our country if she stayed in so either way we are paying.

[the chi]

Thanks!

I have been in the military for over 22 years. All I'm saying is that to me it looks like she doesn't deserve what she's getting.

And I don't know about that last thing about the foster care. I've met some pretty shitty officers who couldn't give a crap less about anyone but themselves. :lol:

But yeah, most of the parents I know in the military both find a way to make it work and sometimes do not. Just depends on the family and the person. Hard for ME to make that call about someone.

I didnt know you were in the military, explains Pcola tho!!

I hear ya about the officers, I've met a few myself that might try something like that, but theres no way they could actually get away with it.

If this girl wasnt properly informed, she should have taken steps before basically going AWOL. She knew enough to get her mom as guardian, which leads me to think she really just didnt want to go and is trying to use this as an excuse. The timing of her mom bringing the baby back 5 days before she leaves doesnt add up either, especially if the woman runs a daycare servicing 14 kids plus caretaking for others.

[wildchild]

guess that's one way to bump up the Army's enlistment numbers. as soon as people realize they don't have to go to war to get the money. just get pregnant, or have a "hardship" then you get your 3 hots and never do your job. Hell yeah prolly a bunch of people signing up then.

she already is on welfare if she is drawing a check but not willing to do her job. just really good welfare. with a great retirement plan if she can draw it out that long.

[CrazyKell]

What if she's a widow?

Would any of the views change?

No, that'd be too easy. Let's all rag on her for being a single mom because obviously single moms are terrible slutty whores who are too stupid to use birth control. :rolleyes:

Something is fishy about her story. But as usual, the naysayers want to put her down and get on their soap box about whatever it is they get on their soap box about.

I don't know what happened....but she obviously isn't telling the whole truth here.

[the chi]

What if she's a widow?

Would any of the views change?

No, that'd be too easy. Let's all rag on her for being a single mom because obviously single moms are terrible slutty whores who are too stupid to use birth control. :rolleyes:

Something is fishy about her story. But as usual, the naysayers want to put her down and get on their soap box about whatever it is they get on their soap box about.

I don't know what happened....but she obviously isn't telling the whole truth here.


Good point. As far as my opinion, nope, it sure wouldnt.

If she was a widow she would have the opportunity for counseling and given briefings educating her about her options and what she could expect as far as deploying. Unless somethings changed, they typically do that for single moms and married moms and dads anyway. Having a baby? Go to a brief. Learn about whats available to you as far as child care and what to do in the event of deployments.

We had a million breifings about moving 3.5 hours aways for heavens sake, the military provides so many different options and ways to do some things its retarded.

[Cutty72]

things with her "knowing better" and her moms timing being convenient

- she's a 21 y/o E4. E4's are dumb, it's just how they are. They haven't had the time and experience to figure it all out yet.
Also, 21 y/o's are dumb... again, they haven't figured it out yet.

-parents don't always realise how things work in the military. Also, some don't care.

Not saying what she did was right... but she went about things the wrong way, from the story we are able to read.

[CrazyKell]

We had a million breifings about moving 3.5 hours aways for heavens sake, the military provides so many different options and ways to do some things its retarded.

This is what I assumed so something about "her" story doesn't add up here.

Not saying what she did was right... but she went about things the wrong way, from the story we are able to read.

Exactly....lots of holes in this story right now.

[azoomm]

Why put the child into foster care? Why not onto the father's doorstep? Choice or no choice, I hear so many people squabble over fathers rights. Then, something like this happens.

[fnfalman]

things with her "knowing better" and her moms timing being convenient

- she's a 21 y/o E4. E4's are dumb, it's just how they are. They haven't had the time and experience to figure it all out yet.
Also, 21 y/o's are dumb... again, they haven't figured it out yet.

-parents don't always realise how things work in the military. Also, some don't care.

Not saying what she did was right... but she went about things the wrong way, from the story we are able to read.
E-4s are not that dumb. If anything, lower enlisted are the worst guardhouse lawyers.

Anyway, if Uncle Sam were to want for you to have a family, he would have issued you one.

I missed the days where only officers and senior NCOs can get married and establish families.

