[El Gato]

I wonder how the Army would have reacted if his mother had been told by her OIC or first sergeant to hang up the phone, and responded in the same way her son had.

The mother volunteer for the Army. The kid is forced to go to school. Different situation.

Kid should have been more respectful, but so should the teacher who stopped him from talking to his mother, while she was in Iraq, during his lunch hour, outside the building. Very poor judgment on the part of the teacher.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

The mother volunteer for the Army. The kid is forced to go to school. Different situation.

I'm trying to understand what you're implying here. The mother volunteered for the Army, which is different than the son being forced to go to school. Since she's a volunteer, she can flout authority and get away with it, whereas, since he's forced to go to school, he's not obliged under any standard of conduct to respect the school's authority. I guess that's what you're trying so hard to say. No?