AWOL US Soldier, Single Mother, Not to be Court-Martialled for Child Care Issues

Before every deployment, soldiers are expected to file family care plans detailing how their dependants will be looked after during the member's absence. For single parents, and there are more than a few in the military, arranging for child care during a lenghty deployment can be difficult. This piece from the NY Times shows how the US military is dealing with one such case. MP+

By JAMES DAO
Published: February 11, 2010
Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook and single parent, was days from deploying to Afghanistan last fall when her mother backed out of an agreement to take care of her 10-month-old son for the duration of her one-year tour.

Angelique Hughes, Specialist Hutchinson's mother, found she was unable to help.
Specialist Hutchinson’s mother, Angelique Hughes, had a child of her own at home and was also caring for a sick sister while running a day care center from her home in Oakland, Calif. Feeling overwhelmed, Ms. Hughes took the boy back to Savannah, Ga., where Specialist Hutchinson was based, and begged her to find someone else.


Read the whole piece here.