Single Mom Refuses Deployment

[willriker]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_soldier_mom_deployment

SAVANNAH, Ga. – A single-mom soldier who says she refused to deploy to Afghanistan because she had no family able to care for her young son will be discharged from the military instead of facing a court-martial, the Army said Thursday.

Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, an Army cook stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, was arrested in November after skipping her unit's deployment flight. Hutchinson, 21, said she couldn't leave her son because her mother had backed out of plans to keep the child a few days before the soldier's scheduled departure.

The Army filed criminal charges last month against Hutchinson of Oakland, Calif., but a general at neighboring Fort Stewart chose to settle the case by granting her an administrative discharge rather than try her in a military court.

"She's excited that she's no longer facing jail and can still be with her son, which is the most important thing," said Rai Sue Sussman, Hutchinson's civilian attorney. "We're very happy about it right now."

The decision still carries consequences for Hutchinson. She is being demoted in rank to private and will lose benefits afforded to military service members and veterans, Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said.

Larson said the Army had evidence that Hutchinson, regardless of her family situation, would have resisted deploying "by any means." He said commanders decided a court-martial would be too disruptive to the Army, requiring soldiers now in Afghanistan to return to the U.S. to testify.

"This case wasn't about a soldier having to choose between her duty to the nation and her family," Larson said. "There is evidence both from Pvt. Hutchinson and her fellow soldiers to indicate she had no intentions of deploying."

Sussman denied that Hutchinson was exploiting her status as a single-mom to get out of going to Afghanistan.

"She was willing to deploy, and was ready to do that if her mother had not backed out of taking care of her child," she said.

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. She is no longer in a relationship with the father of her 13-month-old son, Kamani.

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 a plan — her mother in California, Angelique Hughes, had agreed to care for the boy. Hughes kept the boy for about two weeks in October before deciding she couldn't keep him for a full year, saying she was overwhelmed caring for other family members with health problems and special needs.

Hughes returned Kamani to his mother in Georgia a few days before Hutchinson's scheduled deployment Nov. 5. They day of her flight, Hutchinson stayed home with her son and told her superiors by phone she would not be deploying.

According to the Defense Department, 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.

___

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

I remember a similar topic to this being discussed not long ago, but i could not find the thread. At anyrate, even with evidence that she "had no intentions of deploying" this woman will not be facing court martial. I do not know much about how this works, but isnt this a sure fire court martial?

What do you think about her excuse, do you believe it? Do you think that her circumstance warrants refusal to be deployed? I am having a hard time seeing her circumstance as being all that much differant than the other 70,500 single parents in the military.

Do you think this sets a very bad precident for other single parents in the military?

[willriker]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_soldier_mom_deployment

sorry, edit button doesnt work on this PC, and i used the image tags instead of the url tags.

[Atreides]

in before "front page news when a woman wont get in the kitchen" etc

[Abandon]

Personally, I cannot be against her choice. If I have nobody to watch my child, I'm not leaving without securing somewhere for the child to be cared for. I am happy that they stepped it down from court martial to discharge ,and since it's admin sep, she can still leave a normal civilian life afterward. I'd like to see what evidence they have of her avoiding deployment at all costs, or however they worded it. If I can see that, I'll make a further judgment.

[willriker]

I guess im just having a hard time wrapping my head around her being 21 and her child being 5. So she knew that this might become an issue before she even enlisted. Now, days before she had to be deployed... this suddenly becomes an issue?

I am having a hard time buying her story.

[Abandon]

The child itself isn't the issue. The issue is her having plans to have the child with her mom, then her mom backing out just days prior to deployment. I would most likely do the same in her position.

[Mojo]

Mom backing out at the last second seems like an obvious made up story to me.

[ZarakiKujata]

bitch is a commie that should be thrown into guantanamo for being a traitor to this country.

[Not Kuno]

So she joined the army with the kid? What did she honestly think would happen?

[Abandon]

again, i think you guys are missing the point. Everyone knows when you join, you're going to get deployed. And that's why, if you are a single parent, you have someone you can have look after your offspring. But when someone backs out at the last moment, what are you gonna do?

[zoobernut]

I guess im just having a hard time wrapping my head around her being 21 and her child being 5. So she knew that this might become an issue before she even enlisted. Now, days before she had to be deployed... this suddenly becomes an issue?

I am having a hard time buying her story.

Where did you get the idea that her child is 5 or that she had the kid before she joined the army?

The article you quoted states her son is 13 months old not 5 years old. Unless I read it wrong...

Edit: Also Kuno you completely missed the point of the article. It said she was ready to be deployed, because she had the understanding that her mother would watch her son while she was deployed the only reason why she didn't go is because her mother backed out and there was no one to watch her son for her. Which makes your statement irrelevant to her motivations.

[Ksandra]

So she joined the army with the kid? What did she honestly think would happen?

I wish we knew more details, perhaps she joined the army when she was still with the father?

[edit] actually rereading it, she was already enlisted when she got pregnant.

Personally, I cannot be against her choice. If I have nobody to watch my child, I'm not leaving without securing somewhere for the child to be cared for. I am happy that they stepped it down from court martial to discharge ,and since it's admin sep, she can still leave a normal civilian life afterward. I'd like to see what evidence they have of her avoiding deployment at all costs, or however they worded it. If I can see that, I'll make a further judgment.

I will agree with this only based on the info they gave us. I also wish they posted what proof they had she wasn't going to go no matter what (though I understand why they wouldn't). As that would give a clearer picture as to what's going on.

[Abandon]

ksandra, you mah nigga

[willriker]

Why did i read 5 yrs old? could have sworn i read 5 years old... That changes a lot.

[zoobernut]

That also means that if she joined the army in 2007 that her son was born AFTER she joined which also changes things.

[Cream Soda]

She should leave her kid at church, will learn much there!

[Ksandra]

ksandra, you mah nigga

<3

[willriker]

sorry for double post, but i would think that when you have 70,500 single parents in the military... there would be some sort of support group to help the soldiers in this situation.

Still cant lie though, i am really fighting the urge to think she had the baby to avoid being deployed.

[Kuya]

Joy. A discussion based on speculation over evidence we don't have.

[Vuitton]

I don't know why any of you are defending this bitch. The military has stated there is enough evidence to warrant a court marshal but they will not be going through with it as the people needed to testify are already deployed abroad and it would be too troublesome to call them back. They state they have evidence that she had no intention of ever being deployed even if she had no child to use as a scapegoat. This bitch is lucky she got off so easily. Fuck her! Don't join the military if you aren't willing to be deployed.