Army Boots Single Mom Who Refused To Deploy

[Richard]

And so it goes...

Richard

Army Boots Single Mom Who Refused To Deploy
USA Today, 11 Feb 2010

The Army says it will discharge but not court-martial a single-mother soldier who did not deploy to Afghanistan because she no family to care for her infant son.

(cont'd) http://content.usatoday.com/communit...ed-to-deploy/1

[monsterhunter]

The news clip is rather brief; however, on first blush I would have to say: she knew the job was dangerous when she took it.

The more frightening implication is that anyone with a "note from mom" can opt out of a deployment. I remember a day when we took on oath and it meant something more than just a patriotic rant, we were actually held accountable.

I'm sure there are still many out there who seriously take the oath and must be disheartened at what they are seeing. What a shame.

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by monsterhunter

The news clip is rather brief; however, on first blush I would have to say: she knew the job was dangerous when she took it.

The more frightening implication is that anyone with a "note from mom" can opt out of a deployment. I remember a day when we took on oath and it meant something more than just a patriotic rant, we were actually held accountable.

I'm sure there are still many out there who seriously take the oath and must be disheartened at what they are seeing. What a shame.

I wonder how well Ms. Hutchinson is going to fare in the job market with an other than honorable discharge--especially if she's competing for work against veterans who followed orders and did their duty.

[lksteve]

Glad to hear it...there was a woman in A Company, 8th PSYOP with kids that were nicknamed "Panama" and "Saudi"...when she came in bearing "Somalia", I began the paperwork to bar her from reenlistment...

[18DWife]

disgraceful

[Utah Bob]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

I wonder how well Ms. Hutchinson is going to fare in the job market with an other than honorable discharge--especially if she's competing for work against veterans who followed orders and did their duty.

Unfortunately, I suspect she'll do fine. Plenty of sympathy out there for her. Her story will be how patriotic she is and how she was discriminated against by the Army..... yada yada yada.

[Ryanr]

What the heck else are they supposed to do with her?

[ryno]

Originally Posted by Ryanr

What the heck else are they supposed to do with her?

COURT MARTIAL HER!!!!

It’s the mentality that “the Army owes me something,” that drives me nuts. Some people want the money and the benefits, but suddenly have an excuse not to go when Uncle Sam calls. “Oh I’m sorry, is this deployment not convenient for you? Well, why don’t you just sit this one out?”

I have zero sympathy for her. When my wife was still in, we had our family care plan ready in case we both had to go at the same time. When my GSR team was alerted for Iraq in 2005, I sent a formal request up the chain to deploy with them even though my wife was in Afghanistan. My brigade commander refused my request, which was his prerogative, but my wife understood why I did it. Of course we both would have worried about our kids, but duty called. It all worked out in the end, as I was able to deploy with one of my old GSR buddies to Iraq in 2008.

Anyway, you do your job, like you promised to, whether you want to or not.

[jatx]

I don't think we're getting the full story.

If she appealed to her chain of command, I cannot imagine the Army forcing a mother to abandon her child if there were truly no next of kin available to her for child care. There are policies in place for this. In fact, I know of soldiers whose wives are also in the Army and who were scheduled for simulatenous deployment - and the Army chose not to deploy the spouse despite the availability of ready and willing grandparents.

It doesn't make sense that events worked out such that her only option was a refusal to deply with her unit. I smell a rat.

[Anevolution]

Originally Posted by ryno

COURT MARTIAL HER!!!!

It’s the mentality that “the Army owes me something,” that drives me nuts. Some people want the money and the benefits, but suddenly have an excuse not to go when Uncle Sam calls. “Oh I’m sorry, is this deployment not convenient for you? Well, why don’t you just sit this one out?”

I have zero sympathy for her.

Anyway, you do your job, like you promised to, whether you want to or not.

