This is a huge issue and must be vetted. I'm less concerned with the necessity of the Army having to redo paperwork; that is barley worth mentioning. The officer Cook is replacing is another matter, but I am at a loss for how this gets done with out causing someone to be stuck.
Had this been someone other than a reservist that volunteered to go the outcome is the same. The legal standing and reasoning is the same. The currently assigned officer waits as it gets fixed just the same. The only difference I can see is that the Sickle and Hammer cannot claim that the officer bringing the suit volunteered only to have standing.
If anything, Cook may have cleared the way for regular officers to bring suit without as much risk to their careers.
OK - never mind. I'm wrong.
Your awesome! Your wife must LOVE you! lol!
The way it works is that the unit is short a man until they can find a replacement. Again, this happens ALL THE TIME. You have no idea how many females try to get pregnant right before a deployment. Solders go nuts during block leave and break legs and wrap their cars around trees. A few idiots freak out and go AWOL. (Not common, but it happens.) The military really is prepared to loose a few bodies here and there.
I keep telling my husband that the United States Army will not grind to a halt if he isn't there and I point to these situations as my evidence, but he doesn't believe me.
I am concerned that this might take on a life of it's own and will eventually cause a problem. If enough soldiers, at the right battalions do this at the right time, there could be a real problem.
But then perhaps this mess will actually be resolved.