Soldier mom refuses deployment orders

[alhoon]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_...mom_deployment
The story is very interesting and rises many questions. The short version is that a single mother of a 10 months old boy was ordered to leave for Afghanistan. According to her version, her own mother is overwhelmed with having to care for 3 relatives with health problems. If she has to go, she will have to put her child in foster care.

I'm of two minds about this. My principals say that if she's a soldier then she has to obey her orders if that means her boy goes to a foster family. On the other hand... she's 21 years old, she's single and she has a 10 months boy. Her life is already a mess as it is, sending the boy to a foster family so that she can support a war half the globe away is... perhaps too much?
But is there too much when your country asks for soldiers to do their job?


Mainly, I put the blame on the guy that decided she should be deployed in Afghanistan.

[ivan_the_terrible]

Seems to me she's mostly to blame. But sending her to Afghanistan anyway is not in the best interests of the child, who is completely innocent, and who's interests should be the priority.

[Simon Cashmere]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_...mom_deployment
The story is very interesting and rises many questions. The short version is that a single mother of a 10 months old boy was ordered to leave for Afghanistan. According to her version, her own mother is overwhelmed with having to care for 3 relatives with health problems. If she has to go, she will have to put her child in foster care.

I'm of two minds about this. My principals say that if she's a soldier then she has to obey her orders if that means her boy goes to a foster family. On the other hand... she's 21 years old, she's single and she has a 10 months boy. Her life is already a mess as it is, sending the boy to a foster family so that she can support a war half the globe away is... perhaps too much?
But is there too much when your country asks for soldiers to do their job?


Mainly, I put the blame on the guy that decided she should be deployed in Afghanistan.

"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."

The above is a quote from the same article that the thread is about. I know how some people can get confused. So confused in fact, I better post the same link as the poster above did. Here it is:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_...mom_deployment

See that's the link which points to the article which I just quoted, as did the original poster.

Now that we have prevented any mass hysteria arising from sudden bouts of dementia, memory loss or bewilderment occurring between reading the post above and this one below, my point is in the quote.

If you have no one to care for your child, you report with your child and say to the army - sorry - can go, but not sure what we are doing with the kid. The Army then keeps you around rather than deploys you. It's not the first time its happened. I think she handled it badly, or, her immediate COC did.

[alhoon]

Did she know that she had that avenue open? As I said, what you propose is the reasonable thing.

She had a Family Care Plan and her Chain of Command and herself are both to blame. Saying that she likely did it on purpose to stop deployment (if you don't have a Family Care Plan and a single parent you must be discharged from the military by regulation).

Ehh... a single parent doesn't want to lose her job. On the other hand, staying with the army, demanding to be payed when you're in no position to do your duties isn't a good thing. It's like hiding a disability and when you're sent to the front you say, "Yes, but in fact I'm colorblind and I cannot go"

[Farnan]

Ehh... a single parent doesn't want to lose her job. On the other hand, staying with the army, demanding to be payed when you're in no position to do your duties isn't a good thing. It's like hiding a disability and when you're sent to the front you say, "Yes, but in fact I'm colorblind and I cannot go"

There is no choice. You have to have a Family Care Plan that is approved by your chain of command or you MUST be discharged from the military. And if you hide a disability (btw you can be deployed if you're colorblind) you are breaking the law.

[alhoon]

There is no choice. You have to have a Family Care Plan that is approved by your chain of command or you MUST be discharged from the military. And if you hide a disability (btw you can be deployed if you're colorblind) you are breaking the law.

As I said this makes sense for military. "You can't be deployed, then we won't pay you! Sorry, this is no charity institution"
It is like a man working on a perfume factory that decides to hide he has an allergy to chemicals used; sorry but he's not good for the job.

As I said however there is the sentimental part of the case. She has only her mother and she has to support herself and her kid. Can you really blame her for not saying to the military "Well, I should be unemployed right now". It is illegal but is it wrong? It's not an easy answer here. She propably just took her chances hoping she wouldn't be deployed and hoping that her story was heartfelt enough to not land her in prison.
And I don't think that the job opportunities in USA are great at the time for single, 21-year old mothers.

[Mangalore]

There is no choice. You have to have a Family Care Plan that is approved by your chain of command or you MUST be discharged from the military. And if you hide a disability (btw you can be deployed if you're colorblind) you are breaking the law.

The article says the mother was her Care plan though her failure to tell anyone when it fell apart is clearly her error.

This certainly is another example of how much of a hassle having women serve would be. It's bad enough she'd be pulling out of a non-combat unit, imagine the detriment if she was a part of a combat unit and was pulling this crap?

