Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Army to Discharge Single Mom

... not in the manner which Army rules specify, but at least this is a big improvement over attempting to court-martial her.  (Who wants a soldier at their back who feels free to abandon her responsibilities?  I certainly wouldn't.)

Dahr Jamail | Army to Discharge Single Mom, Rather Than Court-Martial Her
Dahr Jamail, Truthout: "On Thursday, February 11, Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother of an infant son, was informed she would be granted an administrative discharge from the Army. Last fall, Hutchinson was ordered to prepare to deploy to Afghanistan. On November 5, 2009, after her childcare plans fell through, Hutchinson was faced with the dilemma of having no one to take care of her son when she deployed to a war zone."
Tags: gender studies, news
Subscribe

  • Geniuses

    This article asks if geniuses are real. Gee thanks, assholes. It's not enough to be treated like a vending machine, now you want to play the erasure…

  • Values in Television

    Here's an interesting look at values in pop culture television over 50 years. You can see what goes up and down in importance. Researchers also…

  • Dangers of Luxury

    Here's an article about the dangers of luxury that connects the past with the present. Luxury can be a very real trap. Here are some things you…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 6 comments

Deleted comment

ysabetwordsmith

Well...

ysabetwordsmith

February 14 2010, 15:34:49 UTC 11 years ago

That's what I would have done, but then I frown on wasting good personnel. You don't send a hero to do an assassin's job; you don't put someone in a kitchen who can't cook. I'd have looked for an Army job that involved dealing with children/parents and put her there, probably freeing up someone else to put on the plane.

With the Army ejecting people left and right for often spurious reasons, it makes me very unsympathetic to the whining about not having enough new recruits. I'm still aware that this is a bad situation, but sheesh, most of the problem is a natural consequence of poor management decisions.
ladyqkat

Re: Well...

ladyqkat

February 14 2010, 18:09:46 UTC 11 years ago

Since she lied about her situation, pulled the public in on a military matter and made the military seem like the bad guys, ousting her without any benefits was gentle treatment. Her attitude is the type that breaks down disclipline and, had she gotten away with it and kept her benefits, every person with a hangnail would have tried the "I'm Special and you can't do this to me" ploy.

Were I in the military I would not even trust her with scrubbing latrines.

A Dishonorable Discharge was a kindness to someone who deserved a court-martial.
mtrose2

Re: Well...

mtrose2

February 14 2010, 19:44:19 UTC 11 years ago

I heard that the army had reason to suspect that she was trying to get out of her deployment and the main reason for avoiding a court-martial was because they would have had to pull witnesses from the field in order to testify (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/us/12awolmom.html), but nothing beyond that. Do you have anything more specific?
ladyqkat

Re: Well...

ladyqkat

February 14 2010, 19:58:52 UTC 11 years ago

Mostly what I have read in various news links I have encountered here and there. From what I read she lied about her mother backing out of taking care of her child and then she tried to pull the "Saint Mommy" card, a ploy I find despicable in any circumstance, and especially vile when a job you volunteer for states up front what the requirements are for the term of service*.

IIRC military tribunals will use videotaped and/or streaming live feed for required testimonies.


*Trust me, I know the military can be slippery and shady in some of its dealings, but this particular aspect has been very well stated because of attempts like this.

Deleted comment