[defector]

Why put the child into foster care? Why not onto the father's doorstep?

Beat me to it. Article said she no longer had a relationship with the father - it didn't say he was dead. Therefore IMO, he has as much responsibility as she does. (Unless proven to be unfit, or whatever they call it nowadays).

[karl_1052]

I've met some pretty shitty officers who couldn't give a crap less about anyone but themselves.

With that same thought, this woman could be a pretty shitty private who couldn't give a crap about anyone but themselves.
:?:

[CasterTroy]

As a parent....I can see why she would refuse to go. As someone who believes in a commitment made, I think she's despicable.

I sit here and think of how hard it was for Archen to leave…..and what SHE would say about this woman’s choice.

[Cutty72]

As a currently deployed soldier I think I have an idea of how it is.
I don't have kids, so I can't truely know what she's dealing with, but I have a puppy ;)

Knowing my mother was already caring for ~14 kids daily with daycare, plus 2 adults that need constant care, she would not have been my primary choice for a caretaker to begin with.
That leads me to believe she either lacks decision making skills, is easily influenced, or just really has no options.

Guess we'll just have to see more of what goes comes out of it.

[wildchild]

What if she's a widow?

Would any of the views change?

No, that'd be too easy. Let's all rag on her for being a single mom because obviously single moms are terrible slutty whores who are too stupid to use birth control. :rolleyes:

Something is fishy about her story. But as usual, the naysayers want to put her down and get on their soap box about whatever it is they get on their soap box about.

I don't know what happened....but she obviously isn't telling the whole truth here.


this is not about "oh the poor single mom" this is a soldier who signed up to perform a certain duty. they have very strict rules about single parents in the military. this is not "oh poor girl" this is someone who for all intents and purposes is AWOL from her duty station. whether or not you believe in the war it is her job, she is paid to do it.
what if it was a 22 yr old guy who didn't want to miss his girlfriend should he be allowed to stay home as well? why not? double standard? no one likes the thought of deploying but when you accept the paychecks you accept the possibility you may have to actually do your job at some point.
she should either be shipped out immed or jailed for AWOL during war.

[RACER X]

also it has to do w/ military discipline. the reality is that these are soldiers and at any could be sent into harms way. breaking down that discipline is a big deal.

on another board an guy my age 40+ posed a good question, would you be able to storm on the shores of normandy knowing that so many were gonna die.

and yeah everybodys gung-ho, but it took HUGE brass balls to come outta that troop carrier as the first wave.

we have become a nation an panzies.

[the chi]

also it has to do w/ military discipline. the reality is that these are soldiers and at any could be sent into harms way. breaking down that discipline is a big deal.

on another board an guy my age 40+ posed a good question, would you be able to storm on the shores of normandy knowing that so many were gonna die.

and yeah everybodys gung-ho, but it took HUGE brass balls to come outta that troop carrier as the first wave.

we have become a nation an panzies.

Understandable till the last line, bravo sir, bravo!

Kidding aside, I understand and agree with ya.

[CrazyKell]

this is not about "oh the poor single mom" this is a soldier who signed up to perform a certain duty. they have very strict rules about single parents in the military. this is not "oh poor girl" this is someone who for all intents and purposes is AWOL from her duty station. whether or not you believe in the war it is her job, she is paid to do it.
what if it was a 22 yr old guy who didn't want to miss his girlfriend should he be allowed to stay home as well? why not? double standard? no one likes the thought of deploying but when you accept the paychecks you accept the possibility you may have to actually do your job at some point.
she should either be shipped out immed or jailed for AWOL during war.


Missing your girlfriend and having a child to care for are hardly comparable.

I do not think she is in the right...I just think there is a whole lot missing to this story.

The insinuation that she's dumb for getting pregnant...etc. etc.....is the attitude I was talking about. Where is the father?

[RACER X]

Understandable till the last line, bravo sir, bravo!

Kidding aside, I understand and agree with ya.

i meant to post

we have become a nation of panzies.

:lol

[the chi]

i meant to post

we have become a nation of panzies.

:lol


I know. :wink: Im just teasing you.

