BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As an Army medic and a mother, Simone Holcomb is faced with a difficult choice between duty and family. She needed to stay in the U.S. to fight for custody of her children, but the Army wanted her back in Iraq, and soon. Patty Davis now reports on how this all panned out.</s>PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After weeks of insisting Medic Simone Holcomb return to Iraq, the Army decided to let her stay.</s>SIMONE HOLCOMB, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD MEDIC: My number one priority. My children have always been first.</s>DAVIS: Seven children, to be exact. Holcomb and her husband Vaughn were both deployed to Iraq. But a custody battle initiated by her husband's ex-wife brought her back on emergency leave. Complicating matters, the grandmother taking care of the kids could no longer do it. Holcomb was thrust into the national spotlight after time ran out and the Army ordered her to return to Iraq.</s>HOLCOMB: They said get on a plane or we're kicking you out of the Army.</s>DAVIS: A problem because a Colorado judge had ordered her to stay in the U.S. if Holcomb and her husband were to retain custody of his two children. Monday, after her lawyer contacted the Pentagon, appealing for compassionate reassignment, the Army said it will reassign her to her National Guard unit in Colorado. "The leadership there will give her time to resolve the outstanding family issues," said an Army spokeswoman. (on camera): Both sides avoid making a messy situation worse. Holcomb can now stay in the United States. The Army says it will be up to the National Guard to determine her ultimate fate. Patty Davis, CNN, the Pentagon.</s>HEMMER: One other note on this story. Had Holcomb been charged with going absent without leave, she could have faced imprisonment or discharge from the Army and a loss of all military benefits. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Choosing Between Duty and Family