X2. I was unable to visit my family for 3 years with work up's and deployment, I just wasn't able to make it home. Yes it sucked but that's the difference between service and selfish. Just my .02

V/r
Anevolution

[afchic]

There has been quite a bit of chatter about this on the internet today.

My understanding from what was posted by the AP is the reason she was given a less than honorable discharge is there was evidence presented by other soldiers, as well as herself, that she was simply using her child to get out of the deployment. She had no intention of going to Afghanistan with her unit. She had other options and chose not to exercise them, that is why she got the boot.

She should have been courtmartialed as far as I am concerned. I am sick of hearing all the bleeding heart liberals that say the Big Bad Army is forcing this poor woman to choose between serving her country and her child; only a good mother would chose the option she chose, and the Army needed to keep her in and let her stay back in the states for the good of the child.

Cry me a friggin river. I was a single mom for 5 years. I had my child AFTER I joined the AF, so I knew I had no leg to stand on as far as deployments etc were concerned. I loathe women in the military that use their children as an excuse to get out of working the night shift during exercises, to get out of working on the holidays, etc etc.

My daughter is now 12. I would say a good 5 years of her life have been spent in the care of someone else. In the 5 years I was a single parent, she spent about 3 years living with my parents due to remotes,deployments, training, TDYs, etc. My relationship with my daughter has not suffered because of my time away, if anything it is stronger than most and she has grown up learning that she is a strong kid, she can be self sufficient, and even if mommy isn't there it doesn't mean I don't love her.

My bet is if the Army knew, without a doubt, there was no one to take care of this child, they would have found a way to keep her in. The fact she was using her child as an excuse is disgusting. She makes the rest of us look bad, and I can't stand that.

[Kyobanim]

This has been going on for a while and there's lots of info out there about it. Just google the mom's name.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...inst_spc_.html

Grandma needs to step up - that's the message the Army gave in filing criminal charges against a 21-year-old 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, an Army cook, could face prison and a dishonorable discharge if she's convicted by a court-martial, ABC News reported. But first, an officer will be appointed to decide if there's enough evidence to try a case against her.

Hutchinson, of Oakland, Calif., was set to deploy to Afghanistan Nov. 5, but skipped her unit's flight, saying the only relative who could take care of her 10-month-old son — her mother — backed out on her.

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

Hutchinson's 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.

Rai Sue Sussman, Hutchinson's lawyer, said the Army should be more compassionate and understanding.

"There are other routes if they really want to punish her," Sussman, told ABC News. "I don't think the situation was serious enough to warrant a criminal matter."

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

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

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

Sussman said Hutchinson was afraid to deploy because one of her superiors told her she'd have to turn her child over to state foster care.

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



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz0fMHugyrx

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by jatx

I don't think we're getting the full story.

If she appealed to her chain of command, I cannot imagine the Army forcing a mother to abandon her child if there were truly no next of kin available to her for child care. There are policies in place for this. In fact, I know of soldiers whose wives are also in the Army and who were scheduled for simulatenous deployment - and the Army chose not to deploy the spouse despite the availability of ready and willing grandparents.

It doesn't make sense that events worked out such that her only option was a refusal to deply with her unit. I smell a rat.

The Rat? The rat is there isn't a spouse. This an unwed mother case.

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Dozer523

The Rat? The rat is there isn't a spouse. This an unwed mother case.

No it is definintely not!!! There are plenty of single parents (both men and women) that make it work. This has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with her not having a husband.

[AngelsSix]

Originally Posted by afchic

No it is definintely not!!! There are plenty of single parents (both men and women) that make it work. This has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with her not having a husband.

+1!!

This woman was simply another case of "I am going to use my child as an excuse to not do my job". I am just tired of it. I do not know how many times I have been called in, asked to work late and gone on unscheduled missions because of a single mother who could not get her shit together. Then there are the single mothers who bust their asses as hard as everyone else. The sacrifices they make to support their children amaze me. I don't have kids, but I cannot imagine being a single mother. Hats off to all of you out there that are doing the right thing!!