[jessefan]

http://www.theday.com/eng/web/newstand/re....17-06C5EFFE4C44

With Few Options For Son, Mom Fights Iraq Deployment

Dana Jensen
Gwen Headen is due to be deployed with her Army reserve unit Dec. 1. Headen is concerned about who will care for her son, Timothy Pendlebury, if she goes to Iraq.


± Lyman Allyn Agreement Now Scheduled To Be Signed Dec. 9

By ROBERT A. HAMILTON
Day Staff Writer
Published on 11/25/2003

Groton — Army Reserve PFC Gwen Headen of Groton is supposed to report to Ft. Bragg, N.C., on Dec. 1, as the first step toward duty in Iraq with the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion of Warwick, R.I.

But three days later, the new mother is supposed to be in divorce court in Rhode Island, and if her divorce is granted as expected, she faces a quandary about what to do with her infant son, because she is supposed to be granted sole custody under the agreement she has with her husband.

“They're still trying to deploy me, even though I have no one to take care of my 13-month-old son other than myself,” Headen said. “They said since I'm not officially divorced, it doesn't really matter.”

In addition, her doctor has told her that she shouldn't be doing any strenuous activity until mid-December because of recent surgery, but the Army has not listened to that argument either.

“They told me when I get to Fort Bragg, I'll be evaluated,” Headen said. “They don't care what my doctor is saying.”

Ben Abel, a spokesman for the Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg, said because the 443rd is a reserve unit that is in the process of being activated, the case only recently came to the attention of the active-duty Army.

But he said at this point, the plan is to activate her, and bring her down to Ft. Bragg for a full evaluation.

“We're in the process of figuring out what's going to happen with her,” Abel said. “One of the things they're looking at is, what is her situation, and what other options are there for child care? That's something we're going to have to work out with her.

“Once she's here, we can do a more detailed evaluation of her circumstances,” Abel said. “We can't really make any decisions until we know what's going on.”

Abel said in general, cases involving sole-custody parents are being dealt with depending on the individual circumstances, so he can't say what might happen in the Headen said.

“We're going to have to work with her,” Abel said.

Headen said she joined the Reserves when she was 17 years old in 2000, and did her basic training the summer between her junior and senior years of high school. She was attached to the 443rd, which specializes in restoring order to war-torn areas by getting schools, government offices and other social service functions up and running.

She was notified in August that the unit was likely to be called up to relieve some of the other Reservists and National Guard units that have been in Iraq since March. Then she and her husband separated in October, and he has told her he cannot take care of their son, Timothy, because he is sharing a studio apartment with three other people.

“My parents and my stepmother would probably be able to figure out something, but it's going to be a real hardship for them, too, because they all work six days a week,” Headen said.

Recently, she said she has been working as a nanny for the two children of the man she is now living with in Groton.

Headen said she has repeatedly sought a waiver for her deployment, without success, and in fact has angered people in her unit.

“I got yelled at on Monday for going up through my chain of command with my complaints,” Headen said. “I didn't get any results when I tried at first, so I had to go higher — that's how it's supposed to work.”

To make matters worst, Headen said she recently had breast reduction surgery and was told by her doctor to avoid strenuous activity until mid-December. Her command told her that she would get a medical review board to assess her condition, but not until after she got to Bragg.

“I don't know how they can make me deploy under these circumstances,” Headen said. “It just seems like nobody is listening.”

[dragonsbooboo]

That is not right, but its millitary for you, what can you do?
She should get discharged or something, good greif.

If there is anymore to her story I hope someone posts it, I'd like to follow it.

[jessefan]

There is no update to this story that I can see on google. That happen sometimes. You see a sad story, and then you never hear about it again because the press has moved on.