| Two-Way Street |
10 November 2003
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Army Orders May Lose Couple Custody of Children
The military value of loyalty is being put to the test in a case in Colorado. A two-soldier family, the Holcombs, is in a custody fight with a previous spouse, and the two soldiers are both on duty in Iraq. While on leave, a judge said one of them had to stay or they would lose custody. Simone Holcomb, a medic reservist, has stayed, is AWOL, and needs the Army to back her up. Loyalty is a two-way street.
The legal case is not significant; custody fights go on all the time. Maybe the children would be better of elsewhere. Perhaps, the Holcombs should reconsider. But there is no good military reason to make these soldiers choose between their children and their military family. A compassionate discharge is a normal event, and all the Holcombs need is a compassionate reassignment.
The morale issue in Iraq is going to be aggravated by this case. What exactly are the troops defending if not their families? This war has created a lot of hot air about WMD, terror and more, but ultimately, the military exists to protect the society, that is, the loved ones of the troops. No soldier is going to cheerful charge a machine-gun nest for a country that ships him and her abroad and then takes their children because they aren't around.
To their credit, her unit commanders have extended her leave and have nothing but sympathy for her. Yet, that isn't going to carry the day. Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) has involved himself, and the Army inspector general is reviewing the case. Even so, this is it, the acid test, for the Army. Either America supports its troops, or it doesn't. Which side is the Army on? Or the judge?
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