Predicament of the Army Mom

Here we have a grave situation. We have family responsibilities resting on the one hand while civil commitments lie squarely on the other. Usually both tend to balance each other in the proper manner and all works out well, however in the following case that scenario did not occur.

Lisa Pagan who was recalled recently to active duty will now receive a discharge from the service according to the latest news articles. It appears that this North Carolina mother reported for her Army duty with her 4 year old and 3 year old child under her arms. She had appealed this issue several times in the past and each time she has lost the argument. Her previous excuse was centered on the concept that since her husband travels in his job she has no one else to take care of the children. This at first appears to be a very weak excuse.

I spent 21 years in the military and one of the things that they tell you are to make alternate plans in the event that you have to deploy or be called to duty at inopportune times. We are currently residing in an age of equal opportunities and rights and as such I would like to toss the question out as to whether she would get away with this if she were a man. The answer is a simple “No, a male enlisted member of the military would certainly never get away with using this type of argument.” I have never in 21 years of active duty witness a single male military member discharged from service due to a situation such as this. There were several cases in point where the member would send his children to another location to be tended to by a family member but never discharged.

This is one of the reasons that women’s rights in the military will be reduced due to people like Mrs. Pagan. The powers to be will simply say that women should not be in our military services at all or at least not in critical fields where your presence is a vital concern.

Don’t misunderstand me I feel for this lady however a military commitment is just that a commitment and it should be fulfilled. There really should be no exceptions here. I have seen situations where there was a married couple with children and the military would send only one spouse at a time. In this way there was always someone at home to tend to the children. It is totally possible that this woman will not receive an honorable discharge in fact she may even be issued a general discharge. In view of the facts above she certainly does not deserve any future benefits that a dedicated solider would receive. This particularly should apply to any sort of educational benefits.