A recent blog post discussed the struggle of an Army sergeant who hoped to get custody of his daughter. The sergeant, who was formerly of Colorado, has now secured placement of his 13-year-old daughter after months of work. The girl had been in her mother's care, but was eventually removed after her mother was convicted of DUI. She then became a state ward. When the sergeant returned to the U.S. from duty in Afghanistan, he discovered that his daughter was missing and his ex-wife was listed in a treatment facility. He requested custody of the girl, but courts were hesitant to move her to Colorado, where the sergeant was stationed at an Army base.

The sergeant argued that courts usually award child custody to fit, noncustodial parents in such cases, asserting that he fit this description, but his requests were ultimately unsuccessful. Finally, he filed for a compassionate reassignment with the Army, hoping to be placed in the girl's home state. His request was granted, with the Army transferring him out of Colorado and into a military recruit processing station near the girl's home. While the girl has since been officially placed with him, the sergeant says he plans to pursue full legal custody.

The girl told a judge that she loves both of her parents, requesting that she be allowed to stay enrolled at her current school. Her father plans to stay in the state until she has graduated from high school.

Before the sergeant won placement, the girl had been living with a family friend in order to stay in the same town near her mother. A court found that the girl's mother was an unfit parent, citing her alcohol addiction and tendency to leave her daughter unsupervised. After the woman was convicted of DUI and sentenced to probation, a court revoked her custody of the girl.

Source: Lincoln Journal Star, "After months of wrangling, court places teen with Army dad," Dec. 3, 2011