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Mom Soldier to Be Discharged after Reporting for Duty with Kids
Lawyer: Soldier to be discharged after reporting for duty with kids
* Soldier reported for duty in Georgia on Monday with her two preschool children
* She had been discharged four years ago, but was recalled
* Lisa Pagan argued no one would be able to care for kids if she was sent overseas
* Lawyer: Army granted request for reprieve, and she will be discharged for good
By Eric Marrapodi and Chris Lawrence
WASHINGTON – A soldier who reported for duty with her children in tow has been granted her request for a discharge, her lawyer said Monday.
Lisa Pagan, of Davidson, North Carolina, reported for duty Monday morning at Fort Benning, Georgia, with her two preschool children. She had been honorably discharged from active duty at the rank of specialist nearly four years ago but was recalled as part of the Individual Ready Reserve program.
The former Army truck driver asked for a reprieve from deployment because her husband travels for business and they would have no one to care for their children if she was sent overseas. Until Monday, her request had been denied.
Late Monday afternoon, Pagan’s lawyer told CNN the Army would grant her request and begin the process of discharge again, this time for good.
"We are definitely heading in the right direction for Lisa and her family and her children," said Mark Waple, Pagan’s attorney. "She has been told by her chain of command they plan on doing everything they can within reason to do this as expeditiously as possible."
Pagan enlisted in 2002 and was honorably discharged from active duty in June 2005. She was never deployed.
Before she left for Fort Benning, Pagan, 27, told CNN affiliate WCNC that her relatives weren’t able to care for her children for various reasons, including her relatives’ health.
She said her family couldn’t afford having her husband give up his job. They would lose their house, she told the Charlotte, North Carolina-TV station.
"I’m a human being. I need to take care of my children. They don’t have anybody else," Pagan told WCNC.
Since September 11, 2001, the Army has recalled about 25,000 soldiers. Nearly half requested a delay or a full exemption. Some just wanted to finish their school semester before reporting. Others had financial or medical problems that made it difficult to report for duty.
The Army says it granted nearly nine out of 10 delay requests and six out of 10 requests for exemption.
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=5061
Posted by Veterans Today on Mar 2 2009, With 0 Reads, Filed under Military. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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I am glad it worked out for this young lady,, she served her commitment. She has done a lot more than several young slackers who made negative comments about her problem. And have never served there country. Good luck to her and her children
If you aren’t going to serve your entire obligated time you shouldn’t sign up in the first place. She knew that she was on IRR when she decided to have another child and stay home with the kids. She knew that she had enlisted in a time of war and that she could be called up at any time. There is a reason the military keeps the IRR around, and if you are part of it you should always be ready to be activated. If anyone who is IRR thinks they can’t be recalled they are sorely mistaken. The army needs to make an example of this young lady or they will be dealing with many more of these situations in times to come.
Not knowing all the facts, I am sympathetic to the young lady, but that is far as it goes. If you join the military, especially with conflicts going on, you should be smart enough to know you may have to be deployed.
It sounds harsh, but if they let her get out of her committent, it sends the wrong message to the soldiers who are keeping their committment, even with issues.
It sounds discriminating, but women with children should not be able to enlist. If they enlist and then have a child, they should be discharged, immediately, to avoid this situation. One size fits all, in this case. That way, it would be “cut and dried” and no lawyers and TV stations would have to get involved, implying the military is mistreating this poor young lady. If they looked closely, they could see her signature on the enlistment papers. That should stand for something.
Not knowing all the facts, I am sympathetic to the young lady, but that is far as it goes. If you join the military, especially with conflicts going on, you should be smart enough to know you may have to be deployed.
It sounds harsh, but if they let her get out of her committent, it sends the wrong message to the soldiers who are keeping their committment, even with issues.
It sounds discriminating, but women with children should not be able to enlist. If they enlist and then have a child, they should be discharged, immediately, to avoid this situation. One size fits all, in this case. That way, it would be “cut and dried” and no lawyers and TV stations would have to get involved, implying the military is mistreating this poor young lady. If they looked closely, they could see her signature on the enlistment papers. That should stand for something.