Mother Leaves After Refusing Deployment

An Army specialist who refused deployment to Afghanistan because no one was available to care for her infant son in her absence has agreed to leave the military instead of facing a court-martial, service officials said.

As part of the agreement 21-year-old Spc. Alexis Hutchinson will be stripped of her rank and become ineligible for future military or veterans benefits, according to a release from Army Forces Command. In January, Hutchison was charged by the Army for refusing to deploy with the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division to Afghanistan.

Hutchinson told The Associated Press then that her mother had agreed to watch her then-10-month-old son during her time overseas, but was "overwhelmed" with caring for other family members already. But in the statement Army Forces Command disputed that version of events.

"The investigation revealed evidence, from both other Soldiers and from Private Hutchinson herself, that she didn't intend to deploy to Afghanistan with her unit and deliberately sought ways out of the deployment," the release said.

Hutchinson admitted to lying about the circumstances, officials said. The decision to administratively separate her from the service, rather than seek a court-martial, eliminates the possibility of jail time for the incident.

Under Army rules, all single soldiers with children are required to have a family care plan while they serve on active duty, detailing who can care for the child if the soldier is deployed.

"Of the thousands of soldiers from Private Hutchinson's unit who are currently serving in combat in Afghanistan, many are also single parents or dual-military parents," the release said. "They have experienced similar challenges but have been able to overcome them so that they could deploy with their units."