[Rider]

Missing your girlfriend and having a child to care for are hardly comparable.

I do not think she is in the right...I just think there is a whole lot missing to this story.

The insinuation that she's dumb for getting pregnant...etc. etc.....is the attitude I was talking about. Where is the father?

Doesn't matter, she choseto have a baby and babies don't go well with military life. Pick one or the other but you can't do both alone(ie.. no father around).

[the chi]

Doesn't matter, she choseto have a baby and babies don't go well with military life. Pick one or the other but you can't do both alone(ie.. no father around).

Enh, that I cant agree with babe. It can be done, but it does require planning and preparation.

I've got a friend, in the military, just divorced and found out after that she's expecting. She's planning and she'll be fine. She however wouldnt fail to meet her obligations and deploy if necessary.

[101lifts2]

Maybe people should think first before having a child?


"Hutchinson, who's assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, joined the Army in 2007 and had no previous deployments, Sussman said. She said Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with the father."

This chick is 21, right? Here is a hint, quit FUCKING w/o a rubber and you won't have a kid!!!

[CrazyKell]

This chick is 21, right? Here is a hint, quit FUCKING w/o a rubber and you won't have a kid!!!

Are people really this naive? :scratch:

[CrazyKell]

Doesn't matter, she choseto have a baby and babies don't go well with military life. Pick one or the other but you can't do both alone(ie.. no father around).

Yes this is true. Like Zoomie said.....father's want equal rights until it comes time for responsibility. But like this story, we have no information about the father so I can't really say he's like that. Just funny how there were no cries of "where's the father" from anyone and a whole lot of "quit fucking without a rubber" comments. Interesting that's all.

She definitely isn't doing a very good job of juggling the two. :td:

[fnfalman]

The military always give pregnant women the chance of getting a discharge from services without incurring any problem. Why didn't this chick take the discharge? She didn't have to stay in when she found out that she was pregnant. If being with her child and caring for her child was all that important to her then why stayed in?

[RACER X]

then why stayed in?

easy $/insurance/child care till that pesky deployment came along......

[fnfalman]

I've got a friend, in the military, just divorced and found out after that she's expecting. She's planning and she'll be fine. She however wouldnt fail to meet her obligations and deploy if necessary.

Is she hot?:boobs:

easy $ till that pesky deployment came along......

Exactly my point. She had the chance to get out and take care of her baby, but she didn't.

[tommymac]

easy $ till that pesky deployment came along......

exactly.

Tom

[pauldun170]

(few more details)

U.S.:
Army Sends Infant to Protective Services, Mom to Afghanistan

Dahr Jamail

VENTURA, California, Nov 13 (IPS) - U.S. Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother, is being threatened with a military court-martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan, despite having been told she would be granted extra time to find someone to care for her 11-month-old son while she is overseas.
Hutchinson, of Oakland, California, is currently being confined at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Georgia, after being arrested. Her son was placed into a county foster care system.

Hutchinson has been threatened with a court martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan on Sunday, Nov. 15. She has been attempting to find someone to take care of her child, Kamani, while she is deployed overseas, but to no avail.

According to the family care plan of the U.S. Army, Hutchinson was allowed to fly to California and leave her son with her mother, Angelique Hughes of Oakland.

However, after a week of caring for the child, Hughes realised she was unable to care for Kamani along with her other duties of caring for a daughter with special needs, her ailing mother, and an ailing sister.

In late October, Angelique Hughes told Hutchinson and her commander that she would be unable to care for Kamani after all. The Army then gave Hutchinson an extension of time to allow her to find someone else to care for Kamani. Meanwhile, Hughes brought Kamani back to Georgia to be with his mother.

However, only a few days before Hutchinson's original deployment date, she was told by the Army she would not get the time extension after all, and would have to deploy, despite not having found anyone to care for her child.

Faced with this choice, Hutchinson chose not to show up for her plane to Afghanistan. The military arrested her and placed her child in the county foster care system.

Currently, Hutchinson is scheduled to fly to Afghanistan on Sunday for a special court martial, where she then faces up to one year in jail.

