IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Our travel boxes are selling out! Grab your Shop TODAY Staycation box for 63% off before it's gone

Single-mom soldier refuses deployment to care for baby

A single mother might face criminal charges for putting her child before service. U.S. Army cook Alexis Hutchinson, 21, skipped her flight to be deployed to Afghanistan, insisting she had no family members who could care for her 10-month-old son. Her mother was originally scheduled to help take care of the baby, but later realized she couldn’t handle the responsibility. According to the AP,
By Parents

A single mother might face criminal charges for putting her child before service. U.S. Army cook Alexis Hutchinson, 21, skipped her flight to be deployed to Afghanistan, insisting she had no family members who could care for her 10-month-old son. Her mother was originally scheduled to help take care of the baby, but later realized she couldn’t handle the responsibility. According to the AP, Hutchinson’s civilian attorney said that one of Hutchinson's superiors told her she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care. Hutchinson refused — she felt she couldn’t “abandon” her child. A spokesman for the Army, however, said the Army generally doesn’t deploy single parents and that they need a care plan for dependent children before going to a combat zone. In this situation, the plans fell through. What do you think? Should single parents get special consideration? Would it undermine the system if moms received more leniency? Share your thoughts.