If you read the article you'll find out that she's divorced and receives child support. Wonder why "dad" couldn't watch the kids while she was gone?
Lots of personal decisions put this lady in a bind.
The military has always deployed. If you don't want to ship out - don't sign up. duh!
Maybe because "dad" shouldn't be trusted to watch anything more sentient than a goldfish, and that's why he's no longer in the picture?