Hutchinson's civilian lawyer, Rai Sue Sussman, told IPS, "The core issue is that they are asking her to make an inhumane choice. She did not have a complete family care plan, meaning she did not find someone to provide long-term care for her child. She's required to have a complete family care plan, and was told she'd have an extension, but then they changed it on her."

Asked why she believes the military revoked Hutchinson's extension, Sussman responded, "I think they didn't believe her that she was unable to find someone to care for her infant. They think she's just trying to get out of her deployment. But she's just trying to find someone she can trust to take care of her baby."

Hutchinson's mother has flown to Georgia to retrieve the baby, but is overwhelmed and does not feel able to provide long-term care for the child.

According to Sussman, the soldier needs more time to find someone to care for her infant, but does not as yet have friends or family able to do so.

Sussman says Hutchinson told her, "It is outrageous that they would deploy a single mother without a complete and current family care plan. I would like to find someone I trust who can take care of my son, but I cannot force my family to do this. They are dealing with their own health issues."

Sussman told IPS that the Army's JAG attorney, Captain Ed Whitford, "told me they thought her chain of command thought she was trying to get out of her deployment by using her child as an excuse." '

Major Gallagher, of Hutchinson's unit, also told Sussman that he did not believe it was a real family crisis, and that Hutchinson's "mother should have been able to take care of the baby".

In addition, according to Sussman, a First Sergeant Gephart "told me he thought she [Hutchinson] was pulling her family care plan stuff to get out of her deployment".

"To me it sounds completely bogus," Sussman told IPS, "I think what they are actually going to do is have her spend her year deployment in Afghanistan, then court martial her back here upon her return. This would do irreparable harm to her child. I think they are doing this to punish her, because they think she is lying."

Sussman explained that she believes the best possible outcome is for the Army to either give Hutchinson the extension they had said she would receive so that she can find someone to care for her infant, or barring this, to simply discharge her so she can take care of her child.

Nevertheless, Hutchinson is simply asking for the time extension to complete her family care plan, and not to be discharged.

"I'm outraged by this," Sussman told IPS, "I've never gone to the media with a military client, but this situation is just completely over the top."

[RACER X]

of course it's the army's fault............DUH!

if hte army didn't want her to get prego, they woulda issued standard military condoms!

[tommymac]

So she doesnt want to go on deployment but doesnt want to be discharged, cant have it both ways.

I wonder if the army has any sort of provisions to help in situations like this I am sure this isnt the first time something like this has happened.

tom

[RACER X]

boot her out. shes bad for moral.

[Dave]

im so glad we dont have to deal with this shit in combat arms

[wildchild]

im so glad we dont have to deal with this shit in combat arms

bingo, and they wonder why we don't think women should be allowed in combat arms. yeah let's deal with all this drama while being shot at and someone isn't at their position because oopsie they had a kid and didn't want ot go play gi jane anymore now that it became serious.

[pauldun170]

Awesome...

You guys are taking it THERE

:lol:

[azoomm]

bingo, and they wonder why we don't think women should be allowed in combat arms. yeah let's deal with all this drama while being shot at and someone isn't at their position because oopsie they had a kid and didn't want ot go play gi jane anymore now that it became serious.

Nope, it's because boys will try to protect the woman in combat rather than look after themselves.

Israel has it right - women are FIERCE fighters. Pure evil... y'all should know better.

As far as this matter, time will tell what the deal is. It seems like mom said she would do it then backed out on her promise to take the kid for a year. With no other family, what would YOU do?

[pauldun170]

In Soviet Russia women were dropped from glorious soviet aircraft with a 250lb bomb attached to each breast to fight off the Germans...all in the name of Mother Russia.

[wildchild]

Nope, it's because boys will try to protect the woman in combat rather than look after themselves.

Israel has it right - women are FIERCE fighters. Pure evil... y'all should know better.

As far as this matter, time will tell what the deal is. It seems like mom said she would do it then backed out on her promise to take the kid for a year. With no other family, what would YOU do?

w/o dragging this too far into that disc, there are a lot of reasons for it and that is one of the minor ones. they tried it with our unit once in Germany. brought a couple female medics out to field with us.

