Commander softens punishment for pregnancy

Commander softens punishment for pregnancy
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jan 3, 2010 8:28:38 EST

The two-star general who planned to punish soldiers for getting pregnant backed down after meeting with Army Chief of Staff George Casey.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, commander of Multi-National Division-North, met with Casey in Ramadi a day after making headlines with his General Order No. 1, which calls for disciplinary action against female and male soldiers for pregnancies.

During the meeting, Casey gave him “great guidance and great professional development,” Cucolo told National Public Radio.

Cucolo told reporters he had never intended to court-martial soldiers. He wanted to make soldiers consider the void left by “anyone who leaves this fight earlier than expected” due to a “personal choice.”

“I have not ever considered a court-martial for this. I do not ever see myself putting a soldier in jail for this,” Cucolo said in a Dec. 22 conference call with more than a dozen reporters. “I wanted to encourage my soldiers to think before they acted and understand their behavior and actions have consequences.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/army_cucolo_010310w/

I wonder how he made it to two bars, let alone two stars, given that kind of thinking.