Army Charges Mom Who Refused Deployment Because of Infant Son
The Army has charged a single mother who says she didn’t show up for her Army deployment to Afghanistan because no one was available to care for her 10-month-old son.
Spc. Alexis Hutchinson says her mother had agreed to take care of the child, but changed her mind after two weeks of baby-sitting in October, the Associated Press reports. Hutchinson was charged with “missing movement” (missing her overseas flight), being absent without leave, dereliction of duty and insubordinate conduct.
Hutchinson’s lawyer, Rai Sue Sussman, says her client didn’t show up for deployment because she was told by superiors that the foster care system would have to care for her son. But Kevin Larson, a spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield, said the Army would not deploy a single mom who had no one to care for her child.