[karl_1052]

As a parent....I can see why she would refuse to go. As someone who believes in a commitment made, I think she's despicable.

I sit here and think of how hard it was for Archen to leave…..and what SHE would say about this woman’s choice.

She probably asked to go, to get away from that stalker Trace.:tremble:

[Dave]

Nope, it's because boys will try to protect the woman in combat rather than look after themselves.

Israel has it right - women are FIERCE fighters. Pure evil... y'all should know better.

As far as this matter, time will tell what the deal is. It seems like mom said she would do it then backed out on her promise to take the kid for a year. With no other family, what would YOU do?

hey, you can be a RAWR GRRL PWR as you want. just do it over there.

[Cruzergirl]

- she's a 21 y/o E4. E4's are dumb, it's just how they are. They haven't had the time and experience to figure it all out yet.
Also, 21 y/o's are dumb... again, they haven't figured it out yet.

-parents don't always realise how things work in the military. Also, some don't care.

Not saying what she did was right... but she went about things the wrong way, from the story we are able to read.

True. I'm 43 and I work as a "C" school instructor at a HUGE Navy "A" school. I just don't remember being that dumb!

E-4s are not that dumb. If anything, lower enlisted are the worst guardhouse lawyers..

I've never met these folks. Only the dumb ones!:lol:

With that same thought, this woman could be a pretty shitty private who couldn't give a crap about anyone but themselves.
:?:

Good point. I've met some of those too. They didn't stay in long though.

[karl_1052]

Good point. I've met some of those too. They didn't stay in long though.

neither did she.;)

[Smittie61984]

I missed the days where only officers and senior NCOs can get married and establish families.

That's what my dad did. He was an E7 (and married) I believe before they had me. My mother was in the military too but she let her contract run out (8 years) so she could have a family. Even when my dad was a CMSGT he had to travel months at a time which left our care up to my mother. A single military parent (especially a low ranking one) is just a terrible idea.

This is also a prime example of why women don't make as much as men in the work force.

[Particle Man]

Are people really this naive? :scratch:

only the ones that don't get laid

[Amorok]

So 7 pages of this discussion and valid points on either side. Not that anyone wants my opinion but here it is anyway: Someone else is going to have to fill that girl's slot. hat's what everyone is really forgetting. I can't tell you how many deployments I had to go on because some fuckhead had "problems at home" Hell, I got deployed in the middle of my honeymoon because some guy at the shop was having "marital problems" and needed time to work them out. Good thing too, since when I got back he'd had the time to abandon his wife and two kids and move into an apartment with a big tittied blonde.

Bu I digress. If your command automatically assumes you're lying it means you've had disciplinary issues before. And while I know a lot of single parents who are very successful in the military, I don't know of any who have deployments and just don't show up.

As for her being slutty, well, the article said she wasn't in a relationship with the father anymore, not that she was divorced. If you're not getting married anytime soon then you should maybe consider some birth control. That or take it on the face. Especially when you know what your job will do to a child's life, and even more so when you're only 21.

Sounds like everyone made mistakes here, the Army, this chick, and her mom's pretty much a peice of shit. Ultimately though this chick should have handled her business. Every soldier needs to be ready to deploy all the time. If the military has taught me anything it is to be prepared, and always have a backup o the backup. Redundancy can help you through emergencies, this chick should have been ready. Remember, we're not talking about Shaniqua down the block, we're talking about a deployable asset who has dropped the ball that unfortunately some other soldier will get fucked into picking up. And who's to say that guy won't have a family too?

[azoomm]

Sounds like everyone made mistakes here, the Army, this chick, and her mom's pretty much a peice of shit. Ultimately though this chick should have handled her business. Every soldier needs to be ready to deploy all the time. If the military has taught me anything it is to be prepared, and always have a backup o the backup. Redundancy can help you through emergencies, this chick should have been ready. Remember, we're not talking about Shaniqua down the block, we're talking about a deployable asset who has dropped the ball that unfortunately some other soldier will get fucked into picking up. And who's to say that guy won't have a family too?

You are absolutely spot on.

[Smittie61984]

Amorok for Prez!

