Army single moms: Kids vs. country
U.S. soldier Alexis Hutchinson went AWOL instead of putting her baby in foster care. Should single parents be soldiers?
More than 30,000 single mothers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Single mother and U.S. Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson skipped out on her assigned deployment to Afghanistan rather than risk having her 10-month-old son go into foster care. Hutchinson had planned for her mother to care for the child, but that arrangement fell apart shortly before her departure date. Hutchinson, 21, was arrested 10 days later and is facing possible criminal charges. Should single parents be serving in the military? (Watch a local news report on Alexis Hutchinson’s divided loyalties)
Hutchinson should have made arrangements: Hutchinson is hardly alone in her predicament, says Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson, in USA Today. "Thousands or soldiers" have similar circumstances: "They’re single parents. They do the right thing. They prepare for their deployment. They fulfill their sworn duty." Besides, there was “alleged misconduct” that may have raised Hutchinson’s action to a detention-worthy level.
"Lawyer: Soldier mom not using baby to shirk duty"
The Army shouldn't take people who can't serve: Hutchinson’s actions seem "stupid rather than venal," says James Joyner at Outside the Beltway. But regardless of her case’s outcome, it raises the question of why the Army allows single parents and other "permanently non-deployable" people to "draw paychecks and fill unit slots." That’s a "crazy" policy, assuming the military’s purpose isn’t "job creation or social welfare."
"Soldier mom refuses deployment"
This is about social, not Army, rules: Why is no one mentioning the child's father?, says Greg Skilling at Examiner. "Has America grown so accustomed to absent, irresponsible fathers that we just assume the guy cannot or will not step up and care for his child?" Ultimately, Hutchinson's story is "more about the need for dual parenting and personal responsibility than Army policy."
"Is the coverage of Army SPC Alexis Hutchinson fair and balanced?"
The overstretched military is ignoring family needs: This is certainly about more than Hutchinson’s family situation, says Jim White at Firedoglake. With America fighting two "unsustainable" wars, the need for troops has been so acute that "sometimes unfit" personnel "are deployed without regard to family situation." We need more troops or fewer wars.
"The wars are unsustainable"
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12 Comments
Posted by Steve, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 9:53 am Enlistment isn't like normal employment. If she couldn't be a parent and a soldier, she should have applied for a hardship discharge. The Army goes to great lengths to ensure that the children of its soldiers are cared for, requiring a written plan detailing its soldiers plans with whatifs built in. Ms. Hutchinson planned poorly. Anyone who thinks that the Army should make an exception for her doesn't understand that military readiness can't be compromised because bad soldiers can't find a baby sitter.
Posted by LD Mitchell, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 10:46 am After spending more than 30 years in the military I can say with experience that many improvements have been made in this area. I can almost understand Specialist Hutchinson problems. However, I feel that she had many options to explore before this came to a head. One thing members of the military should have learned is to always have a backup plan. She didnt and now the military is the one that is given the bad lightnot so. Everything is not perfect but we work with what we have. Thats what a soldiers do. Military is not at fault.
Posted by LD Mitchell, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 10:49 am After spending more than 30 years in the military I can say with experience that many improvements have been made in this area. I can almost understand Specialist Hutchinson problems. However, I feel that she had many options to explore before this came to a head. One thing members of the military should have learned is to always have a backup plan. She didnt and now the military is the one that is given the bad light. Not so fast!!! Everything is not perfect but we work with what we have. Thats what a soldiers do. Military is not at fault.
Posted by Beth, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 2:31 pm She signed up. She knew what she was getting into with the Army. She is AWOL. To the brigg.
Posted by nkdpagan, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 2:57 pm Beth, the Brig is for the Navy. The Army has Leavenworth...I do not know for sure what happened to this womans family care plan, and I will not speculate on what other options she had, but I would blame an inflexable and uncaring Command chain as much as anything else. There is no position that a SPC holds that would bring the Army to its knees, and there are plenty of vital stateside positions that a non deployable solider can hold...btw..what army is the solider in the picture in? It sure aint ours.
Posted by Bill A., Thursday, November 19, 2009, 3:31 pm So this woman has a 10 mo old where is the father. Second if this woman was still breast feeding was the army going to pay to ship her breast milk back stateside?
Posted by Buck Turgidson, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 5:00 pm I Don't want to judge a man before all the facts are in but its beginning to look like General Ripper has exceeded his authority.United States v. Vaughan, 58 MJ 29 child neglect, although not specifically listed in the Manual for CourtsMartial as an Article 134 offense, may be charged under that Article as a service discrediting offenseOrdering a child abandonment is unlawful
Posted by Buck Turgidson, Thursday, November 19, 2009, 5:05 pm AR 600200 Chapter 5 OCONUS assignment and deployment procedures are as follows: a All single parent and dualmilitary couples with Family members who receive assignment instructions for an OCONUS... must have their DA Form 5305 RECERTIFIED ...If an adequate Family Care Plan is not submitted within 30 days, the Soldier IS NOT CONSIDERED DEPLOYABLE, will not depart the command, and the commander will consider initiating involuntary separation Nothing about gaslighting a soldier with invalid orders into child abandoment
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