The U.S. military is changing. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed, more women are serving, and the structure of military families is changing. More than 700,000 U.S. children now have a parent who is deployed in the military. Last year, Oakland resident Alexis Hutchinson made headlines when she refused to go to Afghanistan, saying she couldn’t find adequate childcare for her then-10-month-old child. She received an “other than honorable” discharge from the military. The Department of Defense estimates that there are more than 70,000 single parents on active duty. That represents only about 5% of service members, but the consequences of their deployment are complicated. Vilmarys Pichardo has more.

The U.S. military is changing. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed, more women are serving, and the structure of military families is changing. More than 700,000 U.S. children now have a parent who is deployed in the military. Last year, Oakland resident Alexis Hutchinson made headlines when she refused to go to Afghanistan, saying she couldn’t find adequate childcare for her then-10-month-old child. She received an “other than honorable” discharge from the military. The Department of Defense estimates that there are more than 70,000 single parents on active duty. That represents only about 5% of service members, but the consequences of their deployment are complicated. Vilmarys Pichardo has more.