[Homeslice]

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Army said Wednesday it has filed criminal charges against a single-mom soldier who refused to deploy to Afghanistan last year, arguing she had no family able to care for her infant son.

Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook, could face a prison sentence and a dishonorable discharge if she is convicted by a court-martial. But first, an officer will be appointed to decide if there's enough evidence to try a case against her.

Hutchinson's attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said she still hopes the case can be settled without a military trial. She said the Army should consider Hutchinson's reason for not deploying overseas — that she was afraid of what would happen to her baby.

"There are other routes if they really want to punish her," Hutchinson's attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said Wednesday. "I don't think the situation was serious enough to warrant a criminal matter."

Hutchinson of Oakland, Calif., was scheduled to deploy from Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah on Nov. 5. She skipped her unit's flight, saying the only relative she had to take care of her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task and backed out a few days before Hutchinson's departure date.

Kevin Larson, a spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, said that Hutchinson was charged Tuesday with missing movement — for missing her overseas flight — being absent without leave, dereliction of duty and insubordinate conduct.

The stiffest charge, missing movement, carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a dishonorable discharge.

"The charges against Spc. Hutchinson stem from the fact she didn't do her duty," Larson said. "They know their deployment dates. They have to show up. Otherwise, they have to face the consequences."

Sussman said Hutchinson was at her apartment outside the Army post when her unit deployed, but was in touch with her commanders by phone. The soldier returned to the post about a day later, she said, and was arrested.

Sussman said the soldier was afraid to show up for her overseas flight because one of her superiors had told her she would have to deploy and turn her child over to the state foster care system.

Larson said the Army would not deploy a single parent with no one to care for her child.

The decision to charge Hutchinson was far different than the Army's handling of another recent case involving a military mom.

Lisa Pagan of Davidson, N.C., was granted a discharge after she fought being recalled to the Army, under the military's "individual ready reserve" program, four years after she left active duty.

Pagan reported for duty at Fort Benning in west Georgia last February with her two young children in tow. She argued that her husband traveled for business too often to care for their children alone. While Pagan and her attorney battled the Army through appeals, she was never accused of refusing orders.

The Army requires all single-parent soldiers to submit a care plan for dependent children before they can deploy to a combat zone.

Hutchinson had such a plan — her mother, Angelique Hughes, had agreed to care for the boy. Hughes said she kept the boy for about two weeks in October before deciding she couldn't keep him for a full year.

According to the Defense Department's latest demographic report, there are more than 70,500 single parents on active duty in the U.S. military — about 5 percent of all service members. Nearly half of military single parents are in the Army.

Cases like Hutchinson's, where a conflict between deployment orders and parental duties lead to a prosecution, appear to be rare, said Lory Manning, a retired Navy captain a who studies how military policies affect women for the nonprofit Women's Research and Education Institute.

"There are thousands upon thousands of single parents that have deployed since the war in Afghanistan started," Manning said. "Things don't fall apart that often. Sometimes the family care plan doesn't work for whatever reason, but overall it works well."

Hutchinson's commanders granted her a leave last month so she could spend the holidays at her mother's home in California. Before that, she had been prohibited from leaving the Army post.

Hutchinson, who is assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, joined the Army in 2007 and had no previous deployments. Sussman said Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with her son's father.

Hughes said she's already taking care of her ailing mother and sister, as well as a daughter with special needs. She also runs a daycare center at her home, keeping about 14 children during the day.

Hughes said she returned Kamani to his mother in Georgia a few days before her November deployment.

She said they told her daughter's commanders they needed more time to find another family member or close friend to help Hughes care for the boy, but Hutchinson was ordered to deploy on schedule.

Hutchinson's son, Kamani, was placed into custody overnight with a daycare provider on the Army post after she was arrested and jailed briefly in November for skipping her flight. Hutchinson's mother picked up the child a few days later and took him back to her home in California.

Hutchinson is not in custody. Sussman said Wednesday that Hutchinson's son, who had his first birthday this month, returned home with his mother to Georgia after the holidays.

