Posted on 11/17/2009 5:35:06 AM PST by MuttTheHoople
SAVANNAH, Ga. – An Army cook and single mom may face criminal charges after she skipped her deployment flight to Afghanistan because, she said, no one was available to care for her infant son while she was overseas.
Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, claims she had no choice but to refuse deployment orders because the only family she had to care for her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task, already caring for three other relatives with health problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
OK, I know I’ll get blasted for this...but I disagree about women serving in the military. Women have valiantly served in the military for quite some time—let’s get beyond this gender war. If a woman can do the job, handle the physical burdens, manage the stress, lead people...get over it, guys. We’re proud to have served with you, why can’t you do the same back to us? And let’s not even go further on the race issue—blacks, Italian American, Japanese Americans, German Americans, native Americans already had to fight tyranny in WWII and then returned home to face some prejudices still. Let’s get beyond that racial/cultural cr@p and stand united against those who want to destroy our country.
As for the benefits she or any other person might receive from serving in the military—those of us who served know we enjoyed those benefits for ourselves and our families, and the recruiters had to have some carrots to get us to join to begin with! The thing she and any other military member has to remember is the needs of the military always come first, so now she faces the consequences for not having a back-up plan to her family care plan. Several sad things here: her son is now definitely not gonna be with her; someone else had to quickly backfill her deployment spot thus impacting their family’s lives; the issue for her and other single mothers is still unresolved. I don’t think there is a simple answer to this complex problem. I’ve been a squadron section commander and handled issues similar to this; it’s not easy for anyone involved.
carefulyou may get this from mpackard...i did ...lol...
You know....Conservatism is a viable and desirable political and social system.....
why does there always have to be SOMEONE in a thread bring up race?
I agree. Discharge her and be done with it. Maybe a token slap on the wrist for missing movement and out the door. No need for all the drama.
Yes. UCD/BCD.
Because it always seems to be right there, doesn’t it?........
I’ll be happy to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Although I have no problem with women serving in specific areas in the military I don’t think they should ever be in combat units etc.
First- there should be NO uni-sex boot camp- it drags down the men and it coddles the women. There should be separate boot camps. Take out the sexual tension as much as possible and everyone will be more fit as soldiers.
Just another example of why women should not serve.
Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a land now forgotten by all but society’s oldest members, women were expected to stay home and take care of their (wedded) husbands’ kids.
Sounds like a fairy tale or some sort of mythology, but, believe it or not, it’s the truth, and based on millennia of hard-won wisdom.
Dare we ask why it is that society is falling apart?
Mom, I agree. I actually served in the 80s. Now I have 2 daughters in the military and a son.
“but I disagree about women serving in the military. Women have valiantly served in the military for quite some time—let’s get beyond this gender war. If a woman can do the job, handle the physical burdens, manage the stress, lead people...get over it, guys. We’re proud to have served with you, why can’t you do the same back to us?”
Totally agree. I’ve been fed up for years with the whining and moaning about women in the military. I guess it never occurs to those guys that some women DESIRE to join the military to serve their country.
Course some of those same “men” think women are only good for one thing.
I agree with everything you said.
Yeah, lets talk about that when they draft all the women.
Sorry, I appreciate what you have to offer, but the standards are not the same. Stuff like this just reinforces why the ban was there in the first place.
I would expect any gal in the services to be speaking out against this lady, for the simple reason that no guy could use this as an excuse for his deployment.
As for the father, where the heck is he?!
Given that 40% of all births and nearly 30% of white births are also out-of-wedlock, and the total number of white women is higher than black women, the race of this woman was hardly a given.
And given your apparent opposition to abortion, would you prefer that she had an abortion?
idiocy.
“Sorry, I appreciate what you have to offer, but the standards are not the same. Stuff like this just reinforces why the ban was there in the first place.”
Not my fault the standards aren’t the same. And to paint all single mothers in the military with same brush is just asinine. So this one may or may not have screwed up, doesn’t negate the viability of the rest of the women serving. Many of whom I’m sure would have far less polite words to say to her and to those that whine and moan about them being in the service of their country.
How we going to win wars if we can’t send our pregnant women soldiers??
The standards never will be the same, that’s the point.
Men and women are fundamentally different from one another. I’m sorry if you can’t accept this point but that is the honest truth.
I am not opposed to women serving and I think they can do an excellent job. I do not believe that the best use for them is in combat.
Any woman who can meet the same requirements as the men ought to be permitted to serve in the same capacity. She should be willing to take responsibility for her own conduct. I can understand why it’s a good deal for people, but for too many, ‘serving’ is the last thing on their mind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.