Certainly another example ... would be. They actually do serve already so there is no would. It is also questionable to use individual examples as basis of such judgement. Inidvidual soldiers have been seen to run amoc after their tour in a warzone so I'd propose to lock them up for two years after their tour. Sounds reasonable? No? Better safe than sorry. Still no? Individual cases are a bad basis for any conclusions.

[Captain Jin]

Certainly another example ... would be. They actually do serve already so there is no would. It is also questionable to use individual examples as basis of such judgement. Inidvidual soldiers have been seen to run amoc after their tour in a warzone so I'd propose to lock them up for two years after their tour. Sounds reasonable? No? Better safe than sorry. Still no? Individual cases are a bad basis for any conclusions.

This isn't uncommon amongst women in the military. There are many of whom get pregnant to avoid deploying.

[Farnan]

She had a Family Care Plan and her Chain of Command and herself are both to blame. Saying that she likely did it on purpose to stop deployment (if you don't have a Family Care Plan and a single parent you must be discharged from the military by regulation).

[Farnan]

Actually it is wrong as she is letting down not only the Army but those that rely upon her to do her job. And that is not by staying in the military but by failing to have a proper Family Care Plan. So she has no cousins? Uncles? Aunts? Siblings? How about the boy's father? His side of the family? Someone she trusts?

[alhoon]

Actually, since she is a single mother, I doupt the father gets in the equation. She said that she could trust her mother but her mother has to take care of 3 more relatives.

[Farnan]

As I said no one else but her mother?

And the boy's father, even if he doesn't have custody, usually has some sort of parental rights, and there is absolutely no one on his side that can be trusted?

I'm thinking she is one of those that put off the problem purposefully in order to avoid deployment. It does happen.

[alhoon]

It is a possibility yes.

[Ahlerich]

cant she take her child with her to afganistan? some armor plates on the cradle, solid wheels. might as well mount a machinegun on the cradle.

i find the whole story somewhat pathetic. sad only that the child will be the screwed one in this story - or is already. i hate women who want it all and are not able to compromise and in core thats what this story is about.

[Digbert]

Women should not be serving in the military at all.

[Captain Jin]

This certainly is another example of how much of a hassle having women serve would be. It's bad enough she'd be pulling out of a non-combat unit, imagine the detriment if she was a part of a combat unit and was pulling this crap?

Oddly enough, those that don't serve aren't familiar with the amount of women that do who either get pregnant to avoid deployment, or because they are simply promiscuous as hell. Case in point, she's 21 and single, probably only been in the Army for a year or two. I knew another that was in the Army six months before she pregnant.

This sets a nasty prescedence. You have to worry about the child, but if you allow her to pull this then it shows that other people can pull the same crap to avoid deployment.

[Wolfcp11]

Maybe this is a reason why women shouldn't be in the military....

CO: Alright troops, we are being invaded by Russia, get to your posts
Female soldier: Oh, sorry, baby is crying, have fun

[Romano-Dacis]

Condolences to the child for having such a ing stupid mother, but I have no sympathy for her. She signed up for the job,it's not like there is conscription or anything. It was her choice. If she cannot do her job then she should be forced to quit the army. Sorry, but the army should not be a charity, and it is her fault.

[RomanSoldier9001]

Condolences to the child for having such a ing stupid mother, but I have no sympathy for her. She signed up for the job,it's not like there is conscription or anything. It was her choice. If she cannot do her job then she should be forced to quit the army. Sorry, but the army should not be a charity, and it is her fault.

Seing how Economy is doing rigth now I sincerally doubt that military was her first choise of job but you rigth she choose it and now gots to do it I just think someone screw up in this.
This a great example of modern women that wants to do it all rasing child and having suceffull job together with the phenomenon of single parents ; modern wonders.

this is why women shouldnt be allowed in the standing military
reserves and paramilitary, fine

not in the fighting forces

Politicaly we all have same rigths so there xD. If you dont allow women in military in you are being "opressive" to women.
But I just think that someone forgot that men and women are biologicaly different that makes socialy different etc.
Man I am suprised to see that many TWCenter members actualy would prefer to not see women in military at all I guess liberalism

"fled" when saw TWCenter.

[Exarch]

Politicaly we all have same rigths so there xD. If you dont allow women in military in you are being "opressive" to women.
But I just think that someone forgot that men and women are biologicaly different that makes socialy different etc.
Man I am suprised to see that many TWCenter members actualy would prefer to not see women in military at all I guess liberalism

"fled" when saw TWCenter.

lol, i dont have no problem with women on top (lol)
i just have reservations when it comes to the military combat units; medics, firefighting, doctors, CEOs, i'm fine with.
just no women in the combat zone, you must allow some slack to an old chauvinist lol