Lisa Pagan is in a difficult position. In 2005, Pagan was honorably discharged from the army. Now, four years later, she has been recalled to complete the time on her enlistment contract and heading to Ft. Benning Ga. -- with her two children in the backseat.

Pagan’s husband travels frequently for work, and there is apparently no one who can take care of her children while she finishes her service. So she is bringing the children with her. The AP article in the San Francisco Chronicle quoted Master Sgt. Keith O'Donnell, Army spokesman in St. Louis, who said that "The Army tries to look at the whole picture and they definitely don't want to do anything that jeopardizes the family or jeopardizes the children. At the same time, these are individuals who made obligations and commitments to the country."

The biggest thing that stands out to me about this story is that, according to the O’Donnell, “Of the 25,000 individual ready reserve troops recalled since September 2001, more than 7,500 have been granted deferments or exemptions,” and yet Pagan, who certainly has a legitimate reason to be exempt, has been denied. They are leaving her with the choice of leaving her children or failing to report. I don’t think that’s fair.

I wholeheartedly support women who wish to serve in the armed forces, but I also believe that once you have children, your first duty is to them. Pagan met her husband while stationed in Hawaii. She was still in the army when she had her first baby, and she and her husband left the army soon after, when their enlistments were up.

Pagan did it the right way: her kids obviously mean a lot to her, and when she took up family duty, she finished her army duty with honor. If Pagan’s husband wasn’t away frequently and unavoidably for work, (his employer even stated in a letter that "In order for Travis to remain an employee, he will be required to travel,") I’d even say she should just leave them with him and finish at Ft. Benning.

Tom Tarantino, a policy associate with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, is quoted in the MSNBC version of the AP article saying that "Usually the only way that someone can get out of the deployment or get out of the military due to a family hardship is if they get into a situation where the kids will be put into foster care."

I think Pagan has a legitimate reason to be excused by the army, and I also think that this whole fiasco may put off women who are considering enlisting, in case the same thing happens to them.

I also wonder where the grandparent and aunts and uncles are – either or both sides of the family should certainly lend a hand, and don’t appear to be doing anything at all.

I hope Pagan can work out a viable plan, that the army considers her problem carefully, and that the recalcitrant family that should have been the first to offer assistance will come to their senses and take in the children for a little while if no other solution can be reached.

My sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29441874/
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6288646.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/28/MNN116720L.DTL