By RUSS BYNUM, AP Military Writer Russ Bynum, Ap Military Writer Wed Jan 13, 11:47 am ET

[Amorok]

Well, let's sum up the update. We've learned that this non-hacker has already been confined to post for at least one period of time, which means disciplinary action to me. Also, now the kid is with her mother anyway, so was that really not an option before? This bitch didn't want to go and used her kid as an excuse, fuck her.

As for Pagan, it is a different situation since she's already separated, but at the same time she knew what her Reserve commitment would be when she signed up, so fuck her too. In her favor though, she showed up.

Look, I'm a parent and I understand the difficulties created when there's a conflict with your family and the military. But if you can't handle it, you need to get out and let someone who can pack the gear take your place. Yep, give up that paycheck and all those bennies, you apparently can't earn them. Maybe the next guy will be a better soldier than you, bitch.

[derf]

Well, let's sum up the update. We've learned that this non-hacker has already been confined to post for at least one period of time, which means disciplinary action to me. Also, now the kid is with her mother anyway, so was that really not an option before? This bitch didn't want to go and used her kid as an excuse, fuck her.

As for Pagan, it is a different situation since she's already separated, but at the same time she knew what her Reserve commitment would be when she signed up, so fuck her too. In her favor though, she showed up.

Look, I'm a parent and I understand the difficulties created when there's a conflict with your family and the military. But if you can't handle it, you need to get out and let someone who can pack the gear take your place. Yep, give up that paycheck and all those bennies, you apparently can't earn them. Maybe the next guy will be a better soldier than you, bitch.

Shes going to be dishonorably discharged, and owe the gov any bonus that she recieved. I've seen it dozens of times, this one just made the headlines.

[Particle Man]

Here is a hint, quit FUCKING w/o a rubber and you won't have a kid!!!

sometimes even WITH it happens... redflip

[karl_1052]

"I don't think the situation was serious enough to warrant a criminal matter."

Sure it is.
She stole pay and benefits and had no intention of living up to her end of the contract she signed.
Fuck her

[azoomm]

Well, let's sum up the update. We've learned that this non-hacker has already been confined to post for at least one period of time, which means disciplinary action to me. Also, now the kid is with her mother anyway, so was that really not an option before? This bitch didn't want to go and used her kid as an excuse, fuck her.

As for Pagan, it is a different situation since she's already separated, but at the same time she knew what her Reserve commitment would be when she signed up, so fuck her too. In her favor though, she showed up.

Look, I'm a parent and I understand the difficulties created when there's a conflict with your family and the military. But if you can't handle it, you need to get out and let someone who can pack the gear take your place. Yep, give up that paycheck and all those bennies, you apparently can't earn them. Maybe the next guy will be a better soldier than you, bitch.

That's EXACTLY it.

:dthumb:

[pauldun170]

Someone else is going to have to fill that girl's slot.

Isn't that what started this mess in the first place?

Guess I'll be posting a follow up this story in 9 months

[Homeslice]

I'd like to compare the charges a man would receive in the same situation.

[Tmall]

I'd like to compare the charges a man would receive in the same situation.

"Becoming impregnated against the laws of nature". It's treason.

[CasterTroy]

"Becoming impregnated against the laws of nature". It's treason.

Werd! Kinda blows the "don't ask don't tell" rule when someone see's a preggo man and says WTF?

[Homeslice]

"Becoming impregnated against the laws of nature". It's treason.

You're talking about a different thread. This one is about a 10-month old child, not a pregnancy.

[pauldun170]

You're talking about a different thread. This one is about a 10-month old child, not a pregnancy.

You know how painful it would be to deliver a 10 month old child?
I don't
Cause I'm a dude and do not worry about such things.

[CasterTroy]

You know how painful it would be to deliver a 10 month old child?


ESPECIALLY for a dude!

[Amorok]

I'd like to compare the charges a man would receive in the same situation.

It would be the same set of charges, except he would get the maximum penalty in both time served and financial penalties, plus he would get a dishonorable discharge.

[Homeslice]

It would be the same set of charges, except he would get the maximum penalty in both time served and financial penalties, plus he would get a dishonorable discharge.

Pretty much.