I'm not surprised but if that's true she'll probably get the discharge she's looking for. I'm shocked we don't see more and more of these types of tactics what with all the glamorization of the military we see in every other marketing ploy, commercial and advert.
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.
I wish there was more information here. Unfortunate situation, but I also question why her mother thought she would be able to care for him, given that her in-home daycare, special needs child and ailing mother weren't surprises, nor is how much care a 10 month old requires.
Also questioning what superior would honestly say foster care is a legitimate option. Yeesh.
Well I could see a mother feeling obligated to care for her daughters child in a situation like this only to realize that she's over her head at the last minute. People often bite off more than they can chew.
The second part doesn't shock me at all. This break you down to build you up mentality the military has only supports the kind of idiotic thinking accused of here.
That is a fair point, B2B. She may have felt obligated and then realized it was just in no way possible.
Send one if Bush's kids in her stead since he started all of this.
Sounds like Grandma needs to give up some of the other 14 kids she keeps during the day. No wonder she's stressed.
Well the foster care threat was a stupid thing to do and probably a career ending move for whomever was responsible. That being said, nothing is being done to this lady that she wasn't told would happen when she voluntarily joined the Army. The rule is if you join the Army you must have a reliable family care plan because if you are deployed, you must go or face the consequences. She won't be forced to go, but now she's facing the music that was made clear to her in the beginning. Unless she is physically unable to fulfill her obligation, she'll be treated like anyone else who doesn't fulfill their obligation. The only difference is that some flunky in her chain of command said something stupid and her lawyer is off and running with it.
Y'all can feel sorry for this woman - I don't. Anyone who joins the Army has to know they have a VERY good chance of being deployed. So she joins and then gets involved in a relationship and gets pregnant. So now there's no one to care for the baby.
How about you don't get pregnant when you're not married - I know that's a novel idea in this day and age, but it certainly would've solved this problem. And if she was in a relationship with this guy - why can't he care for his child?
When you join the Army - they own you 24/7 - she should've thought about that before doing something stupid.
Plus you become government property. what rights?
Unless things have changed, you are obligated to have someone to care for your children in case you are deployed.
I can see her, at best if she continues to refuse deployment, getting an "Other than Honorable" discharge, and that will harm future employment to her.
If women want to serve, they need to realize we are in a world of equal rights.
Last edited by Wild Cobra; 11-17-2009 at 12:15 PM.
That is a bad situation to be in for sure.
I don't see how a dishonorable discharge would affect her ability to work at a later date. I'm sure that's what she's after.
I'm willing to bet based on the lack of intelligence she has that she was sold hook line and sinker as to the benefits of joining the military. Looks like a kick ass video game doesn't it? They lay in on pretty thick especially to the gullible ones. She then realized how ed up and real it all is and went to plan B.
Its not all tank driving and satellite dodging fun.
In today's world you have to be pretty darn gullible and naive to think the military is is like any other job.
Shoot the Traitor
I agree, except it's not just a woman's problem. SFIE's best friend had sole custody of his son and ended up having to return him to his mother for care because he is about to be deployed again. There is a reason he had sole custody, and he's pretty upset with the situation, but he also knew that this (deployment) was a risk he was taking when he re-upped.
I don't feel sorry for the woman in the story, but I do feel sorry for the child. One might wish there were better options available for single parents, regardless of their sex, because it's hard enough on the children anyway. I don't know what those might be, but I do know situations change - such as SFIE's friend getting divorced and finding out his ex-wife had more interest in being single than in being a mother to their child. He hadn't planned on that situation when he re-upped.
Oh for sure, the recruiters saw her coming! As I've said in the past, my SO is an Army psychiatrist and half of his appts each week are people who have changed their minds and don't want to play anymore. They claim stress or depression, but some go as far as to bust their drug tests or attempt suicide; and for the most part psych. recommends them for discharge, but the decision of whether or not they actually get the discharge rests elsewhere. Ordinarily, the Army's at ude would be one of "you pussies are no good to us, just get the out" and cut them loose, but right now is just not a good time for that!
And that's why they are required to update their family care plans twice per year, so they can make the necessary adjustments (including requesting a delay or postponement of deployment) [i]before[i] they get into a last minute legal hassle.
Unfortunately for people like SFIE's friend, it's possible that he could have entrusted the care of his child to another family member, but he must've had his child's mother as the designated guardian on his care plan. That's not the Army's fault.
No, it's not their fault - and it's not their fault that he married a lying, cheating who doesn't want to take the time and effort to parent their child. And the real problem is there was not another family member to take the child and the mother had legal rights to her son so appointing a friend was not an option. Also not the Army's fault.
But I could wish that there were other options available. As I said, I don't know what those would be. He knew that deployment was possible (he's been deployed to Iraq twice before already), he's accepted that and has made his arrangements (even if he doesn't like them) - as opposed to bailing on his orders like this chick. But I wish there were other options of some sort because I don't think this is in the child's best interests, as I don't think foster care was in the child's best interest in the story.
I don't have answers, and I don't agree with what this woman did. I'm just saying it's a sucky situation.
It's the backbone of their entire marketing strategy.
I was thinking of pointing out the single fathers, but in the long run, it doesn't matter. If women want to be treated equal, and take a traditional man's job, then expect to be treated equal. Both good and bad!
You're right it's a terrible situation. It's terrible that our countries' children are ones who are paying the price for this "war". I feel great sympathy and compassion for every parent (and the lady in this newstory) who has to leave their children behind, and I am grateful for their sacrifice. But as long as we have a volunteer army that people voluntarily commit to before they considered all the worst possibilities, or as in your friend's case, even after they've considered all the worst posibilities and done it anyway, there won't be an easy solution. The army is just like any other employer, there's just not too much tolerance out there for people with child care issues.
But, but... The Army will pay for my college!! The tv commercial and bug eyed recruiter with the pen and anxious grin said so!!!
You'd have to be a nut idiot or suicidal or one of those brainwashed patriotic assholes... You know the ones with Toby Keith CDs in their truck... to join the army right now. In peace time it's a calculated risk to get the benefits and hope no war breaks out in 4 years but right now it's suicide.
Lesson #1 for the kiddos and naive - if you have to be recruited to do something it's gonna suck.
Confiscate the kid and groom him to be a super soldier.
Meh, 2/10.
You've done better.
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