Send her to jail and let Uncle Sam raise the kids.

[el Guapo]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Central/11/05/cnna.holcomb/index.html

I have zero sympathy for this one. Sorry honey you joined the ARMY, not the "I'll fight if it works into my reproductive plans brigade." Forget the discharge, send her butt to jail.

 

[Planderella]

I have to agree with you on that one. You can't joined the armed forces with your own set of conditions. It just doesn't work that way.

 

[Jeff]

I say send her ass to jail, but you know whats gonna happen. Shes going to end up stateside working on a domestic base or at a reserve center.

 

[donk]

But what about the children?

The five of her own should have pretty much made her career choice a bit easier, who looks after them while she is away?

I can't believe the army took her knowing about her family size. Ours can be pretty picky with respect to personal items they feel may intrude on your ability to do your job, so I've been told. (Parents live near one of our largest bases, I live in a closed base town)

 

[Cardinal]

The Army has a set of rules that you agree to obey when you join. If you don't plan to commit to, and follow them, then get out of the Army. There are plenty of people who make sacrifices when they get called up or shipped overseas. I know many single parents who had to leave their kids, or business owners who lost their businesses when they were called up. It isn't easy, but you know that going in. On the other hand, the ex-wife is exploiting a situation and deserves the strongest condemnation for this. Is she really acting in the best interests of her kids? I doubt it.

 

[Rumpy Tunanator]

But what about the children?

What about the children!!!!!
They should make her half cyborg.

 

[Wulf9]

I am sympathetic to her cause. Most people joined the Army at a time when the U.S. was a peaceful nation and was slow to anger. They knew they might have to go to war to defend the country and were willing to do so. But Iraq is a war of choice, not a war of necessity. I would be miffed if I were in the Army.

That being said, you join the Army, you lose most of your personal freedoms, and she needs to follow orders.

A final note on being in the Army. The current DOD policies are not very favorable to the humans in the Army. The human portion of the military is being stretched to the limit, the Army is using reserves (low cost labor) rather than regular soldiers. So we have a trend toward low cost labor and high cost supplies (supplied by major campaign donors). This is not a sustainable military model.

 

[tsc]

no sympathy here,,, she joined knowing what was required.

 

[Big Easy King]

I have zero sympathy for this one. Sorry honey you joined the ARMY, not the "I'll fight if it works into my reproductive plans brigade." Forget the discharge, send her butt to jail.

I concur!

 

[BKM]

I am borderline joining Zero Population Growth groups, so my immediate reaction to ANYONE who has six?? kids is very negative.

I'll join the conservative chorus on this one-you're in the Army, not a maternity ward.

 

[nerudite]

I'm not sure how I stand on this one. Speaking as a stepmother, I can understand how she feels. Sure, when you join the army you take on responsibilities. But to know that you will have your children taken away from you the minute you leave the country... that's a harsh reality. She shouldn't have joined the Army in the first place (obviously). But I don't think this is something that she brought on herself, what with the ex filing for custody while they are both called away to duty. That is a pretty low thing to do on the part of the ex. If I were in her shoes, I would have to think twice about that decision too.

My question is if this is a custody battle between her husband and his ex-wife, why the hell isn't *he* staying at home? If he believes that he should have custody, I think he should be the one actually fighting it in court and retaining the requisite residency in Colorado.

 

[Repo Man]

My guess is that this move was somewhat calculated by the husband. Since they are HIS kids. He probably told her to go AWOL because people would have sympathy for a woman.

You know, maybe the kids biological mother is right...if both parents are out of the country, my guess is that the natural mother's house would be a better place for the kids. And unlike what she says, the judge didn't tell her to not leave the country, the judge said that one parent must remain to retain FULL custody. Well in this situation joint custody seems like the better option. She should report for duty and let the mother have custody. Then they can sort all this crap out when they get back. I am sure that a good lawyer could get custody back to them.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I'm wondering where the state stands on this, in terms of investigating the homes. If the biological mother has not been found to be neglectful or abusive, the kids should be with her for now, as Repo Man aid. If she's been a problem, and the step-mom has made good arrangements for her own kids, perhaps his two kids could join that care arrangement.

As for step-mom, no sympathy. She says there are personal issues her unit has with her. Duh. First of all, her grammar sucks. Second, depending on the nature of her job, she's likely causing operational problems for her unit by not being where she's supposed to be.

 

[ludes98]

Ok so the Army let her off without even a slap on the wrist. I guess the message is: Lack of planning on your part means you don't have to show up for work. Not even a dishonerable discharge? WTF?

 

[el Guapo]

It means all military men and women of character and sacrifice have just been pooped upon in a very public way.

 

[giff57]

This one is easy enough to solve. A judge with half a brain needs to step up and halt all custody procedings until the parents finish up their tours.

 

[ilikefish0]

This one is easy enough to solve. A judge with half a brain needs to step up and halt all custody procedings until the parents finish up their tours.

I'll second that. Many posts in this thread have mentioned that this woman knew what she was getting into when she joined the army. This may well be, but the situation have changed since she "joined up." When she was in the recruiting office, there was not another woman trying to take away kids she obviously considers her own. I also would like to agree with the previous poster who said that the biological mother is trying to take advantage of circumstances.

This case is really complex, and I think colorado needs to take a long hard look at this law. The 2 kids should be allowed to stay wherever the other five are.