Alexis Hutchinson and son Kamani / AP
Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, is an army cook and single mom. She is now facing charges after avoiding her deployment flight to Afganistan, because she says no one was able to take care of her ten-month old son.
Alexis has said that one of her supervisors told her she would have to deploy anyway, and place her child into foster care. "For her it was like, 'I couldn't abandon my child,'...she was really afraid of what would happen, that if she showed up they would send her to Afganistan anyway and put her son with child protective services," said her attorney, Rai Sue Sussman.
Alexis remains within the boundaries of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. An investigation is underway, although no official charges have been filed. Her son was placed into the care of local child welfare officials until his grandmother was able to come pick him up.
"I don't know what transpired and the investigation will get to the bottom of it...if she would have come to the deployment terminal with her child, there's no question she would not have been deployed," said Kevin Larson, spokesman for Hunter Army Airfeild. He says that although he doesn't know what her superiors told her, the Army will not deploy a single parent who does not have anyone to care for their child. Hutchinson's original plan was to have her mother, Angelique Hughes, watch her son. But, after keeping the boy for a full two weeks in October her mother said she would be unable to care for him full time for a year because she is already caring for her mother and sister, and a daughter with special needs.
Hutchinson had asked her commanders for more time to find someone to care for her son, but she was ordered to deploy on schedule. As of today though, "Spc. Hutchinson's deployment is halted...There will be no deployment while this situation is ongoing," said Larson.
What do you think? Should the military allow single parents to avoid deployment if there is no one available to care for their children?
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Comments
If she can't deploy, she needs to be discharged from the Army. It's that simple. When you enlist and re-enlist, no where do you swear to only deploy if it's convenient for you. Serving in the military isn't easy however, when you're called upon to deploy you need to